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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN Ret.

USS Wrangell (AE-12)

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Uniform - Whiskey - Foxtrot NUWF

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal
Second Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia Clasp) - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (4-Lebanon, 1-Cuba)
Third Row - Vietnam Service Medal (5) - Philippine Liberation Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Mount Hood Class Ammunition Ship:

Laid down in February 1944, as SS Midnight, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1375) at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.

Launched, 14 April 1944

Acquired by the US Navy and converted to an Ammunition Ship at Newport Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.

Commissioned USS Wrangell (AE-12), 10 October 1944, at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA., CDR. Haskell C. Todd in command

During World War II USS Wrangell (AE-12) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 16 February to 1 March 1945	3rd Fleet operations against Japan, 9 July to 3 August 1945
Okinawa Gunto operation 5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operation, 15 March to 11 June 1945

Decommissioned, 19 November 1946, at Orange, TX.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group, Orange

Recommissioned, 14 November 1951, at Orange, TX., Capt. Olin P. Thomas in command

Following World War II USS Wrangell was assigned to Occupation service in Europe during the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
20 January to 30 June 1953
9 October to 18 November 1953
8 June to 20 September 1954

During the Vietnam War USS Wrangell (AE-12) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam Defense Campaign 17 to 24 November 1965 3 to 12 December 1965	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase VI 4 to 12 December 1968 26 December 1968 to 4 January 1969 30 January to 7 February 1969 16 to 22 February 1969
Vietnam Counteroffensive 29 to 31 December 1965 15 to 27 January 1966 11 to 22 February 1966 6 to 17 March 1966 11 to 21 April 1966 3 to 4 May 1966	Tet69/Counteroffensive 23 February to 1 March 1969 10 to 19 March 1969 26 March to 9 April 1969
Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase V 23 October to 3 November 1968 13 to 24 November 1968

Decommissioned, 21 December 1970, at Norfolk, VA.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Charleston Group, Charleston, S.C.

Moved to the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Norfolk, VA. in February 1971

Transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, VA., 29 April 1971, under temporary custody of the Maritime Administration (MARAD)

Title transfer to MARAD, 1 July 1972

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 October 1976

Withdrawn by the Navy for stripping, 29 April 1982

Final Disposition, sold 1 August 1983, to Waterman Steamship Corp, simultaneously resold to Isaac Manuel Varela Davalillo for scrapping in Spain, scrapping completed, 15 December 1983

USS Wrangell earned three battle stars for her World War II service and a five campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 15,296 t.(lim)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 28' 3"
Speed 16.4 kts.
Complement

officers 23

enlisted 244
Largest boom capacity 36 tons
Cargo Capacity 7,700 DWT
Armament

one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount

four 3"/50 gun dual purpose gun mounts

two twin 40mm AA gun mounts

ten single 20mm AA gun mounts
Cargo Capacity 400,000 Non refrigerated
Fuel Oil Capacity 10,935 Bbls, NSFO
Ship's Service Generators three turbo 360Kw 120/240V D.C.
Propulsion

one General Electric geared turbine

three Combustion Engineering header type boilers 450psi 750°

double General Electorial Main reduction gear

single propeller, 6,000shp

Size	Image Description	Source/ Contributed By
320k	*USS Massachusetts* (BB-59) replenishing from USS Wrangell (AE-12). Wrangell then retired to San Pedro Bay, Leyte, for upkeep and repairs. Wrangell** subsequently returned to the open sea on 8 July 1945 and rendezvoused with TG 30.8 (the redesignated TG 50.8) on the 17th. From 20 July to 1 August 1945, she rearmed 35 ships and hit a high point of transferring 700 tons of ammunition in a single day.	USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Text courtesy of DANFS.
70k	*USS Wrangell* (AE-12)** moored pierside, circa 1946, location unknown. Photo Courtesy Derek Mercer, Esq) from "Jane's Fighting Ships 1954-55".	Robert Hurst
88k	*US Wrangell* (AE-12) alongside USS Yorktown (CVA-10)** during an underway replenishment, date and place unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, July 1955	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
42k	*USS Wrangell* (AE-12)** underway, date and location unknown. She is painted in measure 32 design 13F camouflage.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII web site
35k	*USS Wrangell* (AE-12)** underway in the South China Sea, 1966. US Navy photo.	US Naval Historical Center
72k	*USS Wrangell* (AE-12)** underway off the coast of Vietnam, 16 March 1966.	© Richard Leonhardt
228k	*USS Wrangell* (AE-12)** line swings 1968-69 (Replenishment)	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.

USS Wrangell Additional Ships Patches

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Wrangell (AE-12)
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Todd, Haskel C.	10 October 1944 - ?
02	CDR. Bontecou, Danie	no dates
.	Decommissioned	19 November 1946 - 14 November 1951
04	CAPT. Thomas Jr., Olin Perry	14 November 1951 - December 1952
05	CAPT. DeMetropolis, George :RADM	December 1952 - March 1954
07	CAPT. Bright, Cooper B.	1956 - ?
09	CAPT. Lyons, Francis Patrick	24 January 1961 - 18 June 1962
10	CAPT. Miller, Gerald Edward (Jerry) :VADM	18 June 1962 - 1963
12	CAPT. Hill Jr., Clarence Arthur :RADM	May 1964 - June 1965
15	CAPT. O'Rourke, Gerald Gerrard (Gerry)	July 1967 - June 1968
16	CAPT. Sellers, Harry Seagrove	June 1968 - 1969


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves, Photos courtesy Bill Gonyo

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
AE/AOE Sailors Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 22 July 2011