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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Bill Applegate

USS Procyon (AF-61)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Mike - Papa
 NCMP
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - National Defense Service Medal
Bottom Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam - 26AUG-8SEP 1964) - Vietnam Service Medal (10) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Alstede Class Stores Ship
  • Laid down, 15 April 1942, as SS Flying Scud, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 188) at Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, CA.
  • Launched, 1 July 1942
  • Delivered to the War Shipping Administration for operation by United Fruit Co. from 18 August 1943 to 4 September 1946
  • Operated by Pacific Far East Lines, 5 September 1946 to 19 October 1948
  • Operated by General Steamship Corp., 18 to 25 October 1948
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 26 October 1948
  • Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • Rechartered to Pacific Far East Line, 10 December 1948
  • Returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 24 February 1956 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 8 August 1961
  • Converted for Naval service at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, CA.
  • Commissioned USS Procyon (AF-61), 24 November 1961, Capt. N.I. Lee, Jr., in command
  • During the Vietnam War USS Procyon participated in the following campaigns
    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    14 June to 19 July 1965     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    23 April to 1 May 1968
    17 to 26 May 1968
    2 to 3 June 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    27 December 1965 to 8 January 1966
    14 to 28 January 1966
    4 to 9 February 1966     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    14 to 21 December 1968
    28 December 1968 to 2 January 1969
    10 to 24 January 1969
    9 to 13 February 1969
    21 to 22 February 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    11 to 17 November 1966
    27 November to 10 December 1966
    25 December 1966 to 2 January 1967     		Tet 69/ Counteroffensive
    23 February to 14 March 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    11 to 26 June 1967
    12 to 29 July 1967
    11 to 19 August 1967     		Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970
    21 to 27 February 1970
    18 March to 1 April 1970
    18 to 30 April 1970
    Tet Counteroffensive
    20 to 31 March 1968     		Sanctuary Counteroffensive
    17 May to 4 June 1970

  • Decommissioned, 4 February 1972
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 June 1976
  • Returned to MARAD in 1981 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
  • Final Disposition, sold by MARAD, fate unknown
  • USS Procyon earned ten campaign stars for Vietnam War service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 14,180 t.(fl)
    Length 460'
    Beam 63'
    Draft 26' 7"
    Speed 16 kts.
    Complement 292
    Armament one 3"/50 gun mount
    Propulsion cross-compound turbines, single propeller
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Procyon 98k USS Procyon (AF-61) departing San Diego CA.. date unknown Bill Applegate
    Procyon 33k USS Procyon (AF-61) alongside USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) while conducting an underway replenishment in WestPac, circa 3 January to 15 July 1963 Sal Vacca, AE2, VAW-11 Detachment Bravo, USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14)
    Procyon 57k
    Procyon 71k
    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:
    USS Enterprise (CVAN-65),
    USS Hancock (CVA-19),
    USS Markab (AR-23) with
    USS Pictor (AF-54) outboard, and
    USS Procyon (AF-61) forward of them, and
    USS Coral Sea (CVA-43)    		 Robert M. Cieri
    USS Procyon (AF-61)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Lee, Norman Ingvor24 November 1961 - ?
    02CAPT. Stevens1963 - 1964
    03CAPT. Freeman III, Rowland Godfrey :RADM1964 - 1965
    04CAPT. Abercrombie III, Daniel Webster1964 - 1965
    05CAPT. Sulick, Tom Everett1968 - ?
    06CAPT. Dancer, Jerry Dean1970 - 4 February 1972
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 28 September 2012