DOSS YOUNGER THORNTON JR.

USS Neches AO 47

March 1945 to April 1945

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03/29/14

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USS Neches AO 47

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Neches (AO-47)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Lima - Tango NCLT

http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19047.htm

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9)- World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia or Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea) - Vietnam Service Medal (9) - Philippine Liberation Medal
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Mattaponi Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, 12 June 1941, for Keystone Tankship Corp., as SS Aekay, a Maritime Commission type (TE-A(MC-K)) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract, (MC hull 148) at Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA.
Launched, 11 October 1941
Acquired by the Navy, 20 July 1942
Commissioned USS Neches (AO-47), 16 September 1942, CAPT. John C. Curley Jr., in command

During World War II was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Gilbert Islands operation, 26 November to 7 December 1943	Luzon operation Formosa attacks, 3, 4, 8 and 15 January 1945 China coast attacks, 12 and 16 January 1945 Nansei Shoto attack, 22 January 1945
Marshall Islands operation Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 29 January to 8 February 1944 Occupation of Eniwetok Atoll, 17 February to 2 March 1944	Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 15 to 24 February 1945
Asiatic-Pacific Raids - 1944 Truk attack, 16 to 17 February 1944 Marianas attack, 21 to 22 February 1944 Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai raid, 30 March to 1 April 1944 Truk, Satawan, Ponape raid, 29 April to 1 May 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to 30 June 1945 5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March to 11 June 1945
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944 3rd Fleet supporting operations Okinawa Attack, 9 to 24 September 1944	3rd Fleet operations against Japan, 10 to 18 July and 26 July to 14 August 1945
Leyte operation Luzon attacks, 20 to 25 November 1944

Following World War II USS Neches was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
2 September to 16 October 1945	3 April to 4 May 1946
30 January to 1 April 1946	17 June to 7 August 1946
12 to 15 June 1946	22 September to 27 December 1946
16 to 20 September 1946	16 to 19 March 1947
15 to 17 February 1947
10 to 12 March 1947
22 March to 2 April 1947	22 March to 2 April 1947

Decommissioned, 10 July 1950, at San Diego, CA.
Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group
Recommissioned, 3 June 1951, at Oakland, CA.

USS Neches was assigned to Occupation service in Europe for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
3 August 1951 to 3 January 1952
3 June to 3 December 1952
18 September 1953 to 9 June 1954
22 November 1954 to 10 June 1955

Decommissioned in June 1955
Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Stockton Group
Recommissioned, 24 November 1961

During the Vietnam War USS Neches (AO-47) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam Defense 6 to 16 July 1965 25 July to 3 August 1965 12 to 27 August 1965 31 August to 11 September 1965 4 to 10 and 15 to 20-October 1965 28 October to 5 November 1965 16 to 21 November 1965 28 November to 4 December 1965 10 to 13 December 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI 2 to 6 and 11 to 19 November 1968 3 to 12 and 17 to 26 December 1968 9 to 12 and 17 to 26 January 1969 1 to 8 and 19 to 22 February 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 21 to 29 July 1966 5 to 15 and 23 to 28 August 1966 1 to 8 and 14 to 18 September 1966 30 September to 10 October 1966 15 to 23 December 1966 3 to 14 January 1967	Tet 69/Counteroffensive 23 to 26 February 1969 2 to 4 March 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 15 to 20 September 1967 26 September to 5 October 1967 27 October 1967 2 to 10 December 1967 21 to 25 and 29 January 1968	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 26 January to 2 February 1970 19 to 26 February 1970 4 to 7 and 18 to 21 March 1970 27 March to 4 April 1970 9 to 17 April 1970
Tet Counteroffensive 30 January to 9 February 1968 15 to 23 February 1968 4 to 9 March 1968	Sanctuary Counteroffensive 12 May 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 28 September to 1 October 1968 9 to 11 and 15 to 21 October 1968 28 October to 1 November 1968

Decommissioned in 1970
Struck from the Naval Register, 1 October 1970
Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
Final Disposition, sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing service for scrapping, 1 December 1973

USS Neches received nine battle stars for World War II service and nine campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 6,809 t.(lt) 22,325 t.(fl)
Length 520'
Beam 68'
Draft 30' 9"
Speed 17.4 kts.

Complement: Officers 16; Enlisted 212
Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.
Armament 1942: one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount; four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts; four twin 40mm AA gun mounts; four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
Armament 1968: two single 3"50 cal dual purpose gun mounts forward
Cargo Capacity 15,300 DWT: Oil 117,000 Bbls; Gasoline 689,000 Gals
Fuel Capacity: NSFO 9,500 Bbls
Propulsion: one Westinghouse geared turbine; two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 450psi 742°; double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears Ship's Service Generators
two turbo-drive 400Kw 230V A.C.
one turbo-drive 50Kw 230V A.C.
one Diesel-drive 50Kw 120V D.C.; single propeller, 12,800shp

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships banner

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/n3/neches-ii.htm

Neches

A river in Texas.

(AO–47: dp. 6,013 (1.); l. 520’; b. 68’; dr. 30’; s. 17.4 k.; cpl. 285; a. 1 5”, 4 3”, 8 40mm.; cl. Mattaponi)

The second Neches (AO–47), ex-Aekay, ex-M. C. hurl 148 was laid down 12 June 1941 by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Chester, Pa.; launched 11 October 1941; sponsored by Miss Barbara Vickery of Washington, D.C.; acquired by the Navy 20 July 1941; and commissioned 16 September 1942.

After shakedown off the Atlantic Coast she steamed for San Pedro, Calif. via the Panama Canal. Her first wartime operations took her to Guadalcanal, where she fueled various fleet units. From 28 November she serviced ships out of Noumea, New Caledonia. She shifted operations to Havannah Harbor, Efate Island, New Hebrides 22 January 1943, and then steamed for San Pedro, Calif. 6 March, arriving there the 21st.

Four days later she was enroute Pearl Harbor to deliver fuel, arriving 30 March. The next week she was back at San Pedro and, following a ten day availability there she got underway with Pennsylvania (BB–38), Nassau (CVE–16), and six screening destroyers enroute Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Arriving 1 May, she fueled thirteen ships before she steamed to the Puget Sound Navy Yard 9 May for two days of repairs. She then returned to Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

The oiler operated in Alaskan waters until late December, when she returned to San Pedro to take on fuel for delivery to Pearl Harbor. After a four day call at Pearl Harbor she steamed to Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands, where she provided fueling services for the next three months.

She was once again enroute San Pedro when, at 1815, 21 May, she struck a mine off the California coast. The explosion tore a 22’ by 15’ hole in her port side, necessitating a week of drydock repairs at San Pedro. Final repairs were completed in two months, and she was back at Pearl Harbor 27 July.

She then steamed in convoy to Eniwetok Atoll, where she anchored 10 August and commenced fueling operations. Through October she provided fueling services in the area of the Admiralty Islands. The oiler anchored at Ulithi 2 November and through that month provided services in the local atsea refueling areas. The month of December saw her servicing ships from her Ulithi anchorage.

By mid-January 1945 Neches was enroute Leyte Gulf and the South China Sea, where she fueled ships into February. She returned to Leyte 18 March and fueled transports in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. Anchoring off Kerama Retto, 6 April, she set Condition I at 1545. When Japanese air raiders came in at 1630 her gunners opened fire, and after ten hours of intermittent air attack Neches gunners splashed a kamikaze off the starboard quarter. By mid-April Neches was again fueling ships out of her Ulithi anchorage.

When fleet units first bombarded the Japanese home islands 10 July, Neches was in waters off northern Japan. She steamed into Tokyo Bay 29 August, becoming the first oiler on the scene. Assigned duties there as station tanker, she fueled 120 ships through September. Departing for San Pedro 15 October, she arrived the 31st and underwent overhaul in the Naval Shipyard, Terminal Island, San Francisco, until the end of December.

Neches continued to operate with the Service Force, Pacific Fleet for the next two years. She was placed under administrative control of the Naval Transport Service in July 1947 and was shifted to MSTS two years later. During the post-war period she served as a point-to-point tanker, calling at Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, Japan, Southeast Asia, Arabia, Alaska, and the Canal Zone.

She decommissioned 10 July 1950 and was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group. Recommissioned 3 January 1951 at Oakland, Calif., she operated as an MSTS tanker and served with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. She again returned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet for inactivation at Stockton, Calif. in June 1955.

After extensive alterations to electronic and dock equipment, including the addition of five rigs for underway replenishment, Neches recommissioned 24 November 1961 at the Naval Supply Depot, Seattle, Capt. John R. Zullinger in command. She then rejoined the Service Force, Pacific Fleet, and was homeported in San Francisco.

The oiler commenced regular overhaul 6 May 1963, and through 1967 she deployed annually to WESTPAC and maintained herself in a state of readiness (luring training, upkeep, and leave periods in home waters. Her homeport has remained Hunters Point, San Francisco.

She steamed 21 September 1967 for underway replenishment service in WESTPAC, operating on Yankee Station and servicing Market Time craft in Southeast Asia. Her deployment lasted through 30 March 1968, when she tied up once again at San Francisco. Neches’ Yankee Station and Market Time operations had been punctuated by calls at Subic Bay, Sasebo, Kaohsiung, and Hong Kong.

Through September 1968 Neches operated off the West Coast, with a summer call at Portland, Oreg. for the Rose Festival. By the end of the first week of September she was underway for yet another seven month deployment to WESTPAC.

Neches received nine battle stars for World War II service.