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USS Adhara

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(Redirected from USS Adhara (AK-71)) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Adhara (AK-71) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, 20 August 1943
History
United States
NameG. H. Corliss
NamesakeGeorge Henry Corliss
OwnerWar Shipping Administration (WSA)
OperatorJ.H. Winchester & Co., Inc.
Orderedas a Type EC2-S-C1 hull, MCE hull 425
BuilderPermanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California
Cost$1,142,406
Yard number425
Way number8
Laid down16 September 1942
Launched27 October 1942
Sponsored byGinny Sims
Identification
FateTransferred to US Navy, 6 November 1942
United States
NameAdhara
NamesakeThe star Adhara
Acquired6 November 1942
Commissioned16 November 1942
Decommissioned7 December 1945
Stricken3 January 1946
Identification
FateSold for scrapping, 26 October 1971
NotesName reverted to G. H. Corliss when laid up in Reserve Fleet
General characteristics
Class and typeCrater-class cargo ship
TypeType EC2-S-C1
Displacement
  • 4,023 long tons (4,088 t) (standard)
  • 14,550 long tons (14,780 t) (full load)
Length441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Installed power
  • 2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa) ,  (manufactured by Babcock & Wilcox)
  • 2,500 shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion
Speed12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Capacity
  • 7,800 t (7,700 long tons) DWT
  • 444,206 cu ft (12,578.5 m) (non-refrigerated)
Complement205
Armament

USS Adhara (AK-71) was a Crater-class cargo ship in the service of the US Navy in the Pacific theater in World War II. Named after the star Adhara in the constellation Canis Major, it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name.

Construction

Adhara was laid down 16 September 1942 as liberty ship SS G. H. Corliss under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 425, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; launched on 27 October 1942; sponsored by Miss Ginny Simms, the lead vocalist for Kay Kyser's orchestra; acquired by the Navy on 6 November 1942; renamed Adhara (AK-71); and commissioned on 16 November 1942.

Service history

Adhara sailed from San Francisco, on 27 November bound for the South Pacific. For the next eight months, she served as a member of Service Squadron (ServRon) 8 transporting cargo and passengers between the ports of Tutuila, Samoa; Efate, New Hebrides; Espiritu Santo; Guadalcanal; Tulagi; Nouméa, New Caledonia; and Wellington, New Zealand.

While at Guadalcanal on 7 April 1943, Adhara was among several ships subjected to a Japanese air attack. Five bombs exploded close aboard Adhara and punctured her hull in three places. The ship received jury patching at Espiritu Santo and then steamed to Australia for repairs.

After emerging from dry dock at Wellington, Adhara got underway for the west coast of the United States and on 10 July entered the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California. When again ready for action, she sailed on 6 September for the South Pacific. Upon arrival at Nouméa, the cargo ship rejoined ServRon 8 and once more served as an inter-island transport. Her labors took her to the Treasury Islands; the Russell Islands; Emirau, Green Islands; and to various ports in New Guinea, New Hebrides, New Georgia, the Admiralty Islands, Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Eniwetok. The ship served at Okinawa from 8 to 27 May during the fighting for that island.

Decommissioning

Following Japan's capitulation in mid-August, Adhara arrived at Seattle, Washington, on 30 August and remained in availability there through 27 September. She then got underway for the east coast of the United States. The ship paused in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to have her naval equipment removed and then continued on to Baltimore, Maryland, where she arrived on 21 November. Adhara was decommissioned on 7 December 1945, and returned to MARCOM on 11 December 1945. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 3 January 1946.

Final disposition

Adhara was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Virginia.

The ship resumed her former name, G. H. Corliss, and carried it until she was sold for scrap on 26 October 1971, to Hierros Ardes, S.A., a Spanish firm, for $71,520. They took delivery of the vessel almost a month later, on 23 November 1971.

Awards

Adhara won two battle stars for her World War II service.

References

  1. ^ MARAD.
  2. ^ Kaiser No. 2 2010.
  3. ^ MARCOM.
  4. ^ Priolo 2021.
  5. ^ DANFS 2016.

Bibliography

External links

Crater-class cargo ships
MARCOM ships built by Kaiser Shipyards, Richmond Shipyards, Richmond, California during World War II
Crater-class cargo ships
Type EC2-S-C1 ships
Type EC2-S-C1 ships
Liberty Ships
Boulder Victory-class cargo ships
Type VC2-S-AP2 ships
Type VC2-S-AP2 ships
Victory Ships
Greenville Victory-class cargo ship
VC2-S-AP3 ship
Norwalk-class cargo ship
Type VC2-S-AP3 cargo ship
Type VC2-S-AP3 cargo ships
Haskell-class attack transports
Type VC2-S-AP5 ships
General G. O. Squier-class transport ships
Type C4-S-A1 ships
Marine Adder-class transport ship
Type C4-S-A3 ship
Type C4-S-A3 ships
Type C4-S-A4 ships
LST-1-class tank landing ships
Type S3-M-K2 ships
Achelous-class repair ships
Type S2-S2-AQ1 ships
Tacoma-class patrol frigates
Type S2-S2-AQ1 ships
Alamosa-class cargo ships
Type C1-M-AV1 ships
Miscellaneous Auxiliary
Type C1-M-AV1 ships
Type C1-M-AV1 ships
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