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USS Hecuba (AKS-12)
Encyclopedia
USS Hecuba (AKS-12) was an Acubens-class general stores issue ship
commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II
. She was responsible for delivering and disbursing goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Hecuba (AKS-12), originally Liberty ship
SS George W. Cable, was launched by Delta Shipbuilding Co., New Orleans, Louisiana
, 6 November 1944 under Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. Alfred Chard; acquired and converted to Navy use at Todd-Johnson Drydocks Corp.; and commissioned 21 April 1945, Comdr. N. H. Castle in command.
training, Hecuba departed New Orleans, Louisiana
, 31 May 1945 for duty in the Pacific Ocean
, arriving Pearl Harbor
22 June. From Hawaii
she sailed to the western Pacific, commencing her first issue to the fleet after her arrival at Eniwetok 16 July.
Hecuba arrived back in Pearl Harbor 18 August to reload general supplies for ships of the fleet. She sailed to Ulithi
, arriving 10 September, and continued issuing the vital stores at that atoll as well as at Leyte
and Okinawa until 28 November 1945. Hecuba departed for San Francisco, California
, for additional supplies, only to return to Pearl Harbor 8 February 1946.
26 March 1946 and was intended for use in the Pacific atomic tests
of that summer, only to be towed to San Francisco, California
, in 1947 and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
, Suisun Bay, California, where she remained until sold for scrapping to Schintzer Steel Products Co., Portland, Oregon
, 19 October 1964.
General stores issue ship
General stores issue ship is a type of ship used by the United States Navy during World War II and for some time afterwards.The task of the general stores issue ship was to sail into non-combat, or rear, areas and disburse general stores, such as canned goods, toilet paper, office supplies, etc.,...
commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in 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...
. She was responsible for delivering and disbursing goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Hecuba (AKS-12), originally Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
SS George W. Cable, was launched by Delta Shipbuilding Co., New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, 6 November 1944 under Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. Alfred Chard; acquired and converted to Navy use at Todd-Johnson Drydocks Corp.; and commissioned 21 April 1945, Comdr. N. H. Castle in command.
World War II service
Following her conversion to a stores ship and 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, Hecuba departed New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, 31 May 1945 for duty in the Pacific Ocean
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...
, arriving 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...
22 June. From Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
she sailed to the western Pacific, commencing her first issue to the fleet after her arrival at Eniwetok 16 July.
Hecuba arrived back in Pearl Harbor 18 August to reload general supplies for ships of the fleet. She sailed to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, arriving 10 September, and continued issuing the vital stores at that atoll as well as at Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
and Okinawa until 28 November 1945. Hecuba departed for San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, for additional supplies, only to return to Pearl Harbor 8 February 1946.
Post-war decommissioning
She decommissioned at Pearl HarborPearl 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...
26 March 1946 and was intended for use in the Pacific atomic tests
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
of that summer, only to be towed to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, in 1947 and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
, Suisun Bay, California, where she remained until sold for scrapping to Schintzer Steel Products Co., 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...
, 19 October 1964.