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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Luna (AKS-7)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Zulu - Bravo
 NAZB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Acubens Class General Stores Issue Ship:
  • Laid down, 23 April 1943, as SS Harriet Hosmer a Maritime Commission type (EC2-S-C1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1528) at J. A. Jones Construction Co., Panama City, FL.
  • Launched, 30 September 1943
  • Completed and accepted by the Maritime Commission, 25 October 1943, at Panama City, FL.
  • Assigned under GAA contract to Standard Fruit and SS. Co., 25 October 1943
  • Acquired by the Navy, 2 November 1943, at Tampa, FL.
  • Renamed Luna 18 November 1943
  • Converted to a General Stores Issue Ship at Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, FL.
  • Commissioned USS Luna (AKS-7), 31 January 1944, LCDR. James A. F. Knowlton II, in command
  • During World War II USS Luna was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • Following World War II USS Luna was assigned to Occupation duty in the Far East from 1 November to 5 December 1945
  • Decommissioned, 19 April 1946, Pearl Harbor, T.H.
  • All ships of the Acubens class were meant to be used as Bikini Assets, in 'C' test and were kept at Pearl Harbor until a decision was made in 1947 to transfer custody of these ships to the Maritime Commission
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • Delivered to the Maritime Commission at San Francisco, CA., 21 May 1947, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA., name reverted to SS Harriet Hosmer
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping , 2 November 1964, to Nicolai Jeffe Co.,
    Specifications:
    Displacement 4,023 t.(lt) 14,350 t.(fl)
    Length 441' 7"
    Beam 56' 11"
    Draft 27' 7"
    17,000 miles
    Speed 11 kts.
    Complement 195
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount
    one single 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount
    eight single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Propulsion
    one reciprocating steam engine
    single shaft, 2,500shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Maritime Commission
    Joseph Habersham
    301308601    		 113k Maritime Commission Cargo Ship Design (EC2-S-C1)  
    Luna 81k Invitation to the commissioning of USS Luna (AKS-7) at the Tampa Shipbuilding Co, Tampa FL, 31 January 1944. Stephanie Kellerman for her husband George Delbert Kellerman PhM2c(T) USS Luna
    Luna 49k USS Luna (AKS-7) at anchor, date and location unknown. Lori Bross
    for her grandfather, Robert J. Hess USS Luna
    Luna 41k USS Luna (AKS-7) moored starboard side to an unidentified ship, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo         		Lori Bross
    for her grandfather, Robert J. Hess USS Luna
    Luna 50k USS Luna (AKS-7) moored pierside, date and location unknown. Stephanie Kellerman for her husband George Delbert Kellerman PhM2c(T) USS Luna
    Luna 69k USS Luna (AKS-7) at anchor, looking forward from the bridge area, date, and location unknown. Stephanie Kellerman for her husband George Delbert Kellerman PhM2c(T) USS Luna
    Luna 156k USS Luna (AKS-7) Plan of the Day (at sea) for 5 October 1944. Stephanie Kellerman for her husband George Delbert Kellerman PhM2c(T) USS Luna
    Crittenden 127k Operation Crossroads prospective target ships and support ships at Pearl Harbor in a photo released, 27 February 1946.
    Ships present from front to rear include
    USS Crittenden (APA-77),
    USS Catron (APA-71),
    USS Bracken (APA-64),
    USS Burleson (APA-67),
    USS Gilliam (APA-57),
    USS Fallon (APA-81), one unidentified ship,
    USS Fillmore (APA-83),
    USS Kochab (AKS-6),
    USS Luna (AKS-7) and an unidentified tanker and liberty ship.
    Identifiable on the right are
    USS LSM-203 and
    USS LSM-465. Further in the background are a floating drydock and a merchant ship hulk with unidentified fittings forward of the bridge.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-702126 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    USS Luna (AKS-7)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Knowlton II, James Arthur Francis31 January 1944 - 10 March 1946
    02CDR. Oxley, Alfred James, USNR10 March 1946 - 19 April 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Robert J. Hess USS Luna Crew photos
    George D. Kellerman USS Luna Crew photos
    John E Mullenix Sr. USS Luna Crew photos
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The General Stores Issue Ship (AKS) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 23 July 2021