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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Chehalis (AOG-48)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Uniform - Tango
 NHUT
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Philippine Liberation Medal
Patapsco Class Gasoline Tanker:
  • Laid down, 23 November 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (T1-MT-M1) tanker hull, under a Maritime Commission contract, at Cargill, Inc., Savage, MN.
  • Launched, 15 April 1944
  • Commissioned USS Chehalis (AOG-48), 5 December 1944, LT. Edward G. Rifenburgh, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Chehalis was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • Lost by explosion, with the loss of 6 lives, at Tutuila, American Samoa, 7 October 1949
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 27 October 1949
  • Final Disposition, salvaged hulk sold to government of Samoa, 21 October 1955,
    Specifications:
    Displacement 1,850 t.(lt) 4,335 t.(fl)
    Length 310' 9"
    Beam 48' 6"
    Draft 15' 8"
    Speed 15.5 kts.
    Complement
    Officers - 8
    Enlisted - 116
    Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.
    Armament
    four 3"/50 dual purpose guns
    twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Cargo Capacity 2,210 DWT
    Oils - 7,975 Bbls
    Gasoline - 410,500 Gals
    Fuel Capacity Diesel - 2,240 Bbls
    Propulsion
    four 980 hp 12-278A General Motors Diesel-electric 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
    Chehalis 43k USS Chehalis (AOG-48) underway, date and location unknown. Paul Gryniewicz, AOG-56
    Chehalis 88k USS Chehalis (AOG-48) at anchor, date and location unknown. Chehalis is wearing Camouflage Measure 32 Design 3D in this circa 1944 photo.
    US Navy photo # NH 83319 courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1975, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    USS Chehalis (AOG-48)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Rifenburgh, Edward Garris, USNR5 December 1944 - 7 October 1945
    02LT. Howard, Marlin J., USNR7 October 1945 - 28 February 1946
    03LT. Bunting, Robert Louis, USNR28 February 1946 - 12 May 1946
    04LT. Tyler, Claude Leonidus, USN12 May 1946 - 16 July 1946
    05LCDR. Kupens, Harry Joseph, USN16 July 1946 - 14 October 1948
    06LT. Breezley, Jesse Wright, USN14 October 1948 - 7 October 1949
    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
    marinelink.com "NAVSEA Removes Fuel from Sunken WW II Era Ship"
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Gasoline Tanker (AOG) 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 9 December 2016