Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN Ret. - Popular Patch

USS Winooski (AO-38)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Lima - Oscar
NILO
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2) - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Kennebec Class Fleet Oiler:
  • Laid down, 23 April 1941, as SS Calusa, a Maritime Commission type (T2) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 144), at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Sparrows Point, MD.
  • Launched, 12 November 1941
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 5 January 1942
  • Commissioned USS Winooski (AO-38), 27 January 1942, at Baltimore, MD., CDR. Walter C. Ansel in command
  • During World War II Winooski was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and later to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater participating in the following campaigns:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    North African operation
    Algeria-Morocco landings, 8 to 11 November 1942     		Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 15 January 1945
    Invasion of southern France, 15 August to 25 September 1944 Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines
    Mindanao Island landings, 17 to 23 April and 3 to 4 May 1945

  • Following World War II USS Winooski was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 15 to 25 January 1946
  • Decommissioned, 30 April 1946, at Norfolk, VA.
  • Winooski earned four battle stars during World War II
  • Transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal, 1 August 1946, name reverted to SS Calusa
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 8 October 1946
  • Commercial History
    Sold, 3 March 1947, to Sinclair Refining Co., renamed SS Samuel L Fuller
    Sold, 13 December 1963, to International Shipping & Trading Corp., renamed SS Seanymph
    Sold, 19 October 1964, for $1, 598,949.00, re-flagged Liberian
    Renamed SS Meracoulosa in December 1965
  • Final Disposition, scrapped, at Kaohsiung in September 1966
    Specifications:
    Displacement 6,013 t.(lt) 21,580 t.(fl)
    Length 501' 5"
    Beam 68'
    Draft 30' 9"
    Speed 16.7 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 19
    Enlisted 220
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Largest Boom Capacity 5 t.
    Cargo Capacity 14,750 DWT
    Oil 109,600 Bbls
    Gasoline 689,000 Gals
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 109,600 Bbls
    Gasoline 689,000 Gals
    Propulsion
    one Westinghouse geared turbine
    two Foster Wheeler "P" type boilers, 420psi 725°
    double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears
    Ship's Service Generators
     one turbo-drive 50Kw 240V D.C.
     two turbo-drive 300Kw 240V A.C.
    single propeller, 12,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Winooski
    091903808    		 194k center>Namesake Winooski - The Winooski River (formerly the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately 90 miles long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from Lake Champlain through the Green Mountains towards (although not connecting in drainage to) the Connecticut River valley.
    Photo of falls on the Winooski River between the cities of Winooski (foreground) and Burlington (far shore), August 2019. © Ken Gallager     		Tommy Trampp
    Winooski 227k USS Winooski (AO-38) under repair at Casablanca, Morocco, 18 November 1942. She was torpedoed off Fedala 11 November 1942 by U-173. Torpedo hole is visible below mast.
    US National Archives, Photo No. 80-G-31204, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Green
    Winooski 154k USS Winooski (AO-38) at anchor, probably during the summer or fall of 1942, location unknown. Her camouflage scheme is measure 22.
    National Archives, College Park, Record Group 313, US Navy CINCPAC Confidential Files 1943-45 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Tracy White
    Winooski
    091903809    		 156k USS Winooski (AO-38) underway, 25 April 1943, with four PT boats on her fore and aft decks.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-64273, a US Navy photo by an airship from LTA Squadron (ZP-14) from NAS South Weymouth, MA., now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Rick Davis
    Winooski 25k USS Winooski (AO-38) under way, 15 October 1943, location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Winooski 63k USS Winooski (AO-38) at Manila, P.I. in 1945. Note her camouflage scheme has been changed to measure 32 design 6AO.
    Photo by Fred Arouz and Thomas McKnight.    		 Thomas McKnight GM3/c USS Winooski
    Winooski
    091903810    		 63k USS Winooski (AO-38) probably in Manila Bay, P.I. with USS Cofer (APD-62) alongside in 1945.
    Photograph by Y2c Dan Murphy (danbmurphy.com)    		 Daniel Pratt for his grandfather Dan Murphy
    Winooski 149k USS Winooski (AO-38) underway, circa in 1945.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 80018, courtesy of Mr. James Russell, Philadelphia, PA.    		 Robert Hurst
    Winooski
    091903807    		 277k USS Winooski (AO-38) refueling USS Patterson (DD-392) in TG77.2 during the Lingayen Operation on either 12 January 1945.
    (See War Diaries, Jan. 45 Patterson pg.8, Winooski pg.6
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-301251, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 John Chiquione
    Winooski 360k Aerial port quarter view of USS Winooski (AO-38) under way, date and location unknown
    US Navy photo #80-G-200299    		 Robert M. Cieri
    USS Winooski (AO-38)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Ansel, Walter Charles, USN (USNA 1919)27 January 1942 - 21 July 1942
    02LCDR. Barrett, John Paul Barker, USN (USNA 1923) :RADM21 July 1942 - 21 July 1942
    03CDR. Murphy, John Edward, USN (USNA 1922)21 July 1942 - 3 April 1943
    04CDR. Barrett, John Paul Barker, USN (USNA 1923) :RADM3 April 1943 - 21 March 1944
    05LCDR. Christenson, Thomas B., USNR21 March 1944 - 30 April 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 Data Base
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Fleet Oiler (AO) 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 30 June 2023