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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Kankakee (AO-39)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Mike - Foxtrot NIMF
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Expert (B)ravo - Section 6A of JANAP 119(F) 1968

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. William H. Mays, USN in command

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

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
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:

Asia	Europe
Navy Occupation Service Medal
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 1947

During the Korean War USS Kankakee participated in the following campaign:

Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaign
Second Korean Winter, 10 to 16 January 1952

Decommissioned, 30 November1955, at Philadelphia, PA.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet

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

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

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 21 November 1957, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX.

Reacquired and placed in reserve, 1 February 1959

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

Decommissioned, 26 July 1968

Transferred to the Maritime Administration, 27 November 1968, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 January 1973

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

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping by MARAD, 20 April 1976 (PD-X-1004 dated 16 March 1976) for $306,500.00

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

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
091903916	98k	*Namesake* Kankakee - The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately 133 miles long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois. At one time, the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. Significantly altered from its original channel, it flows through a primarily rural farming region of reclaimed cropland, south of Lake Michigan. Photo - Kankakee River SR49 Winter by ©Chris Light Map - Illinois Department of Natural Resources	Tommy Trampp
	77k	Forward port bow 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
	85k	Broadside view of *USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** off Mare Island, 23 August 1942. US National Archives photo # 19-N-33809 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
	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
	299k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39) during underway replenishment of USS Montpelier (CL-57) in the Solomon Islands, 13 January 1944. USS Stanly (DD-478)** is beyond to starboard. The cruiser was making simultaneous floatplane launches and recoveries while refueling. US National Archives Photo # 80-G-214908, a US navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	John Chiquoine
	84k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** at anchor, circa 1946, probably at San Pedro, CA.	Jim Geldert
	147k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** with the greatly reduced armament of 2-40mm twin and 4-20mm twin mounts that the ship received circa 1951. US Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # None, Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
	235k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** waits for help from a Canadian icebreaker while on duty in Arctic waters, circa 1958. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine August 1958, p. 41.	Robert Hurst
	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
	136k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39) refueling USS Wasp (CVS-18)** in the North Atlantic, circa 1967-68.	Ben Brooks and Richard Miller BMCS USNR (Ret)
	39k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR (Ret)
	64k	*USS Kankakee* (AO-39)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR (Ret)

USS Kankakee (AO-39)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Mays, William Harold, USN (USNA 1919)	4 May 1942 - 8 October 1943
02	CDR. Harvey, Andrew Milton, USN	8 October 1943 - 10 December 1943
03	CAPT. Raines, Edwin Vernon, USN (USNA 1922)	10 December 1943 - 2 November 1944
04	LCDR. Frundt, William George, USNR	2 November 1944 - 14 October 1945
05	CAPT. Wright Jr., Henry Price, USNR	14 October 1945 - 1 November 1945
06	CDr. Henry, Thomas Henley, USN (USNA 1935)	1 November 1945 - March 1947
07	CAPT. Adamson, Frank Marshall, USN (USNA 1929) :RADM	March 1947 - December 1947
08	CAPT. Jones, Lafayette Jackson, USN (USNA 1930)	December 1948 - May 1950
09	CAPT. Wells, George Robert, USN	20 December 1956 - 4 November 1957
	Decommissioned	04 November 1957 - 29 November 1961
10	CAPT. Slater, Mervon Otis, USN (USNA 1942)	29 November 1961 - 27 June 1963
11	CAPT. Lang, Harold Fred, USN (USNA 1943)	April 1964 - July 1965
12	CAPT. Cooley Jr., Samuel Morton, USN (USNA 1945) :RADM	1966 - July 1967
13	CAPT. Richelieu, Charles Francis, USN	July 1967 - 20 May 1968
14	LCDR. Kronnagel, Julius, USN	20 May 1968 - 27 july 1968


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Data Base

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 14 May 2021