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USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce (T-AK-251)
Encyclopedia
USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce (T-AK-251) was a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship
built for the U.S. Maritime Commission during the final months of World War II.
She was acquired by the U.S. Army in 1946 as USAT Lt. George W. G. Boyce and served the Army until 1950 when she was acquired by the United States Navy
during the start of the Korean War
. After serving the Navy during the war and earning four battle stars, she continued serving the Navy's needs until 1973 when she was struck and subsequently scrapped.
until July 1946 when she was transferred to the Army Transportation Service and renamed USAT Lt. George W. G. Boyce. She was inactivated in February 1950 and entered the Maritime Commission Reserve Fleet
at Olympia, Washington
.
in June 1950, Lt. George W. G. Boyce underwent reactivation. She was acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 9 August and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS).
Manned by a civilian crew, she departed Seattle, Washington
, 29 September and steamed to the Far East
with military cargo. During much of the period in the Korean War
, she bolstered the seaborne supply line between the United States and the Far East carrying supplies to ports in Japan, South Korea, Formosa
, and Okinawa. In addition she supplied American bases in the Aleutian Islands.
, to ports in West Germany
and France, thence returned to New York City 30 March. During May and June she expanded her scope of operations to include ports in the Mediterranean.
Over the next 6 years she maintained a busy, wide-ranging schedule of supply runs in support of the defense of the United States and the free world. In addition to numerous transatlantic voyages to ports in western Europe, she operated from Greenland
to the troubled Middle East. In August and September 1957 and again in 1958 she made logistics runs to the Red Sea
and the Indian Ocean
. And she operated in the eastern Mediterranean during the summer of 1958 following American peacekeeping operations in troubled Lebanon.
Departing New York 14 January 1960, Lt. George W. C. Boyce sailed on a 6 month, round the world deployment which sent her via the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean to ports in South Vietnam
, Formosa
, South Korea
, Japan
, and the Philippine Islands. Thence, after touching American bases in the Mariana Islands
and the Marshall Islands
, she returned to the U.S. East Coast 29 June and resumed transatlantic service. The veteran cargo ship made a second run to the Far East and back later that year, and from 22 April to 31 August 1961 she circumnavigated
the earth for the second time in little more than a year.
During the next 2 years she cruised primarily to the Mediterranean and Europe with additional assignments sending her to the Caribbean and to the Pacific coast of the United States. From September 1963 to February 1964, she steamed via the west coast to the Far East and back to supply American forces in that unsettled area. She resumed transatlantic runs in April and In December deployed once again to the Far East.
in particular.
on the same day. She wa placed in the reserve fleet, and, on 1 October 1974, sold for scrapping in Portland, Oregon
.
Qualified personnel were authorized the following:
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
built for the U.S. Maritime Commission during the final months of World War II.
She was acquired by the U.S. Army in 1946 as USAT Lt. George W. G. Boyce and served the Army until 1950 when she was acquired by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the start of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. After serving the Navy during the war and earning four battle stars, she continued serving the Navy's needs until 1973 when she was struck and subsequently scrapped.
Victory built in Maryland
Lt. George W. G. Boyce (T AK 251) was laid down as Waterville Victory under Maritime Commission contract by Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 13 July 1945; launched 19 September 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Christine M. Roundy; and delivered to her operator, Parry Navigation Co., Baltimore, Maryland, 15 October 1945.U.S. Army service
Waterville Victory operated under the control of the War Shipping AdministrationWar Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
until July 1946 when she was transferred to the Army Transportation Service and renamed USAT Lt. George W. G. Boyce. She was inactivated in February 1950 and entered the Maritime Commission Reserve Fleet
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
at Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
.
Korean War service
Following the Communist invasion of South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in June 1950, Lt. George W. G. Boyce underwent reactivation. She was acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 9 August and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS).
Manned by a civilian crew, she departed Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, 29 September and steamed to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
with military cargo. During much of the period in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, she bolstered the seaborne supply line between the United States and the Far East carrying supplies to ports in Japan, South Korea, Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
, and Okinawa. In addition she supplied American bases in the Aleutian Islands.
Post-Korean War service
On 25 January 1954 Lt. George W. G. Boyce departed Bangor, Washington, for MSTS duty in the Atlantic Ocean. She steamed via San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, to ports in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and France, thence returned to New York City 30 March. During May and June she expanded her scope of operations to include ports in the Mediterranean.
Over the next 6 years she maintained a busy, wide-ranging schedule of supply runs in support of the defense of the United States and the free world. In addition to numerous transatlantic voyages to ports in western Europe, she operated from Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
to the troubled Middle East. In August and September 1957 and again in 1958 she made logistics runs to the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. And she operated in the eastern Mediterranean during the summer of 1958 following American peacekeeping operations in troubled Lebanon.
Departing New York 14 January 1960, Lt. George W. C. Boyce sailed on a 6 month, round the world deployment which sent her via the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean to ports in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the Philippine Islands. Thence, after touching American bases in the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
and the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, she returned to the U.S. East Coast 29 June and resumed transatlantic service. The veteran cargo ship made a second run to the Far East and back later that year, and from 22 April to 31 August 1961 she circumnavigated
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
the earth for the second time in little more than a year.
During the next 2 years she cruised primarily to the Mediterranean and Europe with additional assignments sending her to the Caribbean and to the Pacific coast of the United States. From September 1963 to February 1964, she steamed via the west coast to the Far East and back to supply American forces in that unsettled area. She resumed transatlantic runs in April and In December deployed once again to the Far East.
Vietnam support
Since 1964 Lt. George W. G. Boyce alternated supply runs to European and Middle Eastern ports with logistics deployments in support of America's growing commitment to the defense of South Vietnam from external Communist aggression. Her role In the defense of the free world is truly worldwide in scope and she cruised wherever and whenever needed to support keeping the peace operations of the versatile and powerful U.S. Navy. Into 1969 she continued her support of American military form in Southeast Asia in general and South VietnamSouth Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
in particular.
Post-war decommissioning and career
The vessel was placed out of service on 15 July 1973 and struck from the Navy ListNaval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on the same day. She wa placed in the reserve fleet, and, on 1 October 1974, sold for scrapping in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Honors and awards
Lt. George W. G. Boyce received four battle stars for service during the Korean War:- First UN Counter Offensive - 5 to 21 April 1951
- Communist China Spring Offensive - 22 April to 5 May 1951 - 4 to 11 October 1951
- First UN Summer-Fall - 4 to 11 October 1951 - 15 December 1951 to 3 January 1952 - 14 to 21 February 1952 - 8 to 29 April 1952
- Second Korean Winter - 15 December to 3 January 1952 - 23 to 29 April 1952
Qualified personnel were authorized the following:
- National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
(2) - Korean Service MedalKorean Service MedalThe Korean Service Medal is an award of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who...
(4) - Vietnam Service MedalVietnam Service MedalThe Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
(1) - United Nations Service MedalUnited Nations Service MedalThe United Nations Service Medal for Korea is an international military decoration which was established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950...
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
- Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)