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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Kankakee (AO-39)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Yankee - Tango - Lima NYTL

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia or Europe clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal (1) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba, 1-Dominican Republic)
Fourth Row - Philippine Presidential Unit Citation - Korean Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (1)
Fifth Row - Philippine Independence Medal - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Kennebec Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, date unknown, as SS Colina, a Maritime Commission type (T2-SA) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 146), at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Sparrows Point, MD.

Launched, 24 January 1942

Acquired by the Navy, 31 March 1942

Commissioned USS Kankakee (AO-39), 4 May 1942, CAPT. W. H. Mayes in command

During World War II USS Kankakee was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Raids Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai raid, 30 March to 1 April 1944	Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 15 February to 2 March 1945
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 11 June to 10 August 1944 Battle of Philippine Sea, 19 to 20 June 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation 5th & 3d Flt raids in support of Okinawa Gunto ops, 6 March to 11 June 1945 Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to 30 June 1945
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	3d Flt operations against Japan, 7 to 15 August 1945

Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS), 26 February 1946

USS Kankakee was assigned to

China service from 29 March to 1 June 1946

Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 1 October 1949

USS Kankakee was assigned to Occupation the Far East and Europe for the following periods:

**Navy Occupation Service Medal**
Asia	Europe
2 September to 9 November 1945	28 March to 6 August 1951
29 March to 1 June 1946	4 May to 21 November 1952
10 to 23 January 1947	25 September 1953 to 30 April 1954
7 to 14 March 1947	9 November 1954 to 19 May 1955
1 to 8 May 1947
17 to 23 June 1847

Decommissioned, 30 November1955, at Philadelphia, PA.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet

Recommissioned, 20 December 1956 and assigned to MSTS, CDR. G. R. Wells in command

Decommissioned, 4 November 1957, at New York, N.Y.

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet

Reacquired and placed in reserve, 1 February 1959

Recommissioned, 29 November 1961, at New Orleans, LA., CAPT. M. O. Slater in command

Decommissioned, date unknown

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 January 1973

Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet

Final Disposition, sold by MARAD, 1 April 1976, fate unknown

USS Kankakee earned six battle stars for World War II service and one battle star for Korean War service

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 242
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 10 t.
Cargo Capacity 14,750 DWT

Oil 109,600 Bbls

Gasoline 689,000 Gals
Fuel Capacity

NSFO 9,860 Bbls
Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

two Foster Wheeler "P" type boilers, 420psi 725°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

Ship's Service Generators

two turbo-drive 300Kw 240V D.C.

one turbo-drive 50Kw 240V D.C.

single propeller, 12,000shp

Size	Image Description	Source
77k	Forward port quarter view of *USS Kankakee* (AO-39) departing Mare Island, 23 August 1942. Kankakee** was undergoing repairs at Mare Island from 14 July to 23 August 1942. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 5020-8-42, 8/23/42.	Darryl Baker
75k	Broadside view of *USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** off Mare Island, 23 August 1942. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 5022-8-42, 8/23/42.	Darryl Baker
85k	Aft port quarter view of *USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** departing Mare Island, 23 August 1942. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 5023-8-42, 8/23/42.	Darryl Baker
62k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39) during underway replenishment of USS Montpelier (CL-57)** in the Solomon Islands, 13 January 1944.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
84k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** at anchor, circa 1946, probably at San Pedro, CA.	Jim Geldert
110k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** in dry dock at East Boston, June 1962	© Richard Leonhardt
92k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** dry docked, at East Boston, June 1962	© Richard Leonhardt
83k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39) underway with USS Gainard (DD-706)** coming alongside to port for refueling.	© Richard Leonhardt
123k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39) and USS Gainard (DD-706)** after completing an underway refueling evolution, date and location unknown.	© Richard Leonhardt
80k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39) refueling USS Wasp (CVS-18)** in the North Atlantic, circa 1967-68.	Ben Brooks

USS Kankakee (AO-39)
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Mays, William Harold	4 May 1942 - ?
02	CDR. Harvey, Andrew Milton	WW II
03	CAPT. Raines, Edwin Vernon	WW II
04	LCDR. Frundt, William George	1944 - ?
06	CAPT. Adamson, Frank Marshall :RADM	March 1947 - December 1947
07	CAPT. Jones, Lafayette Jackson	December 1948 - May 1950
08	CAPT. Wells, George Robert	20 December 1956 - 4 November 1957
	Decommissioned	04 November 1957 - 29 November 1961
09	CAPT. Slater, Mervin Otis	29 November 1961 - 27 June 1963
10	CAPT. Lang, Harold Fred	April 1964 - July 1965


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 8 February 2013