USNS ''Rincon'' (T-AOG-77) was a T1 tanker type, , in operation for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1950 through the 1970s. She was originally constructed as MS ''Tarland'' for the United States Maritime Commission at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and intended for delivery to the United Kingdom under the terms of

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

. Completed in October 1945, she was delivered to the Army Transport Service of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

under the name USAT ''Rincon''. Transferred to the U.S. Navy in 1950, she transported gasoline during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, earning two battle stars in the process. After service extending into the 1970s, the ship was transferred to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

in February 1982. As ROKS ''So Yang'' (AOG-55), she served the South Korean Navy until the late 1990s, when she was returned to the United States. She was struck from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register on 23 October 1998.

Career

''Rincon'' (T-AOG-77)—originally slated for use by the British under the terms of the Lend-Lease Program— was laid down under a United States Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2640) as ''Tarland'' on 24 February 1945 by the Todd-Houston Shipbuilding Corporation of

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. She was sponsored by Mrs. J. L. Baker and launched as ''Rincon'' on 5 June 1945. She was completed on 5 October 1945 and delivered to the Maritime Commission. After a brief period of operation, she was entered into the National Defense Reserve Fleet in April 1946, but was transferred to the Army Transport Service of the

. As USAT ''Rincon'', she served the U.S. Army until the Army Transport Service was absorbed into the

's Military Sea Transportation Service. She was handed over to the U.S. Navy at

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

on 1 July 1950 and designated T-AOG-77, a United States Naval Ship, and assigned to MSTS, Far East ''Rincon'' immediately commenced shuttling fuel to the Japanese ports whence troops and supplies were being sent to the fighting front in Korea. In September, the ship was assigned Sasebo– Pusan shuttle runs as facilities at the latter port were expanded to meet the needs of U.N. forces being lifted into the embattled peninsula. Throughout the three years of conflict, ''Rincon'' interrupted that duty only once for runs to

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

and Haiphong in March 1951. Rincon earned two battle stars for her service during the

. After the s:Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in July 1953, she continued her Japanese–Korean shuttle service until February 1959. Then transferred to MSTS, Pacific, she carried fuel from

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

to Midway and bases in the Marshalls until reassigned to MSTS, Far East, in May 1961. She then returned to Sasebo, whence into 1974 she carried gasoline and other fuels to American and Allied forces in the western Pacific, particularly those in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Leased to South Korea on 21 February 1982, the gasoline tanker served as ROKS ''So Yang'' (AOG-55) until returned to U.S. custody in the late 1990s as the came into service. The tanker was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 October 1998.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at navsource.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Rincon (T-Aog-77) Rincon-class gasoline tankers Type T1-M-BT2 tankers of the United States Army Ships built in Houston 1945 ships Korean War auxiliary ships of the United States Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Republic of Korea Navy