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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Design and Contributed by Wanda Winne

USS Castor (AKS-1)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Xray - Lima NIXL

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Defense Campaign Medal - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2 Taiwan Straits, 32 Quemoy-Matsu, 11 Vietnam) Vietnam Service Medal (6)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Castor Class General Stores Issue Ship:

Laid down, as SS Challenger, a Maritime Commission type (C2-Cargo) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC 14) at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.

Launched, 20 May 1939

Acquired by the Navy, 30 October 1940

Commissioned USS Castor (AKS-1), 12 March 1941, CDR. F. Johnson in command

During World War II USS Castor (AKS-1) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto May to June 1945
Gilbert Islands operation Tarawa 13 November to 8 December 1943	.

Decommissioned, 30 June 1947, at San Francisco, CA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Francisco Group

Recommissioned, 24 November 1950

During the Korean War USS Castor (AKS-1) participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Communist China Spring Offensive 27 May to 1 June 1951	UN Summer-Fall Offensive 12 August 1951

During the Vietnam War USS Castor (AKS-1) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam Defense 14 to 19 July 1965 8 to 20 September 1965 5 to 11 October 1965 17 to 23 October 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 7 to 21 July 1967 3 to 9 August 1967 20 September to 7 October 1967 14 to 22 October 1967 4 to 18 December 1967 27 December 1967 to 2 January 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 22 April to 5 May 1966 15 to 25 May 1966	Tet Counteroffensive 2 to 16 February 1968 23 February to 11 March 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 11 July to 10 August 1966 25 September to 15 October 1966 23 to 25 November 1966 3 to 16 December 1966 12 to 23 February 1967 28 April to 29 May 1967	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 7 to 22 May 1968

Decommissioned, 31 October 1968, at Sasebo, Japan

Custody transferred to Commander Fleet Activities, Sasebo, Japan

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1968

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in September 1969 to Mitsui and Co., Japan

USS Castor received three battle stars for World War II service, two for Korean War service and six campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 7,350 t.(lt) 13,910 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 26' 5"
Speed 16 kts.
Complement 315
Armament one 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount, four 3"/50 gun mounts
Propulsion steam turbine, single shaft, 6,000shp

Size	Image Description	Source
72k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** at Oakland, CA., 1 June 1943. Circled items are alterations made during a just completed yard period. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 4078-43, 6/1/43.	Darryl Baker
176k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** (aft plan view) at Oakland, CA., 1 June 1943. Circled items are alterations made during a just completed yard period. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 4080-43, 6/1/43.	Darryl Baker
91k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** (plan view looking to port) at Oakland, CA., 1 June 1943. View of Radar mast and Signal yard. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 4079-43, 6/1/43.	Darryl Baker
81k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** moored pierside at NSC Oakland, CA. Note the tents over the open holds to keep the rain out as the ship loads supplies. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, June 1951 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
239k	USS Castor (AKS-1) during an UNREP with Hornet (CVA-12) and an unidentified destroyer, circa 1957.	David Buell
94k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, August 1961 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
91k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1) conducting an underway replenishment with USS Bausell (DD-845) and not in view USS Intrepid (CVS-11)** , summer 1967.	Photo by Larry Backus USS Bausell
40k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1) and USS Pollux (AKS-4)** moored pierside, date unknown and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, September 1968 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
38k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** in port Sasebo, Japan, 1968	Ramon Jackson

View the USS Castor (AKS-1)
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
Pearl Harbor Action Report

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Last Updated 18 January 2008