USS Rotanin (AK-108)
History
United States
Name	William Kelly Rotanin
Namesake	William Kelly The star Rotanin
Ordered	as a Type EC2-S-C1 hull, MCE hull 1872[1]
Builder	California Shipbuilding Corporation, Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California
Yard number	243[1]
Way number	5[1]
Laid down	24 July 1943
Launched	18 August 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Andrew R. Bone
Commissioned	23 November 1943
Decommissioned	5 April 1946
Stricken	17 April 1946
Identification	Hull symbol: AK-108 Code letters: NTTW
Honors and awards	1 × battle star
Fate	returned to MARCOM, 5 April 1946, laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay Group, Benicia, California sold for scrapping, 29 April 1966, removed, 5 May 1966, scrapping completed, 30 August 1966
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	Crater-class cargo ship
Type	Type EC2-S-C1
Displacement	4,023 long tons (4,088 t) (standard) 14,550 long tons (14,780 t) (full load)
Length	441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam	56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft	28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Installed power	2 × Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 220psi 450° 2,500 shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion	1 × Joshua Hendy vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine 1 × shaft
Speed	12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Capacity	7,800 t (7,700 long tons) DWT 444,206 cu ft (12,578.5 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement	16 officers 190 enlisted
Armament	1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber dual purpose (DP) gun 4 × 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft (AA) gun mounts 6 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons AA gun mounts

USS Rotanin (AK-108) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the United States Navy for service in World War II. Rotanin, which is a misspelling of the name "Rotanen", was named after the star Beta Delphini, a star located in the constellation Delphinus. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

Rotanin was laid down 24 July 1943, under United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull No. 1872, as the Liberty ship SS William Kelly, by California Shipbuilding Corporation, Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California; launched 18 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Andrew R. Bone; and commissioned 23 November 1943.^[3]

Completing shakedown 5 December, Rotanin loaded her first combat cargo and embarked her first military passengers at Port Hueneme, California, and on 12 December, sailed for Nouméa. Arriving 5 January 1944, she carried troops and cargo to Guadalcanal, then, on 27 December, continued on to the Russell Islands. By 2 February, she had discharged all cargo and was underway back to the Guadalcanal-Florida Island area. From then until March, she carried cargo and personnel throughout the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomons, the Fijis, and the New Hebrides. In April, she completed a run to Auckland, New Zealand, and in May, she moved supplies to Manus. She then resumed runs in the Solomons-New Hebrides-Fiji area.^[3]

In August, Rotanin shifted to the Marshalls-Marianas area and at the end of the month she moved further west, to Ulithi. In October, she carried United States Army units to the Palaus, embarked Marines there, and transported them to the Russells. In November, she returned to operations in the Marianas, extended them to the Carolines, and in January 1945, returned to Nouméa. February and March took her back to Micronesia and New Zealand. In April, she was in the Solomons, and, in May, she took on Army supplies and reinforcements for the Okinawa campaign. Arriving off the Hagushi beaches on 21 May, she completed offloading by the end of the month and on 31 May, she steamed east.^[3]

During June and July, Rotanin again operated in the Marshalls and Marianas. On 28 July, she headed for Hawaii and the west coast. En route when hostilities ceased, she arrived at San Francisco, California, on 17 August. In October, she joined the ships assigned to transpacific operations to ferry occupation troops to Japan and Korea and to return veterans to the United States.^[3]

On 2 February 1946, Rotanin arrived at San Francisco and reported to the Commander, 12th Naval District for inactivation. She was decommissioned on 5 April 1946, and returned to MARCOM. Her name was stricken from the Navy List on 17 April 1946.^[3]

She was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay Group, until purchased by Nicolai Joffe Corporation, 29 April 1966, for $50,165.^[4] She was removed from the fleet on 5 May 1966, and her scrapping was completed 30 August 1966, at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO).^[2]

Rotanin earned one battle star during World War II.^[3] Her crew was eligible for the following medals:^[2]

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal (1)
• World War II Victory Medal
• Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

The novel Mr. Roberts and its stage and cinematic adaptations, may have been inspired in part by Rotanin and Virgo, the two Navy cargo vessels on which Thomas Heggen, author of the novel, served during World War II.

• Photo gallery of USS Rotanin (AK-108) at NavSource Naval History