USS Menkar (AK-123)
Encyclopedia
USS Menkar (AK-123) was an commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II
, named after Menkar
, the alpha star in constellation Cetus
. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Menkar (AK 123) was laid down as SS John White under Maritime Commission contract by St. Johns River Shipbuilding Co., Jacksonville, Florida
, 17 November 1943; launched 31 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Cora E. Owens; acquired as Menkar by the Navy from the War Shipping Administration
(WSA) under bareboat charter
17 January 1944; commissioned the next day, Lt. Comdr. Edward G. Gummer, USNR, in command, to be ferried to Miami, Florida
, where she decommissioned 22 January for conversion by Dade Drydock Co.; and commissioned 2 June 1944.
, 20 June and, following shakedown
, was temporarily assigned to NTS. In late July she loaded on supplies at Norfolk and got underway for the Panama Canal Zone
, via Guantanamo
, Cuba
, arriving 11 August for duty with the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
) work. Construction of stations for LORAN, a navigational system for ships and planes based on the transmission of radio wave pulses, had only begun in the Pacific Ocean
a year before; and a cargo ship was needed to transport material and equipment.
, Marianas
, to unload cargo for the first LORAN station in the Marianas chain. On 11 November she anchored in Apra Harbor
and unloaded supplies for the Guam
station. She then continued on to Ulithi
, Carolines
, arriving 13 December. The Marianas stations proved invaluable in the amphibious assault on Iwo Jima
in February 1945 and in the bombing attacks on Japan begun in March of that year.
, Palau
s, with materials to set up a fixed station. Four days later she was anchored at Pulo Anna, Palaus, unloading her cargo. By the end of March she had supplied the other two stations of the Palau Mortal chain.
with the construction of the Iwo Jima Tokyo
Okinawa chain. Menkar reached Kangoku Iwa off Iwo Jima 20 April, just 2 months after the U.S. Marines had first landed. Three days later she departed for Ike Shima, arriving 10 May. In the next 4 days she fought off intermittent Japanese air raids while discharging supplies at Okinawa. She continued on to Katchin Wan Harbor, Okinawa, where she again was harassed by enemy planes. On 18 May Menkar retaliated by shooting down an "Oscar
" diving directly at the ship.
, Hawaii
, arriving Seattle, Washington
, 5 August. She remained there through the Japanese surrender 15 August.
and the Marshalls
before anchoring at Guam 26 October.
With the construction of a China Sea LORAN chain planned soon after the cessation of hostilities, she continued on to the North China Sea
for LORAN duty into the next year. When the project was abandoned, Menkar returned to San Francisco, California
, 3 March 1946.
(date unknown) and scrapped in 1964 at Oakland, California
.
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...
, named after Menkar
Alpha Ceti
Alpha Ceti is a star in the constellation of Cetus. It has the traditional name Menkar or Menkab. The name Menkar derives from the Arabic word منخر manħar "nostril" ....
, the alpha star in constellation Cetus
Cetus
Cetus is a constellation. Its name refers to Cetus, a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today. Cetus is located in the region of the sky that contains other water-related constellations such as Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus.-Ecliptic:Although Cetus is not...
. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Menkar (AK 123) was laid down as SS John White under Maritime Commission contract by St. Johns River Shipbuilding Co., Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, 17 November 1943; launched 31 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Cora E. Owens; acquired as Menkar by the Navy from the 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) under 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....
17 January 1944; commissioned the next day, Lt. Comdr. Edward G. Gummer, USNR, in command, to be ferried to 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...
, where she decommissioned 22 January for conversion by Dade Drydock Co.; and commissioned 2 June 1944.
World War II operations
Menkar sailed for Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, 20 June and, following shakedown
Shakedown (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...
, was temporarily assigned to NTS. In late July she loaded on supplies at Norfolk and got underway for 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...
, via Guantanamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, arriving 11 August for duty with the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Transferred to Coast Guard operation
In October 1944 Menkar was transferred to the Coast Guard for Long Range Navigation (LORANLORAN
LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....
) work. Construction of stations for LORAN, a navigational system for ships and planes based on the transmission of radio wave pulses, had only begun 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...
a year before; and a cargo ship was needed to transport material and equipment.
Establishing the first Pacific LORAN station
On 31 October Menkar, Lt. Comdr. Niels P. Thompsen, USCG, now in command, reached SaipanSaipan
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...
, Marianas
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...
, to unload cargo for the first LORAN station in the Marianas chain. On 11 November she anchored in Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
and unloaded supplies for the 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...
station. She then continued on 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...
, Carolines
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...
, arriving 13 December. The Marianas stations proved invaluable in the amphibious assault on Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
in February 1945 and in the bombing attacks on Japan begun in March of that year.
Establishing additional LORAN stations
On 5 March 1945 Menkar was off AngaurAngaur
Angaur or Ngeaur is an island in the island nation of Palau. The island, which forms its own state, has an area of 8 km² . Its population is 188 . State capital is the village of Ngeremasch on the western side...
, Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
s, with materials to set up a fixed station. Four days later she was anchored at Pulo Anna, Palaus, unloading her cargo. By the end of March she had supplied the other two stations of the Palau Mortal chain.
Menkar shoots down a Japanese Oscar
The cargo ship next helped tighten the LORAN network around JapanEmpire 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...
with the construction of the Iwo Jima Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
Okinawa chain. Menkar reached Kangoku Iwa off Iwo Jima 20 April, just 2 months after the U.S. Marines had first landed. Three days later she departed for Ike Shima, arriving 10 May. In the next 4 days she fought off intermittent Japanese air raids while discharging supplies at Okinawa. She continued on to Katchin Wan Harbor, Okinawa, where she again was harassed by enemy planes. On 18 May Menkar retaliated by shooting down an "Oscar
Nakajima Ki-43
The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa was a single-engine land-based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II...
" diving directly at the ship.
End-of-war operations
Before construction of the third station at O Shima began, Menkar steamed for the west coast, via 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...
, 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...
, arriving 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...
, 5 August. She remained there through the Japanese surrender 15 August.
Post-war LORAN installations
On 14 September she departed Seattle for Pearl Harbor, embarking 307 passengers on arrival the 24th. She again embarked LORAN units and got underway 9 October for the Marianas, stopping in the GilbertsGilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
and the Marshalls
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...
before anchoring at Guam 26 October.
With the construction of a China Sea LORAN chain planned soon after the cessation of hostilities, she continued on to the North China Sea
China Sea
The China Seas consist of the seas of the Western Pacific Ocean, around China:* Bohai Sea* Yellow Sea* East China Sea* South China SeaOther uses*China Seas , a 1935 American adventure film...
for LORAN duty into the next year. When the project was abandoned, Menkar returned 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...
, 3 March 1946.
Post-war decommissioning
On 15 April she decommissioned and was delivered to WSA for service under the Maritime Commission as SS John White. She was struck from the Navy ListNaval 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...
(date unknown) and scrapped in 1964 at Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
.
Military awards and honors
Menkar's crew was eligible for the following medals:- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)