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USS Whippet (IX-129)
Encyclopedia
The second USS Whippet (IX-129), an Armadillo-class tanker
designated an unclassified miscellaneous vessel
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the whippet
. Her keel was laid down on 31 October 1943 at New Orleans, Louisiana
, by the Delta Shipbuilding Company under a Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1933). She was launched
on 15 December 1943 sponsored by Mrs. Will Camp Sealy, delivered to the Navy on 13 January 1944, and commissioned
on 14 January 1944 with Lieutenant Commander R. Parmenter in command.
Following shakedown out of New Orleans, Whippet got underway late in January for duty in the South Pacific. She arrived at Bora Bora
in the Society Islands
on 27 February and remained there until 9 March when she continued her voyage. Two days later, the ship arrived at Funafuti
and served there as station tanker until the beginning of the second week in May. On 10 May, Whippet headed for Oahu
and, after a nine-day voyage, arrived in Pearl Harbor
. Late in June, she had returned west of the International Date Line
, arriving at Eniwetok on 24 June. For the next nine months, she served as station tanker at various forward bases in the Central Pacific, including Eniwetok during the Marianas campaign and Ulithi
during the struggles for the Palau Islands and the Philippines
. By the spring of 1945, the tanker had moved to Saipan
in the Mariana Islands
to prepare for the Okinawa assault.
On 27 March, she departed Saipan and, on 2 April, entered the anchorage at Kerama Retto
in the Ryukyu Islands
to the west of Okinawa. There she remained, serving again as station tanker until well after organized resistance on Okinawa ceased. On 25 July, she departed the Ryukyus and steamed via Ulithi to Leyte
where she arrived on 7 August.
Whippet remained there until 12 October when she got underway for Manila
. The tanker arrived at Manila the following day and served there until near the end of the second month of 1946. On 24 February, she returned to Leyte
briefly before continuing on to the Marianas. After spending the month of March in the Marianas, she returned to the Philippines at Subic Bay
at the end of the second week in April. The ship stayed there until the end of the month at which time she received orders to return to the United States
at Norfolk, Virginia
. She stopped at Pearl Harbor from 7 May to 20 May and arrived in San Francisco, California
on 29 May. Instead of returning to Norfolk, however, she remained on the West Coast. On 1 July 1946, she was decommissioned
at San Francisco, and returned to the War Shipping Administration
for layup with the National Defense Reserve Fleet
at Suisun Bay, California. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 19 July 1946.
Whippet received two battle stars for World War II
service
Armadillo class tanker
The Armadillo class of tankers were those Type Z-ET1-S-C3 Liberty tankers that were commissioned into the United States Navy. They were given the hull classification symbols of unclassified miscellaneous vessels....
designated an unclassified miscellaneous vessel
Unclassified miscellaneous vessel
The IX hull classification symbol is used for ships of the United States Navy that do not fit into one of the standard categories...
, was the second ship of 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...
to be named for the whippet
Whippet
The Whippet is a breed of dog in the sighthound family. They are active and playful and are physically similar to a small Greyhound.- Description :...
. Her keel was laid down on 31 October 1943 at 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...
, by the Delta Shipbuilding Company under a Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1933). She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 15 December 1943 sponsored by Mrs. Will Camp Sealy, delivered to the Navy on 13 January 1944, 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 14 January 1944 with Lieutenant Commander R. Parmenter in command.
Following shakedown out of New Orleans, Whippet got underway late in January for duty in the South Pacific. She arrived at Bora Bora
Bora Bora
The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef, 29.3 km² in total, and of the atoll of Tupai , located north of Bora Bora...
in the Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
on 27 February and remained there until 9 March when she continued her voyage. Two days later, the ship arrived at Funafuti
Funafuti
Funafuti is an atoll that forms the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 4,492 , making it the most populated atoll in the country. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, with a surface of...
and served there as station tanker until the beginning of the second week in May. On 10 May, Whippet headed for Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
and, after a nine-day voyage, arrived in 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...
. Late in June, she had returned west of the International Date Line
International Date Line
The International Date Line is a generally north-south imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, passing through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that designates the place where each calendar day begins...
, arriving at Eniwetok on 24 June. For the next nine months, she served as station tanker at various forward bases in the Central Pacific, including Eniwetok during the Marianas campaign and 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...
during the struggles for the Palau Islands and 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...
. By the spring of 1945, the tanker had moved to Saipan
Saipan
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...
in the Mariana Islands
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 prepare for the Okinawa assault.
On 27 March, she departed Saipan and, on 2 April, entered the anchorage at Kerama Retto
Kerama 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....
in the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
to the west of Okinawa. There she remained, serving again as station tanker until well after organized resistance on Okinawa ceased. On 25 July, she departed the Ryukyus and steamed via Ulithi to Leyte
Leyte Island
Leyte is an island in the Visayas group of the Philippines.The island measures about 180 km north-south and about 65 km at its widest point. In the north it nearly joins Samar, separated by the San Juanico Strait, which becomes as narrow as 2 km in some places...
where she arrived on 7 August.
Whippet remained there until 12 October when she got underway for Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The tanker arrived at Manila the following day and served there until near the end of the second month of 1946. On 24 February, she returned to 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...
briefly before continuing on to the Marianas. After spending the month of March in the Marianas, she returned to the Philippines at 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...
at the end of the second week in April. The ship stayed there until the end of the month at which time she received orders to return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, 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....
. She stopped at Pearl Harbor from 7 May to 20 May and arrived in 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...
on 29 May. Instead of returning to Norfolk, however, she remained on the West Coast. On 1 July 1946, 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....
at San Francisco, and returned to 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....
for layup with 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...
at Suisun Bay, California. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
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...
on 19 July 1946.
Whippet received two battle stars for 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...
service
External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org