Service history
After shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico, Hennepin departed Galveston 22 July to load cargo at Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana. She departed New Orleans 6 August, steamed via the Panama Canal and the Marshall Islands, and arrived Cebu, Philippines, 23 September. Assigned to Service Squadron 8, she operated in the Philippines until 19 November when she departed Tacloban, Leyte, for Australia.
During the next month she loaded cargo at Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane before sailing 17 December with provisions for occupation troops in Korea. Steaming via Okinawa, she reached Jinsen 7 January 1946; then sailed for Japan 25 January. She arrived Yokosuka on 30 January, was decommissioned 16 February, and transferred to the US Army.
Korean War support
Manned by a civilian crew, she participated in the Korean supply run during the American effort to repel Communist aggression in South Korea. Operating primarily out of Moji and Sasebo, Japan, she transported vital military cargo to American-held Korean ports during the remainder of the Korean War.
Post-Korean War support
Following the 1953 Armistice in Korea, Hennepin continued supply runs between Japan and South Korea. In response to the scheduled transfer of North Vietnam to Communist control, she departed Yokohama 30 August 1954 to provide support for Operation Passage to Freedom. She arrived Haiphong, North Vietnam, 7 September, and for more than 3 months she transported cargo southward to St. Jacques and Saigon. After completing three runs to Saigon, she departed St. Jacques for Japan 22 December and arrived Sasebo 3 January 1955.
Between 1955 and 1958 Hennepin remained in the Far East, supporting America's determination to keep the peace and contain Communism in Asia. She continued to operate primarily between Japanese and South Korean ports, but cargo runs in 1957 and 1958 again sent her to Southeast Asia.
Between 13 May and 3 July 1957 she operated out of Saigon and Bangkok, Thailand, and in addition steamed to Karachi, Pakistan, and Bahrain Island in the Persian Gulf. During September 1957 and April 1958 she steamed out of Yokohama, carrying cargo to Saigon.
Final deactivation
After returning to Yokohama from Pusan, Korea, 21 June 1958, she was inactivated by the Navy 16 July. She transferred to the Maritime Administration 27 March 1959, and scrapped in 1960.
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United States
