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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Chicopee (AO-34)

Flag Hoist/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 assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    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 in 1946
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission for return to her owners, Standard Oil of New Jersey, 1 July 1946
  • Commercial 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 commercial service
  • Chicopee received four battle stars for World War II 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
    Ships' service generators
    two 400Kw 240V D.C.
    one 50Kw 240V D.C
    single propeller 9.000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    USS Chicopee (AO-34)
    Chicopee 54k Chicopee (AO-34) at Bizerte, Tunisia, 14 May 1944. Stanley C. Svec
    Chicopee 132k Chicopee (AO-34) at Oran, Algeria, 24 May 1944. Stanley C. Svec
    Chicopee 119k Chicopee (AO-34) underway in the Mediterranean Sea enroute to Casablanca, Morocco, 2 June 1944. Stanley C. Svec
    Chicopee 57k Chicopee (AO-34) during underway refueling of a destroyer, date and location unknown. Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
    Chicopee 583k Chicopee (AO-34) refueling Intrepid (CV-11) to port while simultaneously refueling Norman Scott (DD-690) to starboard, Pacific Ocean, 10 April 1945 Pieter Bakels
    Commercial Service
    Chicopee 78k Ex-Chicopee (AO-34) underway as SS Maersk Koper at Heraklion, Greece on 20 March 2006. David Nixon
    Chicopee (AO-34)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Bannerman, Graeme9 February 1942 - ?
    02CDR. Brandt, Buell FromernWWII
    03LCDR. Lehland, T. MWWII
    04LCDR. Peak, Charles Oscar1945 - 1945
    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
    U.S. Navy Oilers
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Fleet Oiler (AO) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 25 May 2012