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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

AF-55 Aludra

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Papa - Victor

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 (1-Taiwan Straits, 1-Quemoy-Matsu, 1-Vietnam, 1-Korea) - Vietnam Service Medal (5)
Third Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Alstede Class Stores Ship:

Laid down, 23 August 1944, as the Refrigerated Cargo Ship SS Matchless, a Maritime Commission type (R2-S-BV1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC 1202), at Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, CA.

Launched, 14 October 1944

Delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) for a bare boat charter to United States Line, 23 March 1945

Returned to the Maritime Commission, 1 August 1949 at Mobile, AL.

Transferred to the Waterman SS. Corp., 11 August 1949

Returned to the Maritime Commission, 18 August 1949 at Mobile, AL.

Acquired by the US Navy, 30 November 1950

Converted for Naval service at New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden, N.J.

Commissioned USS Aludra (AF-55), 19 June 1952, CDR. Ralph H. Moureau in command

During the Korean War Aludra participated in the following campaign:

**Korean War Campaign**
Third Korean Winter Campaign 14-15 December 1952 10-11 and 18-19 February 1953 2-3, 14-15, and 28-39 March 1953 7 to 12 April 1953

During the Vietnam War Aludra participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam Defense 3 to 17 October 1965 24 October to 1 November 1965 15 to 21 November 1965	Tet Counteroffensive 1 to 4 February 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 7 to 20 August 1966 27 August to 2 September 1966 7 to 17 September 1966 20 April to 2 May 1967 22 to 31 May 1967	Vietnamese Counteroffensive-Phase V 14 to 29 September 1968 10 to 21 October 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive-Phase III 1 to 11 June 1967 29 November to 13 December 1967 28 December 1967 to 5 January 1968 14 to 20 January 1968 29 January 1968	.

Decommissioned, 2 September 1969, at Oakland, CA.

Returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 1 October 1969, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Final Disposition, withdrawn from the National Defense Reserve Fleet, 19 January 1977 for stripping by the Navy prior to sale

Purchased from MARAD by Sea World Processors Inc., for non-transportation use, 16 November 1977

Delivered, 16 February 1978

Final Disposition, burned and scuttled in 1981

Aludra received one battle star for Korean War service and five campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 7,050 t.(lt)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 28'
Speed 16 kts.
Complement 292
Armament twelve 3"/50 guns
Propulsion cross-compound turbines, single propeller

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
134k	Aludra (AF-55) conducting an UNREP (Underway Replenishment) with the destroyer Theodore E. Chandler (DD-717) and attack aircraft carrier Valley Forge (CVA-45) in the Pacific, circa January to May 1953. with F9F Panther jets of *VF-51* and *VF-53* US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
75k	Aludra (AF-55) underway at sea, 17 September 1954. Photographed from Yorktown (CVA-10). US Navy photo # NH 104028 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
98k	Aludra (AF-55) transferring supplies to Yorktown (CVA-10) during underway replenishment operations, 17 September 1954. US Navy photo # NH 104029 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
85k	Starboard bow view of Aludra (AF-55) off San Francisco, CA. *Aludra* enroute to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco CA., 20 February 1956. US Navy photo # NH 104030 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
78k	Broadside of Aludra (AF-55) off San Francisco, CA. *Aludra* enroute to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco CA., 20 February 1956. US Navy photo # NH 104031 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
89k	Stern view-starboard of Aludra (AF-55) off San Francisco, CA. *Aludra* enroute to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco CA., 20 February 1956. US Navy photo # NH 104032 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
75k	Stern view-port of Aludra (AF-55) off San Francisco, CA. *Aludra* enroute to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco CA., 20 February 1956. US Navy photo # NH 104033 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
88k	Port bow view of Aludra (AF-55) off San Francisco, CA. *Aludra* enroute to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco CA., 20 February 1956. US Navy photo # NH 104034 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
95k	Bow on view of Aludra (AF-55) off San Francisco, CA. *Aludra* enroute to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco CA., 20 February 1956. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is in the background. US Navy photo # NH 104035 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
90k	Stern view of Aludra (AF-55) off San Francisco, CA. *Aludra* enroute to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco CA., 20 February 1956. US Navy photo # NH 104036 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
161k	Aludra (AF-55) underway in San Francisco Bay, October 1957. Photo by ©Allied Photographers of San Francisco.	Robet M. Cier
177k	Outboard profile drawing (Bureau of Ships plan # S 0103 972649) of Aludra (AF-55) showing the ship as she was during the 1960s, with a helicopter platform aft. Photo, courtesy of Commander Stephen S. Roberts, USNR, 1982. US Navy photo # NH 104040 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
120k	Aludra (AF-55) at left, steams away from Ponchatoula (AO-148) after transferring stores. In the right distance Jupiter (AVS-8) makes her approach to take on fuel. Photo taken from *Ponchatoula, 23 August 1963, released with Commander Service Squadron THREE* press release # 3-154. . US Navy photo # NH 104026 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
114k	Aludra (AF-55) during underway replenishment with Coontz (DLG-9) and Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) during a WESTPAC deployment in 1964. US Navy photo	EMC(SW) Brian Kroenung
95k	Aludra (AF-55) center, is approached by Cochrane (DDG-21), at left, and Midway (CVA-41) for underway replenishment, during operations in the South China Sea. Photographed by *Midway, 15 May 1965. US Navy photo # NH 104027* from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
95k	King (DLG-10) approaching Aludra (AF-55) in preparation for an underway replenishment, circa 1965	Photo by Chuck White USS King (DLG-10)
69k	Aludra (AF-55) and King (DLG-10) during an underway replenishment, circa 1965. Note that the shot lines are across between the ships.	Photo by Chuck White USS King (DLG-10)
82k	Aludra (AF-55) alongside King (DLG-10) during an underway replenishment, circa 1965.	Photo by Chuck White USS King (DLG-10)
92k	Aludra (AF-55) coming alongside to replenish Oriskany (CVA-34) while the carrier conducts air operations off th coast of Vietnam during the Vietnam war, date unknown.	Photo by Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.