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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Pictor (AF-54)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Sierra - Zulu
 NHSZ
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - National Defense Service Medal
Second Row - Korean Service Medal (1) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (six- 1-Taiwan Straits, 1-Quemoy-Matsu, 1-Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (8)
Third Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Alstede Class Stores Ship:
  • Laid down, 18 March 1942, as SS Great Republic, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 187), at Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA.
  • Launched, 4 June 1942
  • Delivered to United Fruit Co., 29 June 1943, at Oakland, CA.
  • Acquired from the Maritime Commission by Pacific Far East Lines, Inc., 24 September 1946, at Oakland, CA.
  • Returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 6 May 1950, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • Acquired by the Navy, 13 September 1950 at Suisun Bay and converted to a Provisions Store Ship
  • Commissioned USS Pictor (AF-54), 13 September 1950
  • During the Korean War USS Pictor (AF-54) participated in the following campaigns:
    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates
    Korea, Summer-Fall 1953 Campaign
    4 to 8 May 1953
    14 to 18 May 1953
    15 to 20 June 1953
    9 July 1953

  • During the Vietnam War USS Pictor (AF-54) participated in the following campaigns:
    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    31 August to 9 September 1965
    18 to 30 September 1965
    9 to 17 October 1965    		 Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    30 June 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    16 to 27 April 1966
    6 to 11 May 1966
    27 May to 1 June 1966    		 Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase V
    1 to 12 July 1968
    23 July to 3 August 1968
    15 to 24 August 1968
    Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase II
    18 to 23 December 1966
    4 to 11 January 1967
    23 to 30 January 1967    		 Tet/69 Counteroffensive
    30 January to 19 February 1969
    Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase III
    15 to 26 July 1967
    5 to 17 August 1967
    15 to 25 September 1967
    1 to 8 October 1967    		 Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    21 to 28 August 1969
    8 to 11 September 1969
    20 to 23 September 1969
    29 September 1969
    1 October 1969

  • Decommissioned in December 1969
  • Returned to MARAD, 11 August 1970, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 June 1976
  • Final Disposition, disposed of by MARAD sale, 25 November 1981, to Levine Metals Corp., fate unknown
  • USS Pictor received one battle star for Korean War service and eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 15,500 t.(fl)
    Length 459' 2"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 28'
    Speed 16 kts.
    Complement 292
    Propulsion cross-compound turbines, single propeller
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Pictor 117k USS Pictor (AF-54) standing into the inner harbor of Cam Ranh Bay, RVN, 1967. Jim Azevedo
    Pictor 136k USS Pictor (AF-54) underway in 1968, location unknown. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Pictor 86k USS Pictor (AF-54) during an underway replenishment with USS Watts (DD-567) and HMCS Fraser (DDH-233), WESTPAC, 1968. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Pictor 98k USS Pictor (AF-54) at Naval Support Activity, Danang, South Vietnam, date unknown. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Pictor 249k USS Pictor (AF-54) underway during a WESPAC deployment in 1969, location unknown. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    CVAN-65, CVA-19, CVA-43 362k Aerial view of the piers at NAS Alameda, circa early July 1969. Ships present include from front to back:
    USSEnterprise (CVAN-65),
    USS Hancock (CVA-19),
    USS Markab (AR-23) with
    Pictor (AF-54) outboard, and
    USS Procyon (AF-61) forward of them, and
    USS Coral Sea (CVA-43)    		 Robert M. Cieri
    USS Pictor (AF-54) Miscellaneous
    Contributed by
    Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Pictor
    1969 WESPAC
    deployment customer list    		 Pictor
    Decommissioned Program
    cover page
    View the USS Pictor (AF-54)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S.Navy Memorial Foundation
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    USS Pictor (AF-54)
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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 25 April 2008