USS Procyon (AKA-2)

Last updated

USS Procyon (AKA-2) at anchor off San Francisco, California (USA), circa late 1945 (NH 78147).jpg
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Procyon
Namesake Procyon, a star in the constellation Canis Minor
Builder Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Tampa, Florida
Laid down15 January 1940, as SS Sweepstakes
Launched14 November 1940
Acquired14 November 1940
Commissioned28 August 1941, as USS Procyon (AK–19)
Decommissioned23 March 1946
ReclassifiedAKA-2 (attack cargo ship), 1 February 1943
Stricken12 April 1946
FateSold for scrap, 19 November 1973
General characteristics
Class and type Arcturus-class attack cargo ship
Type Type C2 ship
Displacement14,225 long tons (14,453 t)
Length459 ft 3 in (139.98 m)
Beam63 ft (19 m)
Draft25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Complement412
Armament
Service record
Operations:
Awards: 5 battle stars

USS Procyon (AKA-2) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship of the United States Navy, named after Procyon, a star in the constellation Canis Minor. She was laid down and launched in 1940, entering service shortly before the American entry into World War II. She served with distinction in World War II, earning five battle stars. Her work included shipping planes in the Pacific, and troops in North Africa. She was part of the Invasion of Sicily and the Invasion of Okinawa. She served as a commissioned ship for 5 years and 4 months. In 1946, the ship was decommissioned, and was later sold to Levin Metals Corp. on 19 November 1973.

Contents

Service history

Procyon (AK–19) was laid down 15 January 1940 as Maritime Commission C hull 22, SS Sweepstakes, by the Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Tampa, Florida, launched and acquired by the Navy, through MARAD, 14 November 1940; sponsored by Miss Dorthy Ramspeck; and commissioned on 8 August 1941 as Procyon (AK–19), at Charleston, S.C.

Pacific

After shakedown, Procyon was assigned to the Naval Transportation Service and she reported to Norfolk, Va. on 25 August to load cargo for Caribbean bases. She sailed 2 September reaching as far as Panama before returning to Norfolk on the 23rd. She put to sea again on 10 October, transited the Panama Canal 20 October bound for San Pedro, Calif., and proceeded to Pearl Harbor 12 November. Procyon remained at Pearl 1824 November and returned to California at the end of the month. She was entering the Mare Island Navy Yard the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, when, receiving emergency sailing orders, she shifted to a San Francisco dock to load a cargo of blood plasma and medical supplies. Departing San Francisco 12 December, she entered Pearl Harbor on the 19th. Procyon returned to San Francisco 6 January 1942 and commenced round-the-clock loading of fighter planes and their Marine pilots destined for Pago Pago, Samoa. She completed three round trips between those points by 23 April.

Invasion of North Africa

Procyon transported troops and equipment through August to Malevu Island, Noumea and Pearl, and then transferred to the Atlantic in September to join the Amphibious Force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet for the planned invasion of North Africa. She sailed 24 October with the Southern Attack Group of Admiral H. Kent Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force, which gathered at midnight 78 November off the Moroccan coast. Procyon participated in the assault operations which brought about the surrender of Cape Fedhela and Casablanca and returned to Norfolk 30 November for conversion to an attack cargo ship. Redesignated AKA–2 on 1 February 1943, she spent the next two months conducting amphibious warfare exercises in the Chesapeake Bay area. In April she put into the yards at Philadelphia for the installation of radar and additional armament.

Sicily, Salerno, and southern France

Procyon participated in the invasion landings at Sicily in July and at Salerno in September. Unloading army vehicles at Naples, following the invasion at Salerno, Procyon moved to Arzew, Algeria and commenced a program of shipboard indoctrination and practice assault landings for the training of Free French Forces, including Algerian and Senegalese troops. When this training ceased 22 November, she shifted to Oran and joined a convoy headed for the Clyde River in Scotland. She entered the Clyde River 9 December and docked at Glasgow to off-load mail, army personnel, and much needed aircraft parts and ammunition cases. Ten days later she passed out to sea in convoy and under escort by HMS Searcher, bound for the U.S. She arrived Norfolk 2 January 1944, and following independent operations, shifted to New York 14 February to load cargo for shipment to the British Isles. Skirting known positions of German "wolf-packs", she reached Swansea, Wales 11 March and sailed again 13 April with a merchant convoy bound for Algeria. She entered the now familiar Mers-el-Kebir Harbor 26 April and commenced a hectic training schedule in preparation for the invasion of Southern France. Procyon, with men of the 180th Battalion of the famed 45th "Thunderbird" Division embarked, participated in the landings at the Golfe de St. Tropez 15 August. Three times she returned to France carrying Army cargo from Naples before sailing 20 October to return to Philadelphia.

Battle of Okinawa

Procyon departed Philadelphia 28 December for her second tour of Pacific duty, arriving Pearl Harbor 19 January 1945. She operated in support of the Okinawa invasion during April, returning to San Francisco 19 May to begin a series of shuttle runs to Hawaii, Ulithi and Samar. In October she transported occupation troops to Japan from the Philippines, and by 2 November she was making best speed for Seattle, Washington.

Decommissioning and sale

Procyon arrived Seattle 14 November, shifted to Portland, Oregon 18 November, and sailed two days later to report to the Mare Island Navy Yard for inactivation. She decommissioned there on 23 March 1946, was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 April, and was returned to MARAD on 1 July for lay up at Suisun Bay, California. She was subsequently sold for scrap to Levin Metals Corp. on 19 November 1973. [1]

Procyon earned five battle stars for World War II service.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Achernar</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Achernar (AKA-53) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship of the United States Navy during World War II and after.

USS Leonis (AK-128) was a Crater-class cargo ship in service with the US Navy in World War II. It was the only ship of the Navy to have borne this name, Latin for "of a lion", presumably referring to the northern constellation Leo.

USS <i>Albireo</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

The USS Albireo (AK-90) was a Crater-class cargo ship in the service of the US Navy in World War II and manned by a US Coast Guard crew. She was the only ship of the Navy to have borne this name. She is named after Albireo, a star in the constellation of Cygnus.

USS <i>Betelgeuse</i> (AKA-11) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Betelgeuse (AK-28/AKA-11) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship, the first United States Navy ship named for Betelgeuse, a star in the constellation Orion. She served as a commissioned ship for 4 years and 9 months.

USS <i>Ottawa</i> (AKA-101) Naval cargo ship

USS Ottawa (AKA-101) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1947. She was sold into commercial service and was lost in 1951.

USS <i>Yancey</i> Andromeda-class attack cargo ship sunk as an artificial reef off North Carolina

USS Yancey (AKA-93/LKA-93) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship built by the Moore Dry Dock Company of Oakland, California for the United States Navy during World War II. The ship was named in honor of Yancey County, North Carolina.

USS <i>Cepheus</i> (AKA-18) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Cepheus (AKA-18) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship of the United States Navy that was manned by United States Coast Guard. She was in service from 1943 to 1946 and was subsequently sold into commercial service. She ran aground on a reef and became a constructive total loss in 1968.

USS <i>Andromeda</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Andromeda (AKA-15) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1956. She was scrapped in 1971.

USS <i>Sherburne</i> US Navy World War II Haskell class ship

USS Sherburne (APA-205) was a United States Navy Haskell-class attack transport, built and used during World War II. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Sherburne was named for Sherburne County, Minnesota. She was later converted and renamed USS Range Sentinel (AGM-22), a missile range instrumentation ship.

USS <i>Algorab</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Algorab (AKA-8) was laid down as Mormacwren, one of the earliest Maritime Commission-type C2 ships, on 10 August 1938 by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pennsylvania as hull 177 for Moore-McCormack. Mormacwren was acquired by the United States Navy 6 June 1941, commissioned 15 June 1941 as USS Algorab (AK-25) and was redesignated an attack transport on 1 February 1943 with the hull number chanted to AKA-8. Algorab decommissioned on 3 December 1945 and was delivered to the Maritime Commission on 30 June 1946 for disposal, purchased by Wallem & Co. on 4 April 1947 for commercial service.

USS <i>Alcyone</i> WWII US attack cargo ship

USS Alcyone (AKA-7) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship named after Alcyone, the brightest star in the star cluster Pleiades. She served as a commissioned ship for five years and one month.

USS <i>Alchiba</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Alchiba (AKA-6) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship of the United States Navy, named after Alchiba, a star in the constellation Corvus. She served as a commissioned ship for 4 years and 7 months.

USS <i>Electra</i> (AKA-4) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Electra (AKA-4) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship named after Electra, a star in the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus. She served as a commissioned ship for seven years.

USS <i>President Jackson</i> President Jackson class attrack transport

USS President Jackson (APA-18) was a President Jackson-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy in World War II and the Korean War. She was the lead ship in her class.

USS <i>Rutilicus</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Rutilicus (AK-113) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

USS <i>Azimech</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Azimech (AK-124) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II, named after the Azimech, the other name of Spica, the brightest star in constellation Virgo. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

USS <i>Lesuth</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Lesuth (AK-125) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. Lesuth was named after the star Lesuth in the constellation Scorpius. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

USS Syrma (AK-134) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

USS <i>Ara</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Ara (AK-136) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. Ara is named after the constellation Ara. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

USS <i>Arcturus</i> (AKA-1) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Arcturus (AK-18/AKA-1) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship named after Arcturus, a star in the constellation Boötes. She served as a commissioned ship for 5 years and 5 months.

References