History United States Name USS Sakatonchee Namesake Sakatonchee Creek in Mississippi, a tributary of the Tombigbee River Ordered as T1-M-A2 tanker hull, MC hull 901 Laid down 13 August 1942 Launched 22 May 1943 Acquired 15 January 1944 Commissioned 17 January 1944 Decommissioned 29 March 1946 Stricken 1 May 1946 Fate Scrapped in 1964 General characteristics Tonnage 1,228 long tons deadweight (DWT) Displacement 846 tons(lt) 2,270 tons(fl) Length 220 ft 6 in Beam 37 ft Draught 17 ft Propulsion Diesel direct drive, single screw, 720 hpSpeed 10 knots (19 km/h) Complement 62 Armament one single 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mount , two 40 mm guns, three single 20 mm gun mounts
USS Sakatonchee (AOG-19) was a Mettawee -classgasoline tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations.
Sakatonchee , MC hull 901, was laid down on 13 August 1942 by East Coast Shipyards , Inc., Bayonne, New Jersey ; launched on 22 May 1943; sponsored by Miss Mary Abate; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 15 January 1944; and commissioned on 17 January 1944.
World War II service
Following shakedown off the U.S. East Coast , Sakatonchee steamed via Aruba and the Panama Canal to Milne Bay , New Guinea , arriving on 26 May 1944. She supplied petroleum products to forward bases in western New Guinea , such as those at Biak and Noemfoor islands. Her operations supported the campaign at Palawan , Philippine Islands , where the Allies landed on 28 February 1945, and at Balikpapan , Borneo , where the Allies landed on 1 July.
Post-war decommissioning
In January 1946, she arrived in San Francisco, California . Decommissioned on 29 March, she was struck from the Navy list on 1 May, transferred to the Maritime Commission on 1 July, and scrapped in 1964.
Military awards and honors
Sakatonchee received three battle stars for World War II service. Her crew was eligible for the following:
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .
External links
