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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Norman Nelson

AF-29 Graffias

Voice Call Sign "Imperfect" (50-53)
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (8) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3-Taiwan Straits, 25-Quemoy-Matsu, 4-Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (7)
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Hyades Class Stores Ship:
  • Laid down in 1943 as Topa Topa, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-E1) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1610) at Gulf Shipbuilding Co., Chickasaw, AL.
  • Launched (date unknown)
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 19 February 1944
  • Fitted out as a Stores Ship at Bethlehem Steel Co., Baltimore MD.
  • Commissioned USS Graffias (AF-29), 28 October 1944 at Baltimore, MD., LCDR. B. P. Caraher in command
  • Graffias saw not combat during World War II
  • During th Korean War Graffias (AF-29) participated in the following campaigns:
    North Korean Aggression
    27 September to 1 October 1950
    10 to 14 October 1950
    27 October to 1 November 1950
    Communist China Aggression
    21 November to 4 December 1950
    First UN Counter Offensive
    3 to 17 March 19
    3 to 14 April 1951
    19 April 1951
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    18 to 25 May 1951
    7 to 10 June 1951
    22 to 27 June 1951
    UN Summer-Fall Offensive
    5 to 6 August 19
    23 to 27 August 1951
    30 September to 1 October 1951
    3 to 6 November 1951
    22 to 24 November 1951
    Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    24 to 25 July 1952
    3 to 4 August 1952
    11 to 13 August 1952
    25 t0 26 August 1952
    7 to 8 September 1952
    5 to 6 October 1952
    17 to 19 October 1952
    1 to 3 November 1952
    15 to 19 November 1952
    Third Korean Winter
    1 to 4 December 1952
    28 to 29 December 1952
    8 to 11 January 1953
    17 to 20 January 1953
    1 to 3 February 1953
    Korea Summer-Fall 1952
    18 to 20 July 1953
  • During th Vietnam War Graffias (AF-29) participated in the following campaigns:
    Vietnam Defense
    4 to 14 November 1965
    23 to 29 November 1965
    13 to 16 December 1965
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    12 to 23 June 1966
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    2 to 6 July 1966
    21 to 29 July 1966
    6 to 23 January -1967
    1 to 11 February 1967
    16 to 24 February 1967
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    22 September to 5 October 1967
    13 to 30 October 1967
    12 to 26 November -1967
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V
    ,dd>5 to 21 August 1968
    26 August to 5 September 1968
    3 to 14 October 1968
    25 October to 1 November 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    9 to 18 November 1968
    Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    28 June to 1 July 1969
    4 to 13 July 1969
    2 to 8 August 1969
  • Decommissioned (date unknown)
  • Struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown)
  • Final Disposition, scrapped in 1973
  • Graffias earned eight battle stars for Korean War service and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 7,700 t.(lt), 14,900 t.(fl)
    Length 468' 11"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 25' 11"
    Speed 16 kts.
    Complement 319
    Armament one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount, four 3"/50 guns, 12 20mm guns
    Propulsion geared turbine, single shaft, 6,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Graffias 88k Graffias (AF-29) transfers food supplies to Missouri (BB-63) in the Sea of Japan, 17 December 1950. Each cargo net highlined between the two ships contains twenty boxes of potatoes, holding a total of 2000 pounds.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-424637, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Graffias 71k Graffias (AF-29) at anchor, date and place unknown. A US Navy photo now in the collections of the US Naval Institute Norman Nelson
    Graffias 67k Graffias (AF-29) underway off Yokosuka, Japan, 1962. Photo by Gary Callahan ET3 USN USS Haverfield (DER-393) Harold Newbill
    View the Graffias (AF-29)
    DANFS History entry located at the US Naval Historical Center web site
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S.Navy Memorial Foundation
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    No Information Available
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2008 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 1 July 2005