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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Patch at left from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, patch at right contributed by Mike Smolinski

AO-27 Kaskaskia

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Tango - Bravo

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 - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal (7)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba, 3-Dominican Republic) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Cimarron Class Fleet Oiler

Laid down, 16 January 1939, as SS Esso Richmond, a Maritime Commission type, (T3-S2-A1) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 11) at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.

Launched, 29 September 1939

Acquired by the Navy, 22 October 1940

Commissioned USS Kaskaskia (AO-27), 29 October 1940. CDR. U.S. Gregory in command

During WWII Kaskaskia was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Gilbert Islands operation, November-December 1943	Western Caroline Islands operation, September 1944
Marshall Islands operation, January-February 1944	Leyte operation, November 1944
Asiatic-Pacific Raids-1944 , February-March 1944	Leyte operation, November 1944
Marianas operation, June 1944	3rd Fleet operations against Japan, July 1945
Tinian operation, July 1944	.

During the Korean War Kaskaskia participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
North Korean Aggression 19 October to 2 November 1950	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 1 to 3 May 1952 5 to 6 July 1952
Communist China Aggression 3 November to 24 December 1950	Third Korean Winter 1 to 13 January 1953 28 January to 6 February 1953 17 to 25 February 1953 14 to 22 March 1953 4 to 13 April 1953
First UN Counter Offensive 10 to 14 March 1951 24 to 30 March 1951	Korean Summer-Fall 1953 6 to 12 June 1953 20 to 26 June 1953
Second Korean Winter 23 January to 7 February 1952 14 to 26 February 1952 7 to 27 March 1952 31 March to 15 April 1952 19 to 30 April 1952	.

Decommissioned, 8 April 1955

Recommissioned, for service with the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 8 January 1957

Decommissioned, 21 October 1957

Transferred to the Maritime Administration, 2 December 1957, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX.

Struck from the Naval Register, 2 January 1959

Withdrawn for the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX. for reactivation, 10 August 1961

Reacquired and reinstated on the Naval Register, 8 September1961

Recommissioned, 6 December 1961, at Hoboken, N.J., CAPT. John D. Howell USN, in command

Decommissioned in December 1969

Laid up in the Reserve Fleet

Struck from the Naval Register (date unknown)

Transferred to the Maritime Administration at Philadelphia, PA, for disposal, 17 April 1970

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 3 August 1970, Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp. Taiwan

Kaskaskia received nine battle stars for World War II and seven battle stars for Korean 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 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
45k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), date and location unknown.	.
30k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), date and location unknown.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
122k	Kaskaskia (AO-27) refueling Washington (BB-56) off Okinawa, date unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, November 1945 issue.	Capt Jerry Mason USN
33k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), date and location unknown. US Navy photo	.
158k	Kaskaskia (AO-27) takes green water over her deck, while refueling Enterprise (CV-6) in the Solomon Islands area, 18 August 1942. Note refueling hose in the right center, ready to be sent over to the carrier. US National Archives photo # 80-G-14166, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
136k	Kaskaskia (AO-27) refueling Baltimore (CA-68), date unknown.	Auke Visser´s ESSO Tanker web site
37k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), refueling an unidentified escort carrier (CVE). The photo was taken from Hemminger (DE-746). The escort carrier is most likely Corregidor (CVE-58). *Hemminger* and *Corregidor* were two of the ships involved in the unsuccessful search for LT. Gen Millard F. Harmon, USAAF, whose plane disappeared between Kwajalein and Hawaii on February 26, 1945. *Kaskaskia* was also in the area at the time and arrived at Kwajalein on March 11, 1945.	Robert E. Taylor
51k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), refueling Hemminger (DE-746), date and location unknown. *Kaskaskia's camouflage scheme is measure 32 design 4AO. Photo taken from Hemminger* (DE-746)	Robert E. Taylor
43k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), refueling Hemminger (DE-746), date and location unknown. *Kaskaskia's camouflage scheme is measure 32 design 4AO. Photo taken from Hemminger* (DE-746)	Robert E. Taylor
45k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), refueling Hemminger (DE-746), date and location unknown. *Kaskaskia's camouflage scheme is measure 32 design 4AO. Photo taken from Hemminger* (DE-746)	Robert E. Taylor
81k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), refueling Hart (DD-594), 16 December 1944. Photographed from a blimp of squadron *ZP-31. This was one of a series of experimental refuelings conducted by these two ships during 12-23 December 1944 to develop improved fueling at sea techniques. US National Archives photo # 80-G-293946*, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
120k	Kaskaskia (AO-27), and Hart (DD-594), separate, after refueling at sea, 23 December 1944. Photographed from a blimp of squadron *ZP-31. This was one of a series of experimental refuelings conducted by these two ships during 12-23 December 1944 to develop improved fueling at sea techniques. Hart's camouflage is Measure 31 Design 16d. US National Archives photo # 80-G-294653*, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
116k	Kaskaskia (AO-27) and Hart (DD-594), refueling at sea, 23 December 1944. Photographed from a blimp of squadron *ZP-31. This was one of a series of experimental refuelings conducted by these two ships during 12-23 December 1944 to develop improved fueling at sea techniques. Hart's camouflage is Measure 31 Design 16d. US National Archives photo # 80-G-294654*, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
84k	Kaskaskia (AO-27) underway in San Francisco Bay, 8 July 1957. Photo ©Allied Photographers of San Francisco.	Robert M. Cieri