USS Medea (AKA-31)
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| Career | 100x35px |
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| Name: | USS Medea |
| Builder: | Walsh-Kaiser Company, Providence, Rhode Island |
| Laid down: | 9 August 1944 |
| Launched: | 30 November 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 10 January 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 24 April 1946 |
| Struck: | 15 October 1946 |
| Honours and awards: | 1 battle star (WWII) |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping, 1965 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Artemis-class attack cargo ship |
| Type: | S4–SE2–BE1 |
| Displacement: |
4,087 long tons (4,153 t) light 7,080 long tons (7,194 t) full |
| Length: | 426 ft (130 m) |
| Beam: | 58 ft (18 m) |
| Draft: | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Speed: | 16.9 knots (31.3 km/h; 19.4 mph) |
| Complement: | 303 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
• 1 × 5"/38 caliber gun mount • 4 × twin 40 mm gun mounts • 10 × 20 mm gun mounts |
USS Medea (AKA-31) was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship named after the minor planet 212 Medea, which in turn was named for a mythical enchantress who helped Jason win the Golden Fleece. USS Medea served as a commissioned ship for 15 months.
Medea (AKA-31) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract 5 August 1944, by Walsh–Kaiser Co., Inc., Providence, RI; launched 30 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Clarke; and commissioned 10 January 1945, Lt. Comdr. Wesley A. Sherberth in command.
Service history
Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Medea loaded cargo at Hampton Roads, and steamed to Hawaii, arriving Pearl Harbor 3 March 1945. Departing Honolulu 6 April, she operated in the Marianas for the next two months, before embarking troops for Okinawa. She arrived off the Hagushi beaches, Okinawa 10 June, and spent the next nine days discharging troops and cargo. After the cessation of hostilities on 15 August, she carried occupation troops from the Philippines to Japan until November, when she reported for duty with the "Magic Carpet" fleet.
Medea decommissioned in the 8th Naval District, headquartered at New Orleans, 24 April 1946. She was struck from the Naval Register 15 October, and transferred to the War Shipping Administration 29 October. She was finally scrapped in 1965.
Medea received one battle star for World War II service.
Crew Information
Robert R. Herold, Ensign USNR. Engine Department, head of Divisions A,B,E,M from initial commisioning to mothballing at Consolidated Shipyard in Orange, Texas. Supervised Tugboating of USS Medea to Lake Charles, Louisiana where she was anchored awaiting scrapping. Citation by Bob Herold bob.herold@att.net
Bernard Hollander, Lieutenant, Navigator (Currently resides in Washington DC Area as of 10/2009)
References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
- NavSource Online: AKA-31 Medea
- 51 Years of AKAs
- Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center
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