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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Chicopee (AO-34)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Delta - Mike NIDM

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)

Chicopee Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, 14 May 1941 as SS Esso Trenton for Standard Oil of New Jersey at Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA.

Launched, 6 September 1941

Acquired by the US Navy, 3 January 1942

Commissioned USS Chicopee (AO-34), 9 February 1942, CDR. Graeme Bannerman in command

During World War II USS Chicopee was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and later to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Luzon operation Formosa attacks, 3 to 4, 15 and 21 January 1945 Luzon attacks, 6 to 7 January 1945 China Coast attacks, 16 January 1945 Nansei Shoto attack, 22 January 1945	Okinawa Gunto operation 5th and 3d Fleet raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operation, 16 March to 21 June 1945 Attack and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to 30 June 1945
Iwo Jima operation Attack and occupation of Iwo Jima, 16 February to 2 March 1945	3d Fleet operations against Japan, 31 July to 15 August 1945

Following World War II USS Chicopee was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 September to 29 October 1945

Decommissioned 14 February 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 26 February 1946

Chicopee earned four battle stars for World War II service

Transferred to the Maritime Commission for return to her owners, Standard Oil of New Jersey, 1 July 1946

Merchant Service

1946 - Reverted to SS ESSO Trenton

1947 - Renamed SS ESSO Chattanooga

1963 - Bought by Sea-Land for conversion to a container ship, using the fore and aft ends of SS ESSO Chattanooga coupled to a new midship body built by Blohm & Voss and fitted at Bethlehem Steel, Baltimore, emerging as SS San Francisco (16401grt, 607ft x 78ft).

1978 - Bow and stern replaced by Mitsubishi, Kobe retaining the 1963 mid-body.

1978 - Renamed SS Sea-Land Adventurer (17618grt)

1989 - Renamed SS Sea Adventure

1999 - Renamed SS Maersk Constanza

2000 - Renamed SS Sea Adventure

2002 - Renamed SS Maersk Koper

Current Disposition, active in merchant service

Specifications:
Displacement 5,375 t.(lt) 22,325 t.(fl)
Length 520'
Beam 68'
Draft 30' 9"
Speed 18 kts.

Complement

Officers27

Enlisted 252

Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.

Cargo Capacity 15,800 DWT

Oil 115,700 Bbls

Gasoline 667,000 Gals

Armament

one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

four twin 20mm AA gun mounts

Cargo Capacity 131,600 barrels

Fuel Capacity

NSFO 9,900 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric geared turbine

two Babcock & Wilcox "D"-type boilers, 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main reduction gears
Ship's Service Generators
two turbo-drive 400Kw 240V D.C.
one turbo-drive 50Kw 240V D.C.

single propeller 9,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
USS Chicopee (AO-34)
091903417	182k	*Namesake* Chicopee - The Chicopee River is an 18.0-mile-long tributary of the Connecticut River in Metropolitan Springfield, MA.	Tommy Trampp
	117k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** near Norfolk Navy Yard, 16 August 1942. Markings indicate alterations made in the latest overhaul. US National Archives, RG-19-LCM. Photo # 19-N-32722, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
091903418 3521(42)	241k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** off Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA., 16 August 1942. Markings indicate alterations made in the latest overhaul. Norfolk Navy Yard photo serial 3521(42), Norfolk Navy Yard photo serial 3520(42) and Norfolk Navy Yard photo serial 3524(42)	Robert Hurst
091903419 3520(42)	291k
091903420 3524(42)	269k
0545110	70k	*USS Chevalier* (DD-451) is refueled by USS Chicopee (AO-34) in convoy Convoy GUF2** returning from Casablanca between 29 November and 11 December 1942 to Hampton Roads. The two midship 20mm, two vertical floats under the bridge platform, and 36 inch lights on the aft funnel are uniquely configured to Chevalier for Chicopee's convoy. Best estimate of the actual date is 3 December 1942.	John Chiquoine
091903401	50k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34) refueling USS Mayo (DD-422) (Benson class, from original group of six, has a single quad 1.1-in mount on the aft deckhouse where the former 53 mount was located) in Convoy GUF2** returning from Casablanca between 29 November and 11 December 1942 to Hampton Roads. Best estimate of the actual date is 3 December 1942.	Rick DAvis

Group of ten U.S. National Archives Record Group 80 photos (U.S. Navy photos now in the collection of the US National archives) of *USS Chicopee* (AO-34) refueling the heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37)** mid-Atlantic, 5 March 1943, contributed by Rick Davis.
091903421 NA 80-G-50134	091903422 NA 80-G-50135	091903423 NA 80-G-50137	091903424 NA 80-G-50138	091903425 NA 80-G-50139
091903426 NA 80-G-50141	091903427 NA 80-G-50142	091903428 NA 80-G-50143	091903429 NA 80-G-50164	091903430 NA 80-G-50165

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
	146k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34) coming alongside USS Ranger (CV-4) during February 1943. Ranger** was enroute to North Africa to deliver US Army fighters. US National Archives Photo # 80-G-52828, a US Navy now in the collection of the US National Archives at College Park.	Tracy White
	54k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** at Bizerte, Tunisia, 14 May 1944.	Stanley C. Svec
	132k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** at Oran, Algeria, 24 May 1944.	Stanley C. Svec
	164k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34) conducts a replenishment at sea with USS Wasp (CV-18)*, circa sometime in late 1944-early 1945. Courtesy US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum. Photo No. 1977.031.074.098*, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
	583k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34) refueling USS Intrepid (CV-11) to port while simultaneously refueling USS Norman Scott (DD-690)** to starboard, Pacific Ocean, 10 April 1945	Pieter Bakels
	125k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** serving with Service Squadron Six in the Okinawa area in May 1945. US National Archives, RG-80-G. Photo # 80-G-350838, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
	63k	*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** under way, date and location unknown.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
Merchant Service Standard Oil of New Jersey Sea-Land Services Inc. / Maersk Lines
	39k	Ex-*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** under way as the Standard Oil of New Jersey tanker SS ESSO Chattanooga, date and location unknown. Photos courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst
	18k
	42k
	167k	Ex-*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** under way as the Sea-Land Service Inc. containership SS San Francisco approaching her berth, date and location unknown. Originally copyrighted by Alex Duncan	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	225k	SS San Francisco under way in the Malacca Strait, early 1970s. Photo copyright Airfoto Malacca.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	43k	Ex-*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** under way as the Sea-Land Service Inc. containership SS Sea-Land Adventurer, date and location unknown. Photo courtesy Auke Vissar's Famous T-Tanker Pages	Robert Hurst
	78k	Ex-*USS Chicopee* (AO-34)** under way as SS Maersk Koper at Heraklion, Greece on 20 March 2006.	David Nixon

Chicopee (AO-34)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Bannerman, Graeme	9 February 1942 - 12 August 1943
02	CDR. Brandt, Buell Fromern	12 August 1943 - 18 December 1943
04	LCDR. Peak, Charles Oscar	18 December 1943 - 6 August 1945
04	LCDR. Lehland, Trygve Mason	August 1945 - 14 February 1946


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Fleet Tankers Association
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Database

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 22 April 2022