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USS Majaba (AG-43)
Encyclopedia
USS Majaba (AG-43/IX-102) was a commercial cargo ship
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was assigned to operations in the South Pacific Ocean, where, during dangerous operations at Guadalcanal
, she was struck by a torpedo
and beached. She was eventually salvaged sufficiently to serve as a barracks ship
and as a storage ship, until she was finally disposed of post-war.
, in 1919; acquired by the Navy under charter as SS El Capitan from her owner, E. K. Wood Lumber Co., of San Francisco, California
, 23 April 1942; renamed Majaba and commissioned the same day.
for cargo runs to islands of Polynesia
and the South Pacific Ocean.
Departing Honolulu 24 June, she operated during the next several months out of Honolulu and completed supply missions to Palmyra Island, Christmas Island
, and Canton Island. Thence, she reached Efate
, New Hebrides
, to bolster the vital ocean supply line to American forces engaged in the bitter struggle for control of Guadalcanal
.
Majaba departed the New Hebrides 26 October and steamed to meet two supply convoy
s bound for the Solomon Islands
. However, heavy weather prevented the rendezvous, and she returned to Espiritu Santo
29 October. Later that day she sailed once again for Guadalcanal where she arrived 2 November. Screened by , she crossed Ironbottom Sound
and unloaded cargo at Tulagi
that same day.
naval forces, Majaba shuttled cargo between Tulagi
and Guadalcanal during the next few days. She arrived off Lunga Point
, Guadalcanal, early 7 November; and, while her escort, , patrolled for enemy submarine
s off Lunga Point, she began final unloading operations prior to her planned departure for Espiritu Santo.
Shortly before 0930, lookouts in , anchored near Majaba, spotted a submarine periscope
followed by two torpedo
wakes. One torpedo, which apparently passed under Lansdowne, hit the beach but failed to explode. The other curved toward Majaba and exploded against her starboard side amidships, destroying her engineroom and boilers. She settled and listed slightly but did not sink.
While Lansdowne and Woodworth searched for the enemy sub, went to Majaba's aid. The tug towed the disabled ship east along the coast of Guadalcanal and beached her that afternoon off the month of the Tenaru River
.
. She remained at San Pedro Bay, Leyte
, until early in 1946 when she was towed to Subic Bay
, Luzon
. There, she was placed out of service 14 March 1946 and delivered to War Shipping Administration
(WSA) for return to her owner. Her name was struck from the Navy List
28 March 1946.
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...
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was assigned to operations in the South Pacific Ocean, where, during dangerous operations at Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, she was struck by a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
and beached. She was eventually salvaged sufficiently to serve as a barracks ship
Barracks ship
Barracks ship or barracks barge are terms used to indicate a ship or a non-self-propelled barge containing a superstructure of a type suitable for use as a temporary barracks for sailors. A barracks ship may also be used as a "Receiving Unit" for sailors who need temporary residence prior to being...
and as a storage ship, until she was finally disposed of post-war.
Constructed in Oregon
Majaba (AG 43) was built as SS Meriden by Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland, OregonPortland, 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...
, in 1919; acquired by the Navy under charter as SS El Capitan from her owner, E. K. Wood Lumber Co., of 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...
, 23 April 1942; renamed Majaba and commissioned the same day.
World War II service
Majaba completed conversion to a miscellaneous auxiliary 14 May and subsequently steamed to the Hawaiian IslandsHawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
for cargo runs to islands of Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
and the South Pacific Ocean.
Departing Honolulu 24 June, she operated during the next several months out of Honolulu and completed supply missions to Palmyra Island, Christmas Island
Kiritimati
Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands, and part of the Republic of Kiribati....
, and Canton Island. Thence, she reached Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, to bolster the vital ocean supply line to American forces engaged in the bitter struggle for control of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
.
Majaba departed the New Hebrides 26 October and steamed to meet two supply convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s bound for the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. However, heavy weather prevented the rendezvous, and she returned to Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
29 October. Later that day she sailed once again for Guadalcanal where she arrived 2 November. Screened by , she crossed Ironbottom Sound
Ironbottom Sound
"Ironbottom Sound" is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound, the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in...
and unloaded cargo at Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
that same day.
Guadalcanal operations
Despite the menace of powerful JapaneseEmpire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
naval forces, Majaba shuttled cargo between Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
and Guadalcanal during the next few days. She arrived off Lunga Point
Lunga Point
Lunga Point is a promontory on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, the site of a naval battle during World War II. It was also the name of a nearby airfield, later named Henderson Field....
, Guadalcanal, early 7 November; and, while her escort, , patrolled for enemy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s off Lunga Point, she began final unloading operations prior to her planned departure for Espiritu Santo.
Shortly before 0930, lookouts in , anchored near Majaba, spotted a submarine periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
followed by two torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
wakes. One torpedo, which apparently passed under Lansdowne, hit the beach but failed to explode. The other curved toward Majaba and exploded against her starboard side amidships, destroying her engineroom and boilers. She settled and listed slightly but did not sink.
While Lansdowne and Woodworth searched for the enemy sub, went to Majaba's aid. The tug towed the disabled ship east along the coast of Guadalcanal and beached her that afternoon off the month of the Tenaru River
Tenaru River
The Tenaru is the name of a river on the northern coast of Guadalcanal with a tributary at Savo Sound . During World War II, it was the site for the Battle of the Tenaru River.-References:...
.
Reclassified as IX-102
On 8 January 1943 and Bobolink freed Majaba from her beached position and towed her to Tulagi. Reclassified IX-102 and placed in an in-service status on 1 July 1943, she remained at Florida Island, Solomons, and during the remainder of World War II served as a floating quarters and material storage ship.Post-war inactivation
Following the end of the war, Majaba was towed to the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She remained at San Pedro Bay, 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...
, until early in 1946 when she was towed to 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...
, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. There, she was placed out of service 14 March 1946 and delivered to War Shipping Administration
War 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....
(WSA) for return to her owner. Her name was struck from the Navy List
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...
28 March 1946.