USS Kailua (IX-71), formerly Dickenson, was launched in 1923 by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...

 and 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...

 on 19 May 1942 on a bareboat charter

Bareboat charter

A bareboat charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things....

. Kailua was commissioned 5 May 1943 with Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 C. R. Bower in command.

Kailua departed 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...

 15 May 1943 to join the Service Force of the 7th Fleet. Upon her arrival at Pago Pago, Samoa, 25 May, she immediately commenced operations as an auxiliary in the Pacific islands. During June she arrived Milne Bay, New Guinea, and for the next year remained there laying cables, ASW nets, and buoy

Buoy

A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...

s. Kailua arrived at Pearl Harbor 4 July 1944 and performed similar services there for the rest of the war. Kailua decommissioned at Pearl Harbor 29 October 1945 and was later sunk intentionally.

External links

• photo gallery at navsource.org