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USS Grainger (AK-184)
Encyclopedia
USS Grainger (AK-184) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship
that served the U.S. Navy during the final months of World War II
. In 1947 she was placed back in service and served in the Korean War
, earning two battle stars
; sponsored by Mrs. Carl Bong; and commissioned 26 January 1945, Lt. Henry J. Johnson in command.
training out of Westwego, Louisiana
, and Galveston, Texas
, Grainger was assigned to the Naval Training Center, Miami, Florida
, for duty as a school ship
. She trained personnel in cargo handling and ship operation and maintenance until 14 September when she departed New Orleans and proceeded by way of the Panama Canal Zone
to arrive at San Pedro, California, 12 October.
Departing San Francisco 31 October Grainger sailed for Saipan
, Tinian
, Guam
, and Seeadler Harbor
, Manus Island
. Having discharged all her cargo she left Manus Island 17 February 1946 and after touching at Pearl Harbor
reached San Francisco 13 May. Ten days later Grainger proceeded to Seattle, Washington
, and arrived there 26 May and began her inactivation overhaul. She was decommissioned there 25 July 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the next day. Her name was stricken from the Navy List
15 August 1946.
, Bremerton, Washington
; Lt. Comdr. Ralph E. Deckwa, USN, in command, and her name reinstated on the Navy List 23 June. Departing Bremerton she reached San Diego, California
, 18 July then sailed for Port Hueneme, California
.
Departing Port Hueneme 21 August 1947 Grainger touched at Pearl Harbor
before she arrived at Guam
19 October to take up duty there. Grainger supplied the Mariana Islands
and the Eastern Caroline Islands
, with occasional trips to the Palau Islands until 9 April 1949 when she arrived Pearl Harbor.
After overhaul Grainger cleared Pearl Harbor 13 July and touched at San Francisco before reaching Seattle 16 August. Departing Seattle 28 August she carried out cargo operations at Kodiak
and Adak, Alaska
, before returning to Seattle 2 October 1949.
Grainger cleared Seattle a week later to take up her duty at Guam again, arriving there 20 December. She carried out her operations for the next 6 months supplying the Marshall Islands
and the Mariana Islands
.
and shortage of ammunition ships in the Far East
Grainger loaded with aircraft ammunition and cleared Guam 14 July 1950. She was to rendezvous with Admiral Arthur Dewey Struble
's Task Force
77 on the 23d and rearm the carrier Valley Forge
, but due to weather conditions had to complete her mission in Sasebo, Japan, the next day.
Here Grainger was assigned to the Logistics Support Group (Captain B. L. Austin) for the U.S. 7th Fleet as a replenishing ammunition ship. She continued this important job until 15 September when she got underway for the objective area in support of the landings at Inchon, one of the most successful amphibious operations in history. Grainger participated in the landings 16 September and after landing her cargo remained in Inchon Harbor until 7 October, when she retired to Sasebo.
Departing Sasebo 21 October 1950 Grainger returned to Guam on the 28th and resumed her task of logistic support to the Marianas and the Carolines. Departing Kwajalein 2 March 1951 Grainger sailed for Pearl Harbor
arriving 13 March. Here she took up duty contributing logistic support to Midway Island and Kwajalein atoll until 18 June 1953.
The ship then cleared Pearl Harbor to take up duty in Sasebo, where she arrived 12 July. With the exception of a voyage to Inchon, Korea, with refrigerated and dry stores for occupation troops (6-13 October) Grainger steamed between Sasebo and Yokosuka until 19 March 1954, returning to Pearl Harbor 2 April to take up her familiar runs to Kwajalein and Midway Island. 5 March 1955 found Grainger again rotating to Sasebo where she arrived 29 March. Her visits included Buckner Bay, Okinawa; Subic Bay
, Philippine Islands; Kaohsiung
, Formosa
; and Hong Kong
.
, 20 October 1955; 2 days later she shifted to San Diego, California
, to undergo inactivation overhaul. Grainger decommissioned there 7 February 1956 and was turned over to the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet. Grainger remained out of commission in reserve there until she was disposed of and her name stricken from the Navy List 1 April 1960.
Her subsequent fate is not known.
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...
that served the U.S. Navy during the final months of 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...
. In 1947 she was placed back in service and served 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...
, earning two battle stars
Built in Superior, Wisconsin
Grainger, ex-M.C. Hull 2115, was launched under U.S. Maritime Commission contract 7 May 1944 by the Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Superior, WisconsinSuperior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
; sponsored by Mrs. Carl Bong; and commissioned 26 January 1945, Lt. Henry J. Johnson in command.
World War II-related service
After shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
training out of Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 10,763 at the 2000 census. It lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River.-Geography:...
, and Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, Grainger was assigned to the Naval Training Center, Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, for duty as a school ship
School ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is especially used for ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms....
. She trained personnel in cargo handling and ship operation and maintenance until 14 September when she departed New Orleans and proceeded by way of the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
to arrive at San Pedro, California, 12 October.
Departing San Francisco 31 October Grainger sailed for Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, and Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...
, Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
. Having discharged all her cargo she left Manus Island 17 February 1946 and after touching at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
reached San Francisco 13 May. Ten days later Grainger proceeded to 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...
, and arrived there 26 May and began her inactivation overhaul. She was decommissioned there 25 July 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the next day. Her name was stricken from the Navy List
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
15 August 1946.
Post-war reactivation
Grainger was taken into the Navy again 9 May 1947 and commissioned 12 June 1947 at the Puget Sound Naval ShipyardPuget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
, Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
; Lt. Comdr. Ralph E. Deckwa, USN, in command, and her name reinstated on the Navy List 23 June. Departing Bremerton she reached San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, 18 July then sailed for Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme is a small beach city in Ventura County, California surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Pacific Ocean. The name derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash wene me, meaning "Resting Place". The area was discovered by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in the mid 16th century...
.
Departing Port Hueneme 21 August 1947 Grainger touched at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
before she arrived at Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
19 October to take up duty there. Grainger supplied 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 Eastern Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
, with occasional trips to the Palau Islands until 9 April 1949 when she arrived Pearl Harbor.
After overhaul Grainger cleared Pearl Harbor 13 July and touched at San Francisco before reaching Seattle 16 August. Departing Seattle 28 August she carried out cargo operations at Kodiak
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
and Adak, Alaska
Adak, Alaska
Adak , formerly Adak Station, is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 326. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. The city is the former location of the Adak Army Base and Adak...
, before returning to Seattle 2 October 1949.
Grainger cleared Seattle a week later to take up her duty at Guam again, arriving there 20 December. She carried out her operations for the next 6 months supplying 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...
and 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...
.
Korean War support
With the outbreak of hostilities in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and shortage of ammunition ships in 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,...
Grainger loaded with aircraft ammunition and cleared Guam 14 July 1950. She was to rendezvous with Admiral Arthur Dewey Struble
Arthur Dewey Struble
Arthur Dewey Struble was a United States admiral who served in World War II.-Biography:Struble was born in Portland, Oregon. Following graduation from high school in Portland, he entered the United States Naval Academy in 1911 and was commissioned with the rank of Ensign in June 1915...
's Task Force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
77 on the 23d and rearm the carrier Valley Forge
USS Valley Forge (CV-45)
USS Valley Forge was one of 24 s built during and shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the first US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for Valley Forge, the 1777–1778 winter encampment of General George Washington's Continental Army...
, but due to weather conditions had to complete her mission in Sasebo, Japan, the next day.
Here Grainger was assigned to the Logistics Support Group (Captain B. L. Austin) for the U.S. 7th Fleet as a replenishing ammunition ship. She continued this important job until 15 September when she got underway for the objective area in support of the landings at Inchon, one of the most successful amphibious operations in history. Grainger participated in the landings 16 September and after landing her cargo remained in Inchon Harbor until 7 October, when she retired to Sasebo.
Departing Sasebo 21 October 1950 Grainger returned to Guam on the 28th and resumed her task of logistic support to the Marianas and the Carolines. Departing Kwajalein 2 March 1951 Grainger sailed for Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
arriving 13 March. Here she took up duty contributing logistic support to Midway Island and Kwajalein atoll until 18 June 1953.
The ship then cleared Pearl Harbor to take up duty in Sasebo, where she arrived 12 July. With the exception of a voyage to Inchon, Korea, with refrigerated and dry stores for occupation troops (6-13 October) Grainger steamed between Sasebo and Yokosuka until 19 March 1954, returning to Pearl Harbor 2 April to take up her familiar runs to Kwajalein and Midway Island. 5 March 1955 found Grainger again rotating to Sasebo where she arrived 29 March. Her visits included Buckner Bay, Okinawa; Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
, Philippine Islands; Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
, 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 Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Final decommissioning
Grainger departed Yokosuka 11 September and going by way of Pearl Harbor reached Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, 20 October 1955; 2 days later she shifted to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, to undergo inactivation overhaul. Grainger decommissioned there 7 February 1956 and was turned over to the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet. Grainger remained out of commission in reserve there until she was disposed of and her name stricken from the Navy List 1 April 1960.
Her subsequent fate is not known.