USS ''Neshanic'' (AO-71) is a former T3 constructed 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 ...

during

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 ...

. She was the only U.S. Navy ship named for the Neshanic River in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

History

''Neshanic'' was built as the SS ''Marquette'', ex MC hull 519 under

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

contract by the Bethlehem Shipyard, Inc.,

Sparrows Point, Maryland Sparrows Point is an industrial area in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, adjacent to Edgemere. Named after Thomas Sparrow, landowner, it was the site of a very large industrial complex owned by Bethlehem Steel, known ...

. The ship was launched with the name ''Neshanic'' on 31 October 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Richard C. Culyer. The tanker was acquired by the US Navy and commissioned on 20 February 1943. Following shakedown, ''Neshanic'' cleared

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

in convoy on 20 April 1943, and sailed for

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

, Netherlands West Indies, whence she steamed, on the 27th, with a full cargo of petroleum products, for the Pacific to join the vital chain supplying American forces fighting in the Solomons. She arrived at

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, delivered part of her cargo, and then continued on to the

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium () and named after the Hebrides in Scotland, was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu. Native people had inhabited the islands for three th ...

to discharge the remainder at

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...

and

Efate Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third larg ...

. From Efate, she returned to the United States, arriving at

San Pedro, Los Angeles San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...

on 19 June. Thence she commenced a series of supply runs to the Hawaiian and

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

. Operating amongst the latter, in August, she provided logistical support to the newly established Naval Operating Base, Adak, and the air facilities at Adak, Attu and

Shemya Shemya or Simiya () is a small island in the Semichi Islands group of the Near Islands chain in the Aleutian Islands archipelago southwest of Alaska, at . It has a land area of , and is about southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. It is wide and long ...

, in addition to fueling, at sea and in harbors, ships assigned to the protection of and extension of American and Canadian control in those islands. In October, the tanker returned to duty in the Central Pacific. Sailing from San Pedro on the 2nd, she arrived at

Nadi Nadi (, ) is the second-largest city in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 59,707 at the most recent census, in 2017. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Asians, India ...

Fiji Islands Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

, on the 31st to commence harbor fueling operations for the vessels preparing to rejoin the fighting in the Solomons and those preparing for the invasion of the

Gilberts The Gilbert Islands (;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this name applied o ...

, at

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Makin, on 20 November. Before returning to San Pedro on 18 December, she completed two underway fueling missions in support of those operations. After a brief respite at San Pedro, ''Neshanic'' returned to

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 ...

, underwent training exercises, and on 22 January 1944 set out to supply the fuel needed for the Marshalls' campaign. On 31 January,

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

and

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

troops landed on Kwajalein and

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

s, while

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...

came under attack by the fast carrier group. On 4 February, the tanker ''Neshanic'' arrived at the second named, reported to

Task Group A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

50.17, and fueled ships. Between the 7th and 18th, she completed a replenishment trip to the

Ellice Islands Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

and then steamed to Kwajalein where she served as station tanker, at Roi, until departing for Pearl Harbor on 6 March. Back at Majuro on 26 March, she soon departed to refuel ships operating in the Carolines and off

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

, operating out of

Seeadler Harbor Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II. In German, "Seeadler" means sea eagle, pointing to German New Guinea, German colonial activi ...

, Manus,

Admiralties The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 40 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-cov ...

, after 20 April. Refueling the fast carriers twice before heading back to Hawaii, she procured another cargo at Pearl Harbor and immediately sailed west again, to Eniwetok. Thence, on 13 June, she proceeded to a fueling area off

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

. Off Saipan on 18 June, her support force was subjected to almost continuous Japanese air attacks from 1640 to 1830. At 1641, several bombs landed close aboard ''Neshanic'', with no damage to the tanker. A minute later, however, a bomb landed on her cargo deck, aft on the starboard side, amongst drums containing lube oil. The bomb, without piercing the deck and the fuel oil tanks below, set off fires and blew fragments which cut fuel hoses and destroyed fueling station rigs and bridge fittings. The fires, which were brought under immediate control, caused 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 33 of the

damage control In navies and the maritime industry, damage control is the emergency control of situations that may cause the sinking of a watercraft. Examples are: * rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline and * damage from grounding (run ...

party, while retaliation was gained, to some extent, by the splashing of a " Zeke" and a " Tony" by the gun crews. That night the damaged tanker refueled the vessels which, the next day, went out to meet the enemy in what would be known as the

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious r ...

. ''Neshanic'' sailed to Eniwetok for repairs and then returned to the Marianas to support the

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

offensive, retiring to Eniwetok again on 26 July. Proceeding from there to San Pedro, she underwent overhaul and returned to the Admiralties on 24 October to serve as station tanker at Manus until 29 January 1945. On that date she sailed for

Ulithi Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State. Name The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...

, proceeding from there to Saipan, from which she sortied on 21 February to resupply the forces engaged in fighting in the

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

area. She returned to Ulithi on 7 March, departing again on the 26th to rendezvous with the forces preparing the way for the

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

assault. On 1 and 2 April, she remained in the refueling area to the southeast of the Ryūkyūs, proceeding, on the 3rd, to

Kerama Retto The are a subtropical island group southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Geography Four islands are inhabited: Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island, Aka Island, and Geruma Island. The islands are administered as Tokashiki Village and Zamami Vil ...

. For the next five months she continued to provide logistical support for Operation Iceberg, returning to Ulithi when necessary for replenishment. At Ulithi when the war ended, on 14 August she conducted one more underway replenishment mission from that base before departing for

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

on 21 September. Arriving in the Japanese home islands on the 26th, she remained until 24 October when she got underway for the United States. She arrived at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

on 28 November and decommissioned on 19 December. On 8 January 1946, she was struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

Post-war

On 28 June 1946, was transferred to the custody of the Maritime Commission. Later sold by that agency, she was placed in service as SS ''Gulfoil'' by the Gulf Oil Corporation,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. ''Gulfoil'' hauled oil until 7 August 1958, when the ship collided with the gasoline tanker '' S.E. Graham'' near Newport, Rhode Island. Both ships burst into flames and grounded with the ''Graham'' being a total loss, but her entire crew survived, however most of ''Gulfoil''s crew died but the heavily damaged ''Gulfoil'' was salvaged and taken to Baltimore. The ship was rebuilt as a straight deck

bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially naval architecture, designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo—such as Grain trade, grain, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement—in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrie ...

and lengthened from to , the maximum size for the new

Saint Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...

, re-entering service in 1961. She was sold to Pioneer Steamship Co., and renamed SS ''Pioneer Challenger''. She was again resold in 1962 to the Oglebay Norton Corporation, renamed SS ''Middletown''. In 1982, she was converted to a self-unloading bulk carrier by Bay Shipbuilding Company at Sturgeon Bay. In 1986, off Wisconsin, ''Middletown'' suffered an explosion in its boiler room caused by

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...

offgassing from its coal cargo. Several crewmembers were injured. She was sold in 2006, to Liberty Steamship Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Steamship, and renamed SS ''American Victory''. She was still operational on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

in 2008, but was subsequently in long-term lay-up. In December 2017 Algoma Central was reported to have purchased her and three others from American Steamship Company. However in May, she has reportedly sold for scrap, and was being towed through the Great Lakes on her way to a Turkish scrapyard as of June 2018. During the construction of the latest ship on the Great Lakes, the MV ''Mark W. Barker'', the Victory's self-unloader boom was recycled and put on the Barker.

Awards and honors

''Neshanic'' (AO-71) received nine

battle stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

for

service. She was authorized:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neshanic (AO-71) Chiwawa-class oilers Ships built in Sparrows Point, Maryland 1942 ships World War II tankers of the United States Great Lakes ships