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USS Onslow (AVP-48)
Encyclopedia
USS Onslow (AVP-48) was a 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...
Barnegat-class
Barnegat class seaplane tender
|The Barnegat class was a large class of United States Navy small seaplane tenders built during World War II. Thirty were completed as seaplane tenders, four as motor torpedo boat tenders, and one as a catapult training ship.-Design:...
seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
in commission from 1943 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1960.
Constructioning and commissioning
Onslow was laid down on 18 May 1942 by Lake Washington ShipyardLake Washington Shipyard
Lake Washington Shipyards was a shipyard in Houghton, Washington on the shore of Lake Washington. Today the shipyards are the site of the lakeside Carillon Point business park...
at Houghton
Houghton, Washington
Houghton is one of the lakeside neighborhoods of the city of Kirkland, Washington. Consisting mostly of upscale, single-family homes, Houghton overlooks Lake Washington and is one of the wealthier districts of the Eastside suburbs of Seattle. The village was named for Willard Houghton, a local...
, Washington. She was launched on 20 September 1942, sponsored by Mrs. W. W. Fitts, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 22 December 1943 with Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Alden D. Schwarz in command.
World War II operations 1944-1945
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...
, Onslow departed the United States West Coast on 19 March 1944. She stopped 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...
, 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...
, and Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
before reporting for duty with Task Group 57.3 at Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
.
The seizure of Ujelang
On 20 April 1944, Onslow was given the task of seizing Ujelang, a small island in the Marshall IslandsMarshall 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...
occupied by Japanese
Empire 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...
troops. Embarking troops of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
s 111th Infantry Regiment
111th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 111th Infantry Regiment is represented in the U.S. Army by 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry assigned to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division...
she rendezvoused with minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
USS YMS–91 on 21 April 1944. On the morning of 22 April 1944, 160 soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s were put ashore to capture the island. They met resistance at the center of the island from 18 entrenched Japanese soldiers, who were killed, with no American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
casualties
Casualty (person)
A casualty is a person who is the victim of an accident, injury, or trauma. The word casualties is most often used by the news media to describe deaths and injuries resulting from wars or disasters...
. During this time, Onslow came under attack by a twin-engined Mitsubishi G4M
Mitsubishi G4M
The Mitsubishi G4M 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty...
"Betty" bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
, which she drove off with 5-inch (127 mm) antiaircraft fire.
Operations at Kwajalein and Eniwetok
Onslow returned to Kwajalein on 25 April 1944 and spent the next six weeks there engaged in seaplaneSeaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
tending duties. She then was sent to Eniwetok, arriving there on 10 June 1944.
Supporting landings on Saipan
On 15 June 1944, in company with destroyer USS , Onslow escorted sealane tender USS to 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...
. While on this passage she rescued a downed fighter pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
who was adrift in a raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
, 25 nautical miles (46.3 km) off Saipan.
On 18 June 1944, three days after the initial landings on Saipan, Onslow took up duties tending the seaplanes of Patrol Squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
16 (VP-16).
On the morning of 10 September 1944, two Japanese swam from Saipan and succeeded in climbing aboard one of the moored seaplanes undetected. They proceeded to blow the plane up with hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, and Onslow dispatched a boat to assist the planes crew. The boat was driven back under fire, but two additional boats joined in and they were then able to reach the plane and kill the boarders. However gunfire set the plane's fuel ablaze, destroying it, although its crew was saved.
Operations in the Palau Islands
Onslow and seaplane tenders USS Pocomoke, , , and departed Saipan on 12 September 1944 to participate in the invasionInvasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
of the Palau Islands. At noon
Noon
Noon is usually defined as 12 o'clock in the daytime. The word noon is also used informally to mean midday regarding the location of the sun not the middle of a persons day. Although this is a time around the middle of the day when people in many countries take a lunch break...
on 16 September 1944 the formation entered Kossol Passage. The five ships tended seaplanes there under adverse conditions that included floating mines
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
, dangerous coral heads, and rough water, not to mention the presence of enemy airplanes and 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.
On 13 November 1944, Onslow sped out to recover a Martin
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
PBM Mariner
PBM Mariner
The Martin PBM Mariner was a patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to complement the PBY Catalina in service. A total of 1,366 were built, with the first example flying on 18 February 1939 and the type entering service in September 1940.-Design and...
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
down at sea with engine failure and towed it 275 nautical miles (509.3 km) to Ulithi Atoll. She then returned to Kossol Passage.
On 12 January 1945, three Japanese midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s entered the harbor, and the ships spent the day dodging coral heads trying to ferret out the elusive little submarines. One of the midget submarines was sunk; the other two escaped.
Operations at Saipan
On 17 January 1945, Onslow moved to Ulithi Atoll, and on 19 January 1945 she steamed for GuamGuam
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...
. She then spent two months at Saipan beginning on 20 January 1945, providing services to CASU 48 bowser boats and the crews of two crash boats.
Supporting the invasion of Okinawa
On 23 March 1945, Onslow got underway for the invasion of Okinawa. Along with seaplane tenders USS Yakutat, , and , she escorted seaplane tenders , , and USS Chandeleur from Saipan to Kerama RettoKerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
, arriving there on 28 March 1945. Upon anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
ing, the ships began to lay out a seadrome and by 29 March 1945, were operating on a regular schedule with 60 PBM Mariner seaplanes.
Onslows work at Kerama Retto was more difficult than ever before. Many of the seaplanes were damaged by the Japanese or by heavy seas. Because of their frequency, it became necessary for the seaplane tenders to ignore Japanese air raids at times. On one occasion Onslow assisted in shooting down a Japanese fighter which was making a dive on her.
Beginning about 1 June 1945, many of Japanese troops isolated on the small islands off Okinawa began coming to the beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es to surrender. When they did, Onslow notified the proper commands and often furnished shallow-draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
boats to assist the U.S. Army in picking up the surrendering Japanese.
On 6 August 1945, Onslow received orders to escort Chandeleur to Eniwetok via Saipan. She transferred all patrol squadron personnel and equipment to seaplane tender and departed Okinawa. Hostilities with Japan ceased and 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...
came to an end on 15 August 1945, the same day she entered port at Eniwetok.
Honors and awards
Onslow earned four battle stars for her service in World War II, for:- Marshall Islands operation, March 1944-April 1944
- MarianasMariana IslandsThe 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...
operation: Capture and occupation of Saipan, 14 June 1944-27 August 1944 - Western Caroline IslandsCaroline IslandsThe 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...
operation: Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 16 September 1944-13 November 1944 - Okinawa Gunto operation: Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 28 March 1945-6 August 1945
Peacetime service 1945-1947
With the end of the war, Onslow took up dities as part of Operation Magic Carpet, the return of U.S. military personnel overseas to the United States. She embarked military personnel at Eniwetok and transported them to Pearl Harbor and the United States West Coast.Onslow remained active for some time following the end of the war, participating in occupation duties in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
until 10 January 1947, when she returned to trhe United States for inactivation. She was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
in June 1947 and placed in reserve.
Korean War service 1951-1953 and peacetime service 1953-1960
Onslow was reactivated in January 1951 to serve in the Korean WarKorean 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...
. She operated on a rotational basis, finishing four tours in the Western Pacific prior to 1955. During these tours, she spent most of her time in Iwakuni, Japan, tending seaplanes. She also provided services during the initial establishment of the Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
there in 1952.
Onslow earned one battle star for her service in the Korean War, for Korean
Korea
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...
Defense Summer-Fall 1952 13 May 1952-22 May 1952 and 17 June 1952-27 June 1952
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Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Following this she began another Western Pacific tour, serving as the station ship in 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...
until August 1957.
Returning to the United States again, Onslow provided services for various commands on the U.S. West Coast, with interim periods for upkeep and training.
Final decommissioning
Onslow was decommissioned for the second and final time on 22 April 1960 and was struck from the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval 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...
on 1 June 1960. She was sold on 18 October 1960 to the Philippine Presidents Line, Inc., for use as a commercial ferry.
Still in service as a ferry in the Philippines
Philippines
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...
in 1975, the former Onslow was among the ships that the U.S. Navy hired to assist in the evacuation of refugees from South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
upon the collapse of that country at the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in April of that year.