Service history
Operation by the Coast Guard
She was operated by the United States Coast Guard until the spring 1946, and on 23 May 1946, was placed in the reserve fleet. She was reacquired by the Navy on 27 February 1947; and commissioned on 27 May 1947.
Post-World War II service
Assigned to the Alaskan Sea Frontier, Sussex sailed to Seattle, Washington, in late June, loaded cargo, and made her maiden voyage to Alaskan ports for the United States Navy. After making calls at Adak and Kodiak, she returned to Seattle on 25 August 1947. From that date until December 1950, the ship made 16 voyages from Seattle to various Alaskan ports carrying supplies to bases and installations there.
Korean War service
From January to July 1951, Sussex provided logistic support for the mid-Pacific Trust Territories. From August 1951 to January 1952, she operated in the Korean war zone, moving supplies and munitions to United Nations ships and bases. The ship was busy transporting cargo from Japanese ports to such places as Pusan, Suyong, and Inchon.
On 5 February 1952, Sussex stood out of Yokosuka en route to Bremerton, Washington, for a general overhaul. She departed Bremerton on 12 May 1952 and proceeded via Pearl Harbor and Midway Island to Japan. The cargo ship arrived at Sasebo, Japan, on 30 June and resumed her runs to Korea; but this time, she also included Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Pescadores Islands among her supply points.
Sussex returned to Pearl Harbor on 15 December 1952 and, until March 1954, supplied bases at Midway Island, Kwajalein, Saipan, and Guam. She arrived at Yokosuka on 14 March and operated from that port until 19 October 1954 when she returned to Pearl Harbor to resume supplying mid-Pacific Ocean bases. She continued this duty, operating from Pearl Harbor, until 7 May 1958 when she moved her base of operations to Iwakuni, Japan.
Decommissioning
Sussex steamed into Yokosuka on 21 November 1959 and was decommissioned on 5 December 1959. She was struck from the Navy List on 1 January 1960 and sold to the Hugo Neu Steel Products Corp., New York, on 27 July 1960 for scrap.
USS Bream (SS/SSK/AGSS-243), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the bream. She served during World War II, and her war operations extended from 1 June 1944 to 15 June 1945. During this period she completed six war patrols operating in the Java Sea, Celebes Sea, Sulu Sea, South China Sea, and Gulf of Siam. She sank two Japanese merchant ships totaling 6,934 gross register tons. In addition, Bream shared with the submarines USS Ray (SS-271) and USS Guitarro (SS-363) the destruction of a 6,806-gross register ton passenger-cargo ship. On 23 October 1944, while patrolling off western Luzon, Bream made a daring surface attack on a Japanese naval force, damaging the heavy cruiser Aoba.
USS Alfred A. Cunningham (DD-752), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Alfred Austell Cunningham, a USMC officer and aviator.
USS Luzerne County (LST-902) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
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 Graffias (AF-29), a Hyades-class stores ship, is the only ship of the United States Navy to have this name. The name Graffias is another name for the star Beta Scorpii in the constellation Scorpius.
USS Whitehurst (DE-634), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Ensign Henry Purefoy Whitehurst, Jr., a crew member of the Astoria (CA-34) who was killed during the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942.
USNS Harris County (T-LST-822) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for counties in Georgia and Texas, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Wabash (AOG-4) was a Patapsco-class gasoline tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations.
USS Sirius (AK-15), was a cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was built in 1918 and 1919 by the American International Shipbuilding Corp., Hog Island, Pennsylvania as SS Saluda. She was acquired from the War Shipping Board on 10 December 1921 and commissioned on 20 January 1922.
USS Vega (AK-17), was a Sirius-class cargo ship of the United States Navy, originally the Lebanon — a single-screw, steel-hulled Type 1022 freighter, built under a United States Shipping Board contract at Hog Island, Pennsylvania, by the American International Shipbuilding Co. Laid down on 8 July 1918, the ship was launched on 18 July 1919. Acquired by the Navy on 2 December 1921, she was renamed Vega and given the classification of AK-17. She fitted out for Navy service, and was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 21 December 1921.
USS Lafayette County (LST-859) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after counties in Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, and Wisconsin, and a parish in Louisiana, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Lawrence County (LST-887) was a LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after counties in eleven U.S. states, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Jupiter (AK-43) was an Aldebaran-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering necessary goods and equipment to ships and stations in the war zone.
USS Castor (AKS-1) was a Castor-class general stores issue ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering and disbursing goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
USS Faribault (AK-179) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during the final months of World War II. Faribault served US military forces in the Pacific Ocean until shortly after the war when she was deactivated. During the Korean War, she was reactivated and served with distinction, having been awarded two battle stars before final decommissioning.
USS Grainger (AK-184) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that served the US Navy during the final months of World War II. In 1947 she was placed back in service and served in the Korean War, earning two battle stars
USS Livingston (AP-163/AK-222) was a Crater-class cargo ship built for the US Navy during World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.
USNS Sgt. Andrew Miller (T-AK-242) was built as Victory ship SS Radcliffe Victory, a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship, built at the end of World War II. She served during the war and its demilitarization as a commercial cargo vessel operated by American West African Lines under charter with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. From 1946 to 1950, she served the US Army as a transport named USAT Sgt. Andrew Miller. In 1950, she was acquired by the US Navy and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). In 1981 she ended her career and was placed into reserve.
The third USS Tillamook (ATA-192), originally USS ATA-192, a United States Navy tug in service from 1945 to 1971.
USS Natchaug (AOG-54) was a Patapsco-class gasoline tanker in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1959. She was directly transferred to the Greek Navy as Arethousa (A-377). The ship served a total of about 47 years in military service. Decommissioned in 2003, she was sunk as a target in 2005.
United States
