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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN Ret. - Popular Patch

USS Lassen (AE-3)


Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Victor - Papa
NAVP
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (circa 4 Oct to 18 Nov 1944) - American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp)
Bottom Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal
Lassen Class Ammunition Ship:
  • Laid down, date unknown, as MV Shooting Star a Maritime Commission type (C2 Cargo) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 23) at Tampa Bay Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, FL.
  • Launched 10 January 1940
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 15 November 1940
  • Commissioned USS Lassen (AE-3), 19 November 1941, for transfer to her fitting out yard, LCDR. Asel B. Kerr in command
  • Commissioned USS Lassen (AE-3) in full, 27 November 1941, CDR. Russell S. Berkey in command
  • During World War II USS Lassen was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of Ulithi Atoll, 25 September to 2 October 1944
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 4 October to 18 November 1944     		3rd Fleet operations against Japan
    10 July to 6 August 1945
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 17 March to 3 June 1945     		 

  • Decommissioned, 15 January 1947, at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego, CA.
  • Transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA., 30 August 1960
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 July 1961
  • Custody transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal, 1 October 1962
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 16 March 1976, to Nicolai Joffe Corp. request for bid - MARAD PD-X-1004 dated 6 February 1976 (group of four ships) for $898.372.96. Delivered, 26 April 1976
  • USS Lassen earned three battle stars for World War II service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 6,350 t.(lt) 14,225t.(fl)
    Length 459'
    Beam 63'
    Draft 25' 11"
    Speed 15.3 kts (trial)
    Complement
    Officers 21
    Enlisted 260
    Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts
    two twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    eight twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Cargo Capacity 387,000 Cu ft., 5,000 DWT
    Fuel Capacity 10,925 Bbls
    Propulsion
    two Nordberg Diesel, TSM219 Diesel engine
    single Falk Main Reduction Gears
    Ship's Service Generators
    four Diesel-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C.
    one Diesel-drive 150Kw 120V/240V D.C.
    single propeller, 6,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Lassen 106k Lassen (AE-3) off the Norfolk Navy Yard, 24 October 1941. This ship had a taller stack than did the three later ships of her class.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, photo # 19-N-25823, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Lassen 88k Broadside view of USS Lassen (AE-3) underway off Mare Island Navy Yard, 2 March 1942. She is painted camouflage scheme measure 12(modified).
    Mare Island Navy Yard Ship Files, NARA San Francisco.    		 Tracy White
    Lassen 54k Broadside view of USS Lassen (AE-3) underway off Mare Island Navy Yard, 18 February 1943. She is painted camouflage scheme measure 12(modified).
    Mare Island Navy Yard photo # 1329-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Lassen 158k USS Lassen (AE-3) rearming USS Vicksburg (CL-86) while underway, circa March to May 1945. USS Vicksburg was a unit of TG38.1/58.1.
    Photo by Ray Rabreau and Walt Lansky. Courtesy of Frank Romano and Jeff Herne.    		 John Chiquoine
    Lassen 89k USS Lassen (AE-3) at anchor, circa fall 1945, location unknown. E. L. Meckel, RM/3c USS Lassen
    Lassen 40k USS Lassen (AE-3) underway, date and location unknown. "AE" Sailors Association
    USS Lassen (AE-3)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Kerr, Asel Bayless19 November 1940 - ?
    02CDR. Berkey, Russell Stanley (Count) :ADM27 March 1941 - October 1941
    03CAPT. Mills, SchuylerOctober 1941 - 1942
    04CAPT. Osborn Jr., Donald Roderick1942 - 1943
    05CAPT. Palmer, Khem Wade1943 - 1944
    06LCDR. Wade, J. E.1944 - 12 December 1945
    07LCDR. Church, Arthur Benjamin, USNR12 December 1945 - 1 January 1946
    08CDR. Shufeldt, Henry Howey1 January 1946 - 15 July 1947
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    AE/AOE Sailors Association
    MARAD Vessel History Database
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 23 September 2016