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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Rainier (AE-5)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Uniform - Delta
NAUD
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Second Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (4)
Third Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3-Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (7) - Korean Presidential Unit Citation
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Lassen Class Ammunition Ship:
  • Laid down, 14 May 1940, as SS Rainbow, a Maritime Commission type (C2-T Cargo) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 124), at Tampa Shipbuilding Corp., Tampa, FL.
  • Launched, 1 March 1941
  • Acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission, 16 April 1941
  • Commissioned USS Rainier (AE-5), 21 December 1941, CAPT. William W. Meek in command
  • Decommissioned, 30 April 1946, at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group
  • Recommissioned, 25 May 1951
  • During the Korean War USS Rainier (AE-5) participated in the following campaigns:
    Korean War
    Campaigns and Dates 1951-52 Campaigns and Dates 1953
    Second Korean Winter
    30 November to 9 December 1951
    20 December 1951 to 2 January 1952
    16 to 24 January 1952
    4 February 1952
    6 to 16 February 1952
    28 February to10 March 1952
    17 to 19 March 1952
    15 to 25 April 1952    		 Third Korean Winter
    10 to 15 February 1953
    26 February to 3 March 1953
    18 to 28 March 1953
    9 to 15 April 1953
    25 to 30 April 1953
    Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    12 to 23 May 1952
    8 to 20 June 1952
    5 to 6 July 1952
    15 to 25 July 1952
    3 to 9 August 1952    		 Korea, Summer-Fall 1953
    1 to 2 May 1953
    11 to 21 May 1953
    9 to 17 June 1953
    23 June to 1 July 1953
    10 to 18 July 1953

  • During the Vietnam War USS Rainier (AE-5) participated in the following campaign:
    Vietnam War
    Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    4 to 7 July 1965
    11 to 20 July 1965
    26 July to 5 August 1965
    13 to 21 August 1965
    1 to 11 September 1965
    25 September to 5 October 1965
    12 to 24 October 1965
    30 October to 9 November 1965
    17 to 29 November 1965
    12 to 22 December 1965     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    2 to 11 November 1968
    20 November to 2 December 1968
    17 December 1968 to 1 January 1969
    10 to 19 January 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    28 March to 8 April 1967
    18 April to 6 March 1967
    18 to 31 May 1967     		Vietnam Summer-Fall 1970
    15 September to 4 October 1969
    12 to 31 October 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    1 to 6 June 1967
    21 June to 9 July 1967     		Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970
    1 to 11 November 1969
    1 to 15 December 1969
    24 December to 8 January 1970
    16 January to 7 February 1970
    21 February to 9 March 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V
    30 July to 15 August 1968
    25 August to 5 September 1968
    15 to 25 September 1968
    10 to 17 October 1968     		 

  • Decommissioned and Struck from the Naval Register, 7 August 1970
  • Custody transferred to the Maritime Administration, 17 November 1970, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 7 September 1971, to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., delivered, 20 September 1971
  • USS Rainier earned four battle stars Korean war service and seven campaign stars for Vietnam war 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
    Rainier 111k Amidships plan view of USS Rainier (AE-5) at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 15 June 1943.
    US Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AE-5 4389-43, 6/15/43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Rainier 46k USS Rainier (AE-5) underway off Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 20 June 1943.
    US Navy photo    		 Lou Sander
    Rainier 61k Broadside view of USS Rainier (AE-5) off Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 30 June 1943.
    US Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AE-5 4540-43, 6/30/43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Rainier 65k Bows on view of USS Rainier (AE-5) off Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 30 June 1943.
    US Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AE-5 4542-43, 6/30/43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Rainier 55k Stern view of USS Rainier (AE-5) off Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 30 June 1943.
    US Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AE-5 4544-43, 6/30/43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Rainier 30k USS Rainier (AE-5) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 .
    Rainier 95k USS Rainier (AE-5) off Mare Island Navy Yard, 28 September 1944.
    US. National Archives, RG-19-LCM, photo # 19-N-73188, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Robert Hurst
    Rainier 101k Aft plan view of USS Rainier (AE-5) at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 2 October 1944. Rainier was in overhaul at the yard from 20 August to 3 October 1944. YHB-21, the ex auto ferry, Tamalpais and four berthing barges including YF-508 were moored across from Rainier.
    US Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AE-5 6006-44.    		 Darryl Baker
    Rainier 110k Forward plan view of USS Rainier (AE-5) at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 2 October 1944. Rainier was in overhaul at the yard from 20 August to 3 October 1944. Vessels in the background from left to right are YHB-2 (ex Port of Stockton), four berthing barges and YHB-21 (ex Tamalpais).
    US Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AE-5 6009-44.    		 Darryl Baker
    Rainier 19k USS Rainier (AE-5) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 .
    Rainier 116k USS Rainier (AE-5) replenishing USS Antietam (CV-36) and USS Wisconsin (BB-64) off Korea in early 1952. Note the relative sizes of the three ships.
    US Navy photo # 80-G-649648 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command    		 Robert Hurst
    Rainier 43k USS Rainier (AE-5) during underway replenishment with USS Lexington (CV-16)
    in August 1957.
    US Navy photo    		 .
    Rainier 62k USS Rainier (AE-5) underway, date and location unknown. Photo taken from USS Vesuvius (AE-15) in March 1970 Photo by Darrell Inskeep
    via USS Rainier (AE-5) web site
    Rainier 148k USS Rainier (AE-5) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 Mike Smolinski
    Rainier 53k USS Rainier (AE-5) underway with USS Hancock (CVA-19) as the carrier prepares to take her station alongside Rainier for underway replenishment of ammunitions, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, August 1964.    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.

    For more photos and information about USS Rainier, see:
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
  • USS Rainier (AE-5)
  • AE/AOE Sailors Association
  • Commanding Officers
    • Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Ammunition Ship (AE) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 18 March 2011