USS Tangier (AV-8)
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The second USS ''Tangier'' (AV-8) was a Maritime Commission type C-3 cargo ship, converted to a
seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...
in 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 ...
. The ship, the first of the C-3s to be launched and significant in a revival of Pacific coast shipbuilding, was launched 15 September 1939 and delivered to the
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 ...
as ''Sea Arrow''. The ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy during completion before any commercial service, put back into the builder's yard, and converted to a seaplane tender during 1940. After spending over a year in conversion the ship was commissioned on 25 August 1941. ''Tangier'' was present during the
Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
that drew the United States into World War II and saw service throughout the Pacific until the end of the war. The vessel was placed in reserve January 1947 at Philadelphia and remained in reserve until 1961 when sold for mercantile use. Renamed ''Detroit'' in 1962 and converted to a
car carrier Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or usin ...
/
container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
. In October 1974 the vessel was sold for scrap and
broken up Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sol ...
at
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, Spain.


Pacific Coast C-3s

''Sea Arrow'' was the first C-3 type and first vessel with high pressure steam plant installation, fireproof construction, and over half the hull welded construction to be built on the Pacific coast. Successful construction of the first ship answered questions raised about whether Pacific coast shipyards could find enough skilled labor, particularly mechanics to install high pressure engineering plants, to compete. Moore was contracted to build four ships, yard hulls 195 through 198, Maritime Commission hulls 51–52 and then 136–137 with the intervening MC hulls being built in the east. The prospect of war caused rapid changes in the destiny of these vessels with name changes during construction that are confusing. ''Sea Arrow'' was immediately acquired by the Navy and renamed with the other three hulls being designated after launch or still under construction for Moore-McCormack Lines. The second and third ships were christened ''Sea Star'' and ''Sea Panther'' but were renamed ''Mormacsea'' and ''Mormacstar'' with the fourth being named ''Mormacsun'' before launch. Ex ''Sea Star''/''Mormacsea'' became . ''Mormacsun'' was also acquired by the Navy and became . The Moore Dry Dock ''Sea Panther'', renamed ''Mormacstar'', got renamed again to ''Mormacsea''. To truly confuse matters the Moore Dry Dock ''Sea Panther'' duplicated the name of MC hull 40 launched by Federal Shipbuilding of New Jersey that became with a later ship, MC hull 390 built in Mississippi, also being named ''Sea Panther''. Pacific coast interests had been pressing the Maritime Commission to begin awarding contracts for new shipbuilding programs to Pacific yards. The launch of ''Sea Arrow'' was seen as the beginning of a revival of the industry. As a result, the launch drew considerable attention and presence of business figures speaking and among the 680 invited guests.


Construction

The ship was laid down under a
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 (MC hull 51) as ''Sea Arrow'' on 18 March 1939 at
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
by
Moore Dry Dock Company Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. In 1905, Robert S. Moore, his brother Joseph A. Moore, and John Thomas Scott purchased the National Iron Works located in the Bayview-Hunters Point, S ...
; launched on 15 September 1939; sponsored by Mrs.
Joseph R. Sheehan Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
.Joseph R. Sheehan was President of American President Lines. The launch, six weeks ahead of schedule and a month before the first C-3 in an Atlantic coast yard, was the first of the C-3s launched. A feature of the launch was a painting of giant eyes around the plugged hawse pipes. The keel for the second C-3 was prefabricated and immediately placed on the ways.See photos on pages 39 and 40 of the October 1939 reference for the eyes and the crane ready to lay the keel of the second ship as ''Sea Arrow'' awaits launch. ''Sea Arrow'' completed trials with almost no problems even though the geared turbines had been delayed with a rushed installation and had been the yard's first high pressure steam installation. ''Sea Arrow'', renamed ''Tangier'' designated AV-8 on 3 June 1940, was delivered to the Maritime Commission 8 July 1940 and immediately purchased by the Navy, commissioned in ordinary, and put back into the Moore Dry Dock yard for the extensive modifications required for Navy purposes.


Service history

''Tangier'', under the command of
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
and future Vice Admiral Clifton A. F. Sprague,Later Rear Admiral Sprague in command of Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3"), the escort carriers that turned back the much heavier Japanese forces at the
Battle off Samar The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battle in history, largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar (island), Samar Island, in the Philippin ...
. There is some additional but uncited information about ''Tangier'' in the article about the admiral.
remained at Oakland for over a year undergoing conversion to a seaplane tender. Finally, on 25 August 1941, she went into full commission and put to sea on her
shakedown cruise Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Generally, shakedown cruises are performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as a crew change, repair, refit or overhaul. The shakedown ...
. At the completion of shakedown training, she was assigned as tender to Patrol Wing 2 (PatWing 2), based in Hawaii. ''Tangier'' arrived at
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 ...
on 3 November and moored at berth F-10 forward of the former
battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
directly astern at F-11.DANFS is apparently in error with ''Utah'' being "abaft" considering the heading, berth and "directly astern" given in the action report. See too List of United States Navy ships present at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. ''Utah'' was serving as an
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...
training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...
. There, she spent the last month of peacetime caring for her complement of
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
s.


Pearl Harbor and Wake Island

At 07:55 on the morning of 7 December 1941, the first of two waves of
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
carrier-based aircraft swooped in on the Pacific Fleet, moored at Pearl Harbor. ''Tangier'' at berth F-10 and commanded by Commander Sprague was in the fight from the beginning. Her klaxon sounded
general quarters General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a navy, naval warship to signal that all hands (everyone available) aboard a ship must go to battle stations (the positions they are to assume when the ves ...
three minutes later, and by 08:00 her anti-aircraft batteries opened up on the Japanese. At 0803 torpedoes hit ''Utah'' and a minute later at berth F-12 was hit by a bomb. At 0811 ''Utah'' rolled over. By 0830 ''Tangier'' was ready for getting underway and lines were singled by 0850 but the ship did not get underway. During the ensuing melee, ''Tangier''s gunners claimed three enemy aircraft and hits on a
midget submarine A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, from which they are launched an ...
which had penetrated the harbor's defenses. She and another seaplane tender——shelled the submarine, but the
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
finished it off with a two-pronged attack, subjecting it to a ramming and following up with a cascade of depth charges. By 09:20, the skies were clear of aircraft, and only the smoke from the burning ships and shore installations remained. ''Tangier'' began rescuing survivors from the capsized ''Utah''. In the air were aircraft from ''Tangier'', among them a
PBY-5 Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the OA- ...
aircraft that was conducting an assigned search mission on 7 December 1941. This aircraft was attacked by a formation of approximately nine enemy aircraft and succeeded in defeating the surprise attack and landing safely, only to discover the devastation on land after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. During the next few days, it became apparent that the Japanese would soon attempt a landing on
Wake Island Wake Island (), also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The neare ...
, a strategic American outpost located almost astride the 20th parallel, some two-thirds of the way from
Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
to
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 ...
and almost due north of the
Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...
. By mid-December, ''Tangier'' was loaded with supplies, ammunition, and equipment for the desperate but thus far victorious defenders of Wake Island. Then, she rode idly at anchor for two days while the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
—around which the Wake relief force was to be built—steamed to Pearl from
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. ''Saratoga'' entered Pearl Harbor on 15 December, and ''Tangier'' departed the same afternoon in company with the
fleet oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. T ...
and a destroyer division while the carrier refueled. ''Saratoga'' caught up to the slow-moving little convoy on 17 December, and the task force advanced on Wake. However, the relief expedition was ordered back to Oahu after a Japanese force of at least two fleet carriers and two heavy cruisers were spotted headed for Wake. On 23 December after a three-day struggle, the Wake defenders succumbed. ''Tangier'' sailed via
Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an unorganized and unincorporated territory. The largest island is Sand Island, which has housi ...
, where she disembarked the men and equipment of Marine Fighting Squadron 221 (VMF-221) to bolster that island's defenses and embarked civilian evacuees. She returned to Pearl Harbor on the last day of 1941.


Coral Sea

On 11 February 1942, ''Tangier'' put to sea again and headed, via
Pago Pago Pago Pago ( or ; Samoan language, Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County, American Samoa, Maoputasi County on Tutuila ...
and
Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...
, to
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 ...
. She arrived in Noumea on 3 March and relieved ''Curtiss'' as tender for six PBY Catalina
flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...
s. For the next three and one-half months, she performed routine tender services for PBYs flying long-range searches to the north of New Caledonia, almost as far as the lower Solomons. In late April and early May, her group of
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
s was increased to 12 in anticipation of a fleet action in the
Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...
. When the battle came to pass, however, her planes had to content themselves with rescuing survivors of the destroyer and oiler , sunk on 7 May by the Japanese who mistook them for a
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...
and carrier, respectively, and of the
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
ed Greek freighter SS ''Chloe''. The search continued until 13 May, days after the end of the crucial battle. Coral Sea was a tactical victory for the Japanese—the U.S. Navy lost more tonnage—but a strategic victory for the U.S. It stopped the southward advance of Imperial Japanese forces and set the stage for the American victory in the
Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...
by temporarily robbing the Japanese of two of their newest fleet carriers: and . ''Shōkaku'' was incapacitated by battle damage, and ''Zuikaku'' lost a high percentage of her veteran aviators. After their rescue operations for survivors of Allied ships lost in the Coral Sea action, ''Tangier''s planes resumed normal search operations. On 30 May, two of her planes were forced down at sea by fuel shortage, and a third crashed near
Maré Island Maré Island or Nengone () is the second-largest of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of Maré, in the Loyalty Isl ...
in the Loyalty group. Destroyer went out to aid the two planes. One was refueled and returned safely, but the other could not take off and had to be sunk. The crew of the third plane reached safety at Mare Island. On 20 June, ''Tangier'' was relieved by ''Curtiss'' and, the following day, got underway for the west coast. She reached Pearl Harbor on Independence Day 1942 and stood out again three days later. On the 15th, she arrived in San Francisco and immediately began overhaul.


1943

''Tangier'' completed overhaul in September and, after loading aviation equipment at the
Alameda Naval Air Station Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station mostly in Alameda, California, with a slight portion of it within San Francisco proper, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and ...
, departed San Francisco for Pearl Harbor, Suva, and ultimately
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 ...
, where she arrived on 28 February 1943. There, she unloaded her stores and commenced tending seaplanes. She continued routine operations until 12 August, when she got underway for Pearl Harbor. ''Tangier'' made Oahu on 28 August. In September–October, she made two voyages from Pearl Harbor to
American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...
and one to San Diego, before returning to Espiritu Santo on 6 November with a load of aviation cargo. On 14 November, she headed back to the U.S., arriving in San Diego on 3 December for another yard overhaul.


1944

On 21 February 1944, ''Tangier'' again headed west. She reached Espiritu Santo on 8 March and—after a four-day layover—continued on to
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, Australia, where she became the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
of the Commander, Aircraft,
7th Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...
, on 21 March. Two days later, she headed north to support
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
MacArthur MacArthur or Macarthur may refer to: Arts and media * INSS MacArthur, a fictional starship featured in the science fiction novel ''The Mote in God's Eye'' * ''MacArthur'' (1977 film), a movie biography of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur * ' ...
's advance up the back of the
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 ...
"bird." After stops at
Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range (Papu ...
and Langemak Bay, she dropped anchor in
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 Manus may refer to: Relating to locations around New Guinea *Manus Island, a Papua New Guinean island in the Admiralty Archipelago ** Manus languages, languages spoken on Manus and islands close by ** Manus Regional Processing Centre, an offshore ...
, on 31 March. She remained there for three months, tending her Catalinas as they supported the landings at
Wakde Wakde is an island group in Sarmi Regency, Papua, Indonesia, between the districts of Pantai Timur and Tor Atas. It comprises two islands, Insumuar (the larger) and Insumanai (much smaller). History Occupied by Japanese forces in April 1942, th ...
, Noemfoor, and
Biak Biak is the main island of Biak Archipelago located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The largest popula ...
and generally supported the 7th Fleet's advance. On 31 July, she moved to Woendi Anchorage located just off Biak, at the head of the New Guinea "bird". ''Tangier'' conducted seaplane operations from there until 19 September, when she got underway for Morotai. The tender arrived off Morotai on 21 September, and supported the invasion—undergoing intermittent air attacks—until 1 December, when she headed back to Manus. She anchored in Seeadler Harbor again on 5 December. ''Tangier'' visited Woendi again on 22–23 December then sailed for the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. She entered
Kossol Roads Kossol Roads is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob in northern Palau at .Kossol Roads
...
in the
Palaus Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands, w ...
on Christmas Day and departed again the following day. On 29 December, she arrived in San Pedro Bay,
Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf, also known simply as the Leyte, is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the ...
, and began operating her seaplanes from there. For almost a month, her charges supported various operations in the Philippines. These included the Lingayen invasion and air strikes on the numerous smaller islands of the archipelago. In fact, their primary mission appears to have been
air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...
work in support of the air strikes.


1945

On 24 January 1945, ''Tangier'' departed
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...
and headed for
Lingayen Gulf Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central (Luzon), Cordillera Central. The Agno ...
, arriving three days later. Her Catalinas and Mariners conducted night barrier patrols of
Luzon Strait The Luzon Strait (Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Luzon'', ) is the strait between Luzon and Taiwan. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. This body of water is an important strait for shipp ...
and the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
along with night searches and anti-shipping flights along the China coast in the vicinity of
Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...
. On 12 February, the seaplane tender moved to
Mangarin Bay Mangarin Bay is a bay of the South China Sea, on the west coast of Mindoro island, in Occidental Mindoro Province of the Philippines. The bay is shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural s ...
,
Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...
, to run day searches over the South China Sea as far north as the coast of
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...
and
Hainan Island Hainan is an island province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally means "South of the Sea ...
. She concluded operations from Mangarin Bay on 7 March and headed for
Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...
,
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
. She arrived there on the following day and departed on ll March. ''Tangier'' anchored in Cabalitian Bay,
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
, off Cabalitian Island,
Ilocos The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Cagayan Valley to the northe ...
, on 12 March and commenced seaplane operations. For the next three months, her planes flew searches and antishipping missions over the South China Sea in the direction of Hong Kong,
Swatow Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative a ...
, and Formosa. The seaplane tender exited Cabalitian Bay on 17 June and arrived in Subic Bay the following day. Soon thereafter, she moved to
Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...
, departing there on 25 June. On 27 June, she stopped at San Pedro Bay; then continued east toward the U.S. She reached Pearl Harbor on 10 July and San Francisco on 20 July. She was overhauled at the Moore Dry Dock Co. and then ordered back to the Far East for occupation duty. On 24 September, she exited San Francisco and headed back across the broad Pacific. Sailing via
Adak Adak may refer to: Places *Adak Island, one of the Aleutian Islands **Adak, Alaska, a town on the above island ** Adak Airport, airport serving the town *** Adak Army Airfield, original name of the airport (1942–c.1943) *** Davis Army Airfield, ...
,
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, she reached the vicinity of
Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...
during the second week in October. After two months of occupation duty in Japan, ''Tangier'' moved to
Kowloon Bay Kowloon Bay (Chinese: 九龍灣) is a bay within Victoria Harbour and a neighbourhood within Kowloon, Hong Kong. The bay is located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island. It is the eastern portion of Victor ...
, China in December for air-sea rescue, patrol, and courier duty. In January 1946, she returned to Japan for another brief tour of duty with the occupation forces. Late in February, she moved from
Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...
to
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 ...
, where she remained until late March. ''Tangier'' earned three
battle star 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 ...
s 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 ...
.


Post-war and fate

On 22 March 1946 ''Tangier'' set sail for the U.S. making a brief visit to Pearl Harbor in early April then transiting the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
in mid-month. She reached Norfolk, Virginia on 29 April and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 1 May. Following a short voyage back to Norfolk and to Yorktown, Virginia, the seaplane tender returned to Philadelphia on 11 May 1946 to prepare for in-activation. By January 1947, ''Tangier'' was out of commission, berthed with the Reserve Fleet at
Philadelphia 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 ...
. On 1 June 1961, her name was struck from the
Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
. On 23 January 1962 the ship was formally transferred from the Navy to the
Maritime Administration Maritime administrations, or flag state administrations, are the executive arms/state bodies of each government responsible for carrying out the shipping responsibilities of the state, and are tasked to administer national shipping and boating issu ...
and immediately sold to Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation for either scrap or conversion. Union Metals undertook conversion into a car carrier/container ship renamed ''Detroit'', with delivery to Sea-Land Service shipping company 23 December 1962. On 17 April 1963 Sea Land to Beauregard, Inc., which operated the ship until purchased by Litton Industries Leasing Corporation on 12 November 1964. ''Detroit'' was sold to the Dutch company B. V. Intershitra on 3 October 1974 for scrapping which was completed at
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, Spain by Aguilar Y. Peris S. A.


Footnotes


See also

USS Elizabeth C. Stanton (AP-69)


References

*


External links


Photo: ''Sea Arrow'' hull after launch.

Photo: ''Sea Arrow'' port quarter view of hull after launch.

''Sea Arrow'' – First Pacific Coast C-3 Delivered
(Description & photo)




View from Ford Island-USS ''Utah'', capsized, USS ''Tangier'', far left, USS ''Raleigh'' listing to port, far right.

Japanese Mini Submarines at Pearl Harbor – USS ''Monaghan’s'' Midget
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tangier (Ap-76) Type C3 ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Oakland, California 1939 ships Seaplane tenders of the United States Navy World War II seaplane tenders of the United States Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor