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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Cimarron (AO-22)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Mike - Quebec NEMQ
Voice Call Sign "Skidrow" (50-53)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (10)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (7) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (5-Taiwan Straits, 1-Quemoy-Matsu, 1-Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (4)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Cimarron Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, 18 April 1938, as a Maritime Commission type (T3-S2-A1) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2) at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock, Chester, PA.

Launched, 7 January 1939

Commissioned USS Cimarron (AO-22), 20 March 1939, LCDR. W. W. Behrens in command

During World War II USS Cimarron was assigned to both the Atlantic and Asiatic-Pacific Theaters and participated in and supported the following operations and campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Midway June 1942	Marshall Islands operation November 1944
Consolidation of Solomon Islands July 1942	Marianas operation June to August 1944
Capture and defense of Guadalcanal August 1942	Western Caroline Islands operation - Palau August 1944
New Georgia Group operation June 1943	Luzon operation - 3rd Fleet supporting operation December 1944 and January 1945
Pacific Raids - Wake Island 1943 October 1943	Iwo Jima operation - 3rd Fleet operations against Honshu and the Nansei Photo March to Mar 1945
Gilbert Islands operation November 1943	Okinawa operation - 3rd Fleet operations against Japan July and August 1945
Pacific Raids - Truk 1944 April-May 1944	.

During the Korean War USS Cimarron (AO-22) participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
North Korean Aggression 18 September to 2 November 1950	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 24 May to 8 June 1952 18 to 26 June 1952 29 June to 2 July 1952 11 to 23 July 1952 30 July to 10 August 1952 20 August to 1 September 1952 9 to 17 September 1952 8 to 19 November 1952
Communist China Aggression 3 November 1950 to 23 January 1951	Third Korean Winter 12 to 18 December 1952
First UN Counter Offensive 29 January to 20 March 1951 29 March to 8 April 1951	Korea Summer-Fall 1953 7-16 May 1953 27 May to 6 June 1953 12 to 23 June 1953 7 to 16 July 1953
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 31 August to 10 September 1951 10 to 20 November 1951	.

During the Vietnam War USS Cimarron (AO-22) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam Defense 22 July to 1 August 1965 10 to 16 August 1965 21 to 30 August 1965 7 to 17 September 1965 23 September to 6 October 1965 9 to 15 October 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 10 to 18 July 1966 4 to 11 August 1966 28 August to 5 September 1966 10 to 14 September 1966 20 to 23 September 1966 7 to 15 April 1967 20 April to 1 May 1967 5 to 10 May 1967 20 to 27-May 1967
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 17 to 22 April 1966 29 April to 4 May 1966 9 to 11 May 1966 16 to 23 May 1966 27 to 30 June 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 5 to 13 June 1967 21 to 24 June 1967 3 to 11 July 1967 15 to 23 July 1967 4 to 13 September 1967

Decommissioned at Long Beach, CA., 10 October 1968

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Title transfer to the Maritime Administration, 15 September 1969, at San Diego, CA. and sold for scrapping the same day to Levin Metals Corp., San Jose, CA.

Delivered, 17 October 1969, at San Diego, CA., to Levin Metals Corp.

USS Cimarron received ten battle stars for World War II service, seven battle stars for the Korean War service, and four campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 7,470 t.(lt) 24,830 t.(fl)
Length 553'
Beam 75'
Draft 32' 4"
Speed 18 kts.
Complement 304
Armament four single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
Cargo Capacity 146,000 barrels
Propulsion geared turbines, twin screws. 30,400hp

. . . . . . . .

Size	Image Description	Source
87k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)*, photographed circa 1939-40, soon after completion and prior to receiving her armament. US Navy photo # NH 67530*, courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
77k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)*, off Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA., 6 February 1942. Note her camouflage scheme, and hull number painted just below the forecastle break. Her camouflage is measure 12(modified). US National Archives photo # 19-N-30121*, a US Navy photo from the Bureau of Ships Collections now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
74k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) refueling USS Northampton (CA-26) during the Doolittle Raid operation. Photographed from USS Salt Lake City (CA-25)*. The original photo caption states that this view was taken on 18 April 1942, the day the Doolittle Raid aircraft were launched to attack targets in Japan. Her camouflage is measure 12(modified). US Navy photo # NH 97808*, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
24k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** underway at Pearl Harbor, May 1942. Her camouflage is measure 12(modified). US Navy photo	.
763k	Starboard bow plan view looking aft of *USS Cimarron* (AO-22) at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA., 26 November 1942, after taking part in the Tokyo Raid with the USS Hornet (CV-8) and USS Enterprise (CV-6) in April and the Battle of the Coral Sea in early May with USS Lexington (CV-2), USS Yorktown (CV-5), Hornet and Enterprise, to defeat the Japanese at Midway at the end of May-early June, and finally, taking part in operations in the Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal. Cimarron is still in splotches. The excessive fading of the seablue (5-S) is evident on the hull. The small dark patches are primer coats of 84D. Hulls always took more of a beating because they could not be “kept up” underway, whereas decks and superstructures were often touched up and maintained. The bright sun tends to wash out the 5-O and 5-H side splotches on the bridge. The circles indicate new equipment or structures added at that time and are actually drawn on the original negatives. The Farragut class destroyers USS Worden (DD-352) and USS Dewey (DD-349) in the background, on the opposite side of the pier, across for Worden, are both in Measure 21, navy blue (5-N). The stern of the heavy cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29)** is visible just forward of USS Worden. Across the river at Mare Island Naval Station, in the ferry slip, is either the harbor ferry Delta King (YFB-55) or Delta Queen (YFB-56). US Navy photo	Pieter Bakels and Steve Whitby
949k	Forward plan view of *USS Cimarron* (AO-22) at Mare Island Navy Yard, 26 November 1942. The stern of the heavy cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29) is visible inboard of the barge YC-247** on the adjacent pier. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 7256-43. 30 November 1942	Pieter Bakels
948k	Aft plan view of *USS Cimarron* (AO-22) at Mare Island Navy Yard, 26 November 1942. The destroyer USS Worden (DD-352)** is moored at the adjacent pier. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 7256-43. 30 November 1942	Pieter Bakels
105k	Broadside view of *USS Cimarron* (AO-22) off Mare Island, 28 November 1942. Cimarron** was at Mare Island for repairs from 3 to 28 November 1942. Her camouflage is measure 12(modified). .	Darryl Baker
94k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Edward H. Cleary
99k	*Details of USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** camouflage Measure 32-13T. Measure 32 (medium) was used considerably more on Fleet warships and auxiliaries than the dark or light systems. Black and all the blue-grays were used in these FALSE PERSPECTIVE designs. The below photograph of Cimarron (AO-22) is a typical application of Measure 32. It is easy to see how the use of darker or lighter colors could change this design to Measure 31 or 33, or vice versa. Patterns of deck blue and ocean gray were almost always carried on the decks. Two color vertical designs used dull black and light gray. Three color designs used dull black, ocean and light gray.	Pieter Bakels
35k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22), comes alongside USS Enterprise (CV-6)** to begin a refueling of the carrier while underway in the Pacific Ocean. 28 January 1944. US National Archives photo.	Pieter Bakels
545k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22), painted camouflage Measure 32-13T, connects fuel lines to USS Enterprise (CV-6)** while underway in the Pacific Ocean as the Enterprise's Gasoline Officer directs the operation from above, 28 January 1944. US National Archives photo.	Pieter Bakels
33k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) steams a steady course as USS Yorktown (CV-10)** comes alongside to refuel and resupply the carrier while underway in the Pacific Ocean, 4 March 1945. US National Archives photo.	Pieter Bakels
3722k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) steams alongside USS Yorktown (CV-10)** to refuel and resupply the carrier while underway in the Pacific Ocean, 4 March 1945. US National Archives photo.	Pieter Bakels
75k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) steams alongside USS Yorktown (CV-10)** to refuel and resupply the carrier while underway in the Pacific Ocean, 4 March 1945. US National Archives photo.	Pieter Bakels
79k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) steams alongside USS Yorktown (CV-10)** to refuel and resupply the carrier while underway in the Pacific Ocean, 4 March 1945. US National Archives photo.	Pieter Bakels
68k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) steams alongside USS Yorktown (CV-10)** to refuel and resupply the carrier while underway in the Pacific Ocean, 4 March 1945. US National Archives photo.	Pieter Bakels
12k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) at sea while refueling USS Hornet (CV-12)**, circa April 1945. Her camouflage is measure 32 design 13T.	Steve Whitby
74k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)*, photographed circa 1945-46. US Navy photo # NH 73254*, courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1970, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
138k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) refuels USS Iowa (BB-61)** in rough weather, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" Magazine, May 1947.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
65k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** underway, circa 1950s, location unknown. US Navy photo	Edward H. Cleary
82k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** underway, 4 May 1955, location unknown. US Navy photo	Edward H. Cleary
52k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** underway, 4 August 1958, location unknown. US Navy photo	Edward H. Cleary
80k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** underway, June 1959, location unknown. US Navy photo	Edward H. Cleary
77k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22)** underway, March 1965, location unknown. US Navy photo	Edward H. Cleary
117k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22), underway at sea, 16 November 1965. Photographed by PH3 G.S. Brown, of USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63)*. US Navy photo # NH 97824*, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
149k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22), with USS Hornet (CVS-12), and USS Nicholas (DD-449)*, during underway replenishment activities off the coast of North Viet Nam, circa 1966. US Navy photo # USN 1115952*, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
38k	*USS Cimarron* (AO-22) and USS Cacapon (AO-52)** moored pierside, Pier 9 Naval Station Long Beach, CA., 1965.	Photo by Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.