SS Mission Soledad was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker

Tanker (ship)

A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...

 built for the United States Maritime Commission

United States Maritime Commission

The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. After the war 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...

 as USS Mission Soledad (AO-136). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission Soledad (T-AO-136). She was a member of the and was named for Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is in the Salinas Valley near Soledad, in central Monterey County, California. The mission was founded on October 9, 1791 for the increasing settlement of upper Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and for the Indian Reductions to convert...

, located in Soledad, California

Soledad, California

Soledad, meaning "solitude" and "loneliness" in Spanish, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet...

.

Career

Mission Soledad was laid down 12 July 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marine Ship Corporation, Sausalito, California

Sausalito, California

Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...

; launched 28 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Atholl McBean; delivered 16 January 1944. Chartered to Pacific Tankers, Inc. for operations, she spent the remainder of the War carrying fuel to Allied forces in the western Pacific

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

. She remained in this capacity until mid-February 1946, when she returned to her building yard and was laid up in reserve.

Acquired by the Navy 16 October 1947 she was chartered to Pacific Tankers, Inc. for operation and placed under the operational control of the Naval Transportation Service as Mission Soledad (AO-136). When operational control of this tanker was assumed by the newly created Military Sea Transportation Service on 1 October 1949, she was redesignated USNS Mission Soledad (T-AO-136). In October 1957, while on one of her voyages to the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, she received an SOS

SOS

SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal...

 from the USS Merrimack (AO-37) after the oiler had lost all propulsion power. Mission Soledad rushed to the scene and rendered assistance until USS Pecos

USS Pecos (AO-65)

USS Pecos was laid down 20 April 1942 by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. as a type T3-SE-A1 tanker, Chester, Penn., as Corsicana ; launched 17 August acquired by the Navy 29 August 1942; sponsored by Mrs. B. P.M Abrams; and commissioned 5 October 1942, Comdr. Palmer M...

 (AO-65) arrived and began towing the stricken ship into Bombay, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Upon her arrival in the United States, she was returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) on 31 October 1957, struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval 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 date, and laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet.

Sold to the Hudson Waterways Corporation on 4 November 1966 she was renamed Seatrain California on 7 November 1966. She began conversion to a container ship

Container ship

Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...

, but before conversion was complete she was sold to Transwestern Associates, Inc., and renamed Transontario. Upon completion of the conversion she began hauling freight to countries all over the world, which she was still doing into 1969.

During her active military service she was awarded the National Defense Service Medal

National Defense Service Medal

The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...

, the Korean Service Medal

Korean Service Medal

The 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...

 (five times), the United Nations Service Medal

United Nations Service Medal

The United Nations Service Medal for Korea is an international military decoration which was established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950...

 and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactively). She also received five battle star

Service star

A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...

s for her 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...

service.

The ship's final disposition is unknown.