The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the USS Nantahala AO-60 (1944 -1975) - Sep 21st, 2005

www.geocities.com/mizzen_1999 ^ | Steve Lantz

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

.................................................................. .................... ...........................................

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USS Nantahala AO-60

The USS Nantahala was launched in 1944 and broken up in 1975. During her 31 years of service she sailed the world providing the "life blood" of the fleet to ships of our Navy as well as to those of our allies.

Fleet Oilers were the gas stations of the fleet, transferring their cargo to other ships while at sea in an operation called Underway Replenishment, or the UNREP detail. They carried thick, black fuel oil to fire ship's boilers, highly volatile aviation gasoline for gas powered aircraft, and JP5 jet fuel for jet powered aircraft.

Duty on a Fleet Oiler didn't have the glory serving on a "tin can" or "bird farm", our customers, did. Many times we couldn't even share the same liberty ports with them because we either had to stay out and refuel the ships remaining on station or go elsewhere in order to take on more cargo. However, without the Fleet Oilers the Task Groups and Task Forces of the Navy would have been severely limited in their range of operations and the time they could stay at sea.


Underway Replenishment Port and Starboard

Life underway was typically long periods of steaming broken up by the underway replenishment detail. For most ships underway replenishment lasted a couple of hours. For us on the Nantahala underway replenish operations could sometimes be continuous for a couple of days, working around the clock, grabbing a sandwich and nap when and where we could. When not refueling time was spent maintaining the ship, her equipment, and rigs. All of this was done to the ever-present odor of black oil. Fleet Oilers were "working" ships, and work we did.

The USS Nantahala was laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard, Inc., Sparrows Point, MD, 31 October 1943: launched 29 April 1944; sponsored by Miss Mary Louise Reed; delivered to the Navy 19 June 1944; and commissioned that same day, Comdr. Palmer M. Gunnell in command.

USS Nantahala AO-60 Specifications:

• Ashtabula class Fleet Oiler
• Displacement: 25,440 tons
• Length:553'
• Beam: 75'
• Draft: 32'
• Speed: 18 knots
• Armament: 1 5"/38 DP, 4 3"/50 DP, 4x2 20mm
• Complement: 314
• Capacity: 146,000 barrels
• Propulsion: Geared turbine engines, twin screws, 30,400 hp
• Hull: Maritime Commission T3-S2-A3 type

After shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Nantahala departed Norfolk 22 July for the Dutch West Indies where, after loading a cargo of oil and gasoline at Aruba, she steamed for fleet tanker duty in the Pacific. Sailing via Pearl Harbor, she reached Kwajalein 25 August and served there as station tanker until heading for the Marianas 2 September. She arrived at Guam the 10th and during the remainder of the month deployed twice to replenish ships of the 3rd Fleet pounding Japanese positions from the Palaus to the Philippines.

[SAMWolf]

Nantahala reached Ulithi, Western Carolines 1 October to continue station and at sea logistic support for the mighty, hard-hitting ships of the Pacific Fleet. When not steaming with a replenishment group in the Western Pacific, she refueled and replenished ships at Ulithi. During the remainder of the war she serviced as many as 16 ships a day at this important forward staging base. While anchored in Ulithi Lagoon, she took part in rescue operations following an enemy midget submarine attack which resulted in the torpedoing and burning of the USS Mississinawa (AO 59) on 20 November.



Between 21 October and 24 December Nantahala made four deployments in support of ships of the Fast Carrier Task Force. She operated with the replenishment tankers during the Battle off Cape Engano 25-26 October, and during November and December she ranged the Philippine Sea as carrier aircraft pounded enemy targets on Formosa and in the Philippines. During refueling operations in mid-December, she survived the great typhoon of 17-18 December (Typhoon Cobra), although winds, which she recorded at 124 knots, and giant seas caused considerable topside damage.


Communication Received by Nantahala During WWII
Courtesy of Clyde Rockhill

Nantahala returned to Ulithi 24 December, and sailed January 1945 to support carrier operations in the South China Sea. While she refueled ships of the task force north and west of Luzon, American planes struck devastating blows at Japanese shipping and at enemy bases from Indo-China to Formosa while supporting the invasion of Luzon at Lingayen Gulf.


Communication Received by Nantahala During WWII
Courtesy of Clyde Rockhill

After returning to Ulithi via Leyte Gulf 21 January, Nantahala next made two refueling deployments from 8 February to 10 March in support of the invasion and capture of Iwo Jima. Then between 22 March and 31 March she took part in three replenishment missions to Ryukyus where she helped maintain the mobility and striking power of American ships during the invasion and conquest of Okinawa.


Communication Received by Nantahala During WWII
Courtesy of Clyde Rockhill

After serving as station tanker in Leyte Gulf, Philippines, Nantahala departed Ulithi 3 July for extended replenishment duty with the 3rd Fleet. Assigned to the main replenishment group, she refueled carriers and escorts of TF 38 during the closing weeks of the war, a period in which the might of American seapower pounded targets in the Japanese home islands from Hakkaido to the Inland Sea with massive and devastating naval and aerial bombardments.


Communication Received by Nantahala During WWII
Courtesy of Clyde Rockhill

En route to Ulithi when offensive operations ceased 15 August, Nantahala resumed refueling operations at Japan the 27th. Between 8 and 16 September she served victorious ships of the Fleet at anchor in Tokyo Bay. Then she sailed via Eniwetok for the United States, arriving Seattle 10 November.

[SAMWolf]

During the immediate postwar years Nantahala conducted world-wide refueling and replenishment operations. She deployed to the Far East 28 January 1946 and until returning to Sad Pedro, CA 26 March 1947, she operated from the Marianas and Japan, on the coast of China, the Philippines, and the Malay Peninsula and in addition carried oil from the Middle East to the Far East. Between 12 September and 20 November she cruised from the West Coast to the East Coast via the Middle East and the Suez ; and during the next years she made two deployments to the Mediterranean before returning to the West Coast 23 October 1948. The far-ranging oiler made a seven month deployment to the Far East in 1949. After returning to the West Coast 22 October 1949. She decommissioned at San Diego 1 June 1950 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.


Steaming in Chesapeake Bay 1964

Nantahala recommissioned at Long Beach 29 December 1950, Commander W. S. Howell in command. Following a five week run to the Far East and back she transited the Panama Canal 3 April and carried fuel to the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. She arrived Boston 19 may and during the next ten months operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean.


North Atlantic Swells, Summer of 1966

Between 3 March 1952 and 4 October 1961 Nantahala made eight deployments to the Mediterranean where she served with the Mighty 6th Fleet. They varied in duration from three to seven months and encompassed the length and breadth of the Mediterranean. Prepared to replenish whenever called upon, this versatile, hard working oiler provided valuable support for peace keeping operations by the ever-vigilant 6th Fleet. During the Suez Crisis in November, 1956, for instance, she replenished 96 ships while serving as the only fleet oiler in the Eastern Mediterranean. When not deployed with the 6th Fleet, she participated in the US or NATO exercises in the North Atlantic and refueled ships of the Atlantic Fleet while cruising from the coast of Western Europe to the coast of Brazil as well as to the Caribbean and along the eastern seaboard of the United States.


Suda Bay, Crete
The Nantahala takes on fuel at the pier in Suda Bay.

On 20 November 1961 Nantahala departed Norfolk for the Dominican Republic where she supported US ships called in to protect the stability of that Caribbean nation's government from possible overthrow by followers of the late dictator Trujillo. After returning to Norfolk the following month she resumed replenishment duty of the West Indies in January 1962 in preparation for recovery operations following USMC Col. John Glenn's successful suborbital flight in "Friendship 7" on 20 February.


Crossing the Equator September 4 1967


Crossing the Equator September 4 1967
"Pollywogs" make their way to face the Court. Clothes are worn backwards and inside out. The "charges" against them are held in their teeth. On their way to court they must crawl through several canvas chutes filled with garbage and are flogged by "shellbacks" with rag-filled canvas bats.


Crossing the Equator September 4 1967
Kissing the Royal Baby's belly is a must. Of course it is covered with hot sauce and other goodies

During the next year and a half Nantahala operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean. While serving out of Guantanamo Bay in mid-February 1963, she took part in the search for and tracking of Anzoategui, a Venezuelan freighter which was seized by Cuban-oriented leftists off Santo Domingo. US ships chased the hijacked ship to the coast of Brazil where she was captured by units of the Brazilian Navy. In May Nantahala again replenished ship of the recovery force waiting to pick up Project Mercury Astronaut Commander M. Scott Carpenter, USN, after his orbital flight 24 May.


USS Nantahala Alongside USS Intrepid


USS Nantahala Alongside USS Intrepid


Captain Williams' "Texaco Credit Card
Captain C. S. Williams, Jr. would fly this flag whenever the Intrepid was refueling.

Nantahala departed for the Mediterranean 6 August for operations which lasted until late in the year. From 1963 she maintained a pattern of Mediterranean deployments and alternated duty in the 6th Fleet with replenishment cruises and Atlantic Fleet exercises in the Atlantic and the Caribbean.




On July 29, 1967 the USS Forrestal was conducting combat operations off Vietnam when a rocket accidentally fired from an F-4 Phantom on the hanger deck, striking a parked and armed A-4 Skyhawk. 134 men lost their lives and 64 more were injured by the ensuing fire.
The Nantahala met and refueled her on her way to Norfolk. These photos show some of the damage from that fire.

Nantahala receive six battle stars for World War II service.


Entering Valletta, Malta 1970

The above is from Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division.




Mediterranean Sea, Nantahala (AO-60) refueling Steinaker (DD-863). Photo taken from Wallace L Lind (DD-703)

The Nantahala was stricken July 2, 1973 and used as a storage vessel at Norfolk, VA. She was disposed of by MARAD sale March 5, 1975.

Additional Sources:

www.junkyardartist.com
www.usmcweb.com
www.navsource.org

[SAMWolf]

Memories of World War II



In thinking about my time aboard the Nantahala I came up with the highlights which meant a lot to me. They include:

• The trip through the Panama Canal on our way to the Pacific.
• The torpedoing of the USS Mississinewa at Ulithi Harbor on November 20, 1944. The ship was next to us when this happened.
• The typhoon in the South China Sea. We fueled 17 ships the day before the typhoon hit.
• Collision with the USS Guadalupe AO-32 in the South China Sea November 12, 1945.
• Announcement of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• Declaration of Japan's surrender and subsequent visit to Tokyo Bay.
• Flying of the "Homeward Bound" flag and heading to Seattle.
• Seeing all the "Welcome Home" signs when we arrived at Seattle.

Frankly, I did get somewhat nostalgic when writing the above items. Like most people, I couldn't wait to get home and discharged although I do have many exciting memories.

Ken Knops

[SAMWolf]

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[snippy_about_it]

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Good Wednesday Morning Everyone.

If you want to be added to our ping list, let us know.

[radu]

Good morning everyone!

To all our military men and women past and present, military family members, and to our allies who stand beside us
Thank You!

[alfa6]

POL Bump from the night shift(again)for the Freeper Foxhole

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Iris7]

Sorry to vent such negative feelings last night. I read way to much MSM, and the situation since Katrina has looked just terrible. We have to figure out how to appeal to this huge mass of retards who vote. Democrat. I don't see a way. Buy them all Cadillacs, I guess.

The AOs were important for sure. So were others, like the AEs, ammunition ships carrying 30,000 tons of bombs and AOEs that carried both bombs and petroleum fuel, and each of them doing 24 hour days of UNREPs. Get hit by one torpedo, and, well, you likely would not feel a thing.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[GailA]

Good morning Snippy, Sam and every one. Hope all survived the land fall of Rita.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning, radu!

[texianyankee]

Good Wednesday morning to all.

Great story and great pics of the USS Nantahala! Thanks for sharing.

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-Gram.

[Professional Engineer]

Hi miss Feather

[Soaring Feather]

Priceless!!

[The Mayor]

September 21, 2005

Invisible Companions

Read:
Hebrews 12:18-24

You have come to . . . an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly. —Hebrews 12:22-23

Bible In One Year: Ezekiel 34-36

One Sunday morning while traveling in West Virginia, we visited a small church in a tiny village. Only 15 people were present, yet they radiated joy as they sang. And the pastor preached from the Bible with enthusiasm. But I couldn't shake a feeling of sympathy for him and his people. With little chance for growth, it looked like a discouraging ministry.

But the testimony of a young seminarian showed me how wrong I was! Assigned to minister in a small village chapel, he was dismayed when only two people stayed for the communion service. As he read from the liturgy, he came to the words: "Therefore, with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we worship and adore Thy glorious name." That sentence changed everything for him. In his heart he said, "God forgive me. I did not know I was in that great company."

When we came to Christ in faith, we joined an invisible host of companions, what the writer of Hebrews says is an "innumerable company of angels," and "the general assembly and church of the firstborn" (12:22-23). Keep this amazing reality in mind as you worship God. It will give great meaning to every service, whether thousands of fellow worshipers are present, or just two or three. —Herb Vander Lugt

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven. —Wesley

When Christians worship here on earth, the hosts of heaven are worshiping with them.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
What Can We Learn From The Angels?

[AnAmericanMother]

Thanks for the great article! Hang in there!

BTW, the Nantahala or "Nanty" is one of the most beautiful rivers in North Carolina, and a favorite of whitewater kayakers . . . Nantahala in Cherokee means "land of the noon day sun" . . . the gorge is so deep that the river gets direct sunlight only at mid day. Since it is dam-fed, it is also VERY cold -- wet suits and a paddle jacket recommended!

This is "Patton's Run" right after the put in. Fast, pushy water that shows up quick!

Nantahala Falls, the biggest water on the regular trip.

[Professional Engineer]

I figgered you might like that. ;-)

[Soaring Feather]