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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Tombigbee (AOG-11)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Echo - Yankee NCEY

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 (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal - Antarctic Service Medal
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (9) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (6)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

USS Tombigbee (AOG-11) transferred to Greece, renamed HRNS Ariadni (A-414)

Patapsco Class Gasoline Tanker:

Laid down, 23 October 1942, at Cargill Inc., Savage, MN.

Launched, 18 November 1943

Commissioned USS Tombigbee (AOG-11), 13 July 1944, LCDR. Andrew O. Askland, USNR, in command

During WWII USS Tombigbee was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 25 February to 9 March 1945	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to 30 June 1945

Following World War II USS Tombigbee was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
2 September 1945 to 30 March 1946	12 to 16 August 1947
24 July to 10 August 1947	17 October to 1 August 1948
20 August to 14 October 1947	13 to 25 January 1949
17 October to 1 August 1948	11 to 30 April 1949
8 to 11 January 1949	10 t o15 May 1949
27 January to 7 April 1949
4 to 7 May 1949
19 May to 13 July 1949

USS Tombigbee (AOG-11) was assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.8.1 Service Group - Repair and Service Unit for Operation Crossroads the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946

Decommissioned, 12 December 1949

Laid up in the Reserve Fleet

Recommissioned, 28 July 1950

During the Vietnam War USS Tombigbee participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 17 to 31 March 1965 7 to 21 April 1965 22 to 28 May 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI 21 November 1968 to 19 February 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 1 April to 7 June 1966	Tet69/Counteroffensive 8 March to 7 April 1969 29 April to 19 May 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 10 July to 29 August 1966 1 September 1966	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 7 to 17 February 1970 11 to 13 and 22 to 27 April 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 3 to 13 October 1967 28 to 31 December 1967 19 to 27 January 1968	Sanctuary Counteroffensive 25 May to 7 June 1970
Tet Counteroffensive 23 February to 21 March 1968	Consolidation I 16 to 26 August 1971 27 September to 13 October 1971 29 October to 8 November 1971

Decommissioned, 7 July 1972

Struck from the Naval Register, 15 April 1978

USS Tombigbee earned two battle stars for World War II service, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with nine campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal

Sold through the Security Assistance Program to Greece, 1 July 1978, renamed HRNS Ariadni (A-414)

Final Disposition, to be withdrawn from Greek naval service in 2003, fate unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 1,850 t.(lt) 4,335 t.(fl)
Length 310' 9"
Beam 48' 6"
Draft 15' 8"
Speed 14kts.

Complement

Officers 9

Enlisted 126

Largest Boom Capacity 2 t.

Armament

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts

Cargo Capacity 2,040 DWT

Oil 7,975 Bbls

Gasoline 410,500 Gals

Fuel Capacity Diesel 2,240 BBls

Propulsion

four General Motors 16-278A Diesel engines

single Fairbanks Morse Main Reduction Gears
Ship's Service Generators
two Diesel-drive 225Kw 120V/240V D.C.
one Diesel-drive 10Kw 240V D.C.

two propellers, 3,300shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS Tombigbee (AOG-11)
09201110	136k	*Namesake* Tommbigbee - The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 miles long, in the states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. Photo - White Bluff below the Civic Center in Demopolis, Alabama, 2003. Photo by Altairisfar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Map - Map showing the Tombigbee River, flowing from the State of Mississippi into Alabama, and joining the Alabama River. Other rivers include: the Tensaw River, Coosa River, Cahaba and Tallapoosa, 20 April 2007, Source based on Image:MobileAlabamaCoosa3.png, ©Kmusser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons	Tommy Trampp
	84k	*USS Tombigbee* (AOG-11)** underway, date and location unknown. She is painted camouflage scheme 32/3D.	Paul Gryniewicz Courtesy Larry Sullivan
	129k	*USS Tombigbee* (AOG-11)** underway, date and location unknown. She is painted camouflage scheme 32/3D.	Paul Gryniewicz Courtesy Larry Sullivan
	99k	*USS Tombigbee* (AOG-11)** underway while fully loaded in early 1962, location unknown.	Haskel McCauley USS Tombigbee
	131k	*USS Tombigbee* (AOG-11) offloading a cargo of JP-4 in McMurdo Sound Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze in January 1963. CAPT. McSweeny was Commanding Officer of Tombigbee** 1962 to 1964, before resigning his commission to attend law school.	Robert H. McSweeny CAPT. JAGC, USNR, Ret.
	142k	Bow view of *USS Tombigbee* (AOG-11)*, 8 June 1967, while operating off the coast of Oahu, HI. Fleet Air Photo Lab. NAS Barbers Point, HI. photo # USN-VC-1-33378-6-67* by PH2 A. C. Unger.	Robert M. Cieri
	87k	*USS Tombigbee* (AOG-11)** departing Pearl Harbor, HI, October 1968	©Richard Leonhardt
HRNS Ariadni (A-414)
	31k	Ex-*USS Tombigbee* (AOG-11) in Hellenic naval service as HRNS Ariadni (A-414)** in an Unrep with ex-Semmes (DDG-18) HRNS Kimon of the Greek Navy, August 2001. Photo by Theodore L. Valmas, Correspondent, Jane's International Defense Review	Paul Gryniewicz
	41k	*HRNS Ariadni* (A-414) in an Unrep with ex-USS Semmes (DDG-18)** HRNS Kimon of the Greek Navy, August 2001. Photo by Theodore L. Valmas, Correspondent, Jane's International Defense Review	Paul Gryniewicz
	68k		Paul Gryniewicz

USS Tombigbee (AOG-11)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Askland, Andrew Otto USNR	13 July 1944 - 1 December 1945
02	LT. Martin-Vegue, George B., USNR	13 December 1945 - 5 March 1946
0	LT. Claypool, Donald M., USNR	5 March 1946 - June 1946
04	LT. Davidson, John Renwick, USN	June 1946 -1948
05	LT. Enzweiler, Joseph Matthew, USN	1948 - 18 June 1949
06	LT. Hummel, William Earl, USN	18 June 1949 - 12 December 1949
	Decommissioned	12 December 1949 - 28 July 1950
07	LT. Scoville, Charles Arthur, USN	28 July 1950 - 5 July 1952
08	LT. Malone, Clifton, USN	5 July 1952 - 2 May 1953
09	LCDR. Chisholm, Colin Ronald, USN	2 May 1953 - 17 June 1955
10	LT. Jordan, John Allen, USN	17 June 1955 - 10 October 1957
11	LT. Leidholdt, Edwin Marian, USN	10 October 1957 - 13 July 1958
12	LT. Green, John Neal, USN, USNA 1951)	13 July 1958 - 21 July 1960
13	LCDR. Dalton, Richard Velez, USN (USNA 1953)	21 July 1960 - 31 May 1962
14	LT. McSweeny, Robert Henry, USN	31 May 1962 - 24 March 1964
15	LT. Roberts, James Jacob, USN	24 March 1964 - 18 February1966
16	LT. West, Norris Ray, USN	18 February 1966 - 17 February 1968
17	LT. Mrazik, Albert, LT USN	17 February 1968 - 9 December 1969
18	LCDR. Haskins, John Bryant, USN	9 December 1969 - 1971
19	LT. Mills Jr., Archie E., USN	1971 - 7 July 1972


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
Operational History, 18 November 1943 - 30 June 1963

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 23 June 2023