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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Roy Nielsen, SF3 USS Tutuila

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Tutuila (ARG-4)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Yankee - November NPYN

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation (3)
Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Fourth Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba, Dominican Republic) - Vietnam Service Medal (13)
Fifth Row - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (6) - Philippines Liberation Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Personnel Awards

Purple Hearts: (5 KIA - ICC Ernest L. Brown Jr., 23FEB68; EN3 Thomas W. Hill, 23FEB68; SFC Horris G. Robinson, 23 FEB68; LT. John L. Saunders, 23 FEB68 ; GMGC Allan F. Sullivan, 23FEB68)

USS Tutuila (ARG-4) was transferred to the Republic of China and renamed ROCS Pien Tai (ARG-516)

Luzon Class Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship:

Laid down, 11 August 1943, as SS Arthur P. Gorman, a Maritime Commission type (EC2-S-C1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1779), at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Baltimore, MD.

Launched, 12 September 1943

Acquired by the Navy, 18 September 1943

Converted to an Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship at Maryland Drydock Co, Baltimore, MD.

Commissioned USS Tutuila (ARG-4), 8 April 1944, CDR. George T. Boldizsar in command

During world War II USS Tutuila was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Following World War II USS Tutuila 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 24 January 1946	26 January to 9 April 1946

Decommissioned, 7 December 1946, at Galveston, TX.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Orange, TX.

Recommissioned, 7 May 1951, at Orange, TX., CAPT. Claude L. Weigle USN in command

During the Vietnam War USS Tutuila (ARG-4) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 17 July 1966 to 31 May 1967	Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 9 June to 31 October 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 10 June to 9 November 1967 24 November 1967 to 29 January 1968	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 1 November 1969 to 25 February 1970 3 March 30 April 1970
Tet Counteroffensive 30 January to 1 April 1968	Sanctuary Counteroffensive 1 May to 30 June 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 2 April to 30 June 1968	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII 1 to 5 July 1970 22 September 1970 to 22 March 1971 8 April to 30 June 1971
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 1 July to 1 November 1968	Consolidation I 1 July to 3 September 1971 21 September to 30 November 1971
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase Vi 2 to 22 November 1968	Consolidation II 1 December 1971 to 4 January 1972
Tet/69 Counteroffensive 10 May to 8 June 1969

Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 21 February 1972, at Kaohsiung, Taiwan

USS Tutuila earned thirteen campaign stars, three Navy Unit Commendations, and two Meritorious Unit Commendations for Vietnam War service

Transferred to the Republic of China and renamed ROCS Pien Tai (ARG-516)

Final disposition, fate unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 4,023 t.(lt) 14,350 t.(trial)
Length 441' 6"
Beam 56' 11"
Draft 23' (lim)
Speed 12.5 kts. (trial)

Complement

Officers 31

Enlisted 552

Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.

Armament

one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount

one 3"/50 gun mount

two twin 40mm AA gun mounts

twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts

Ship's Service Generators

three 350Kw 450V A.C.

two 60Kw 120V D.C.

Fuel Oil Capacity 19,540Bbls

Propulsion

one General Machine Corp. vertical triple expansion reciprocating steam engine

two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers 220psi 450°

single propeller, 2,500shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By/Source
USS Tutuila (ARG-4)
	118k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** in Chesapeake Bay off the Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, MD., 14 April 1944, one day after completing conversion to an Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship. US National Archives photo # 19-N-66053, RG-19 LCM, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Robert Hurst
19-N-66536, RG-19 LCM	97k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** underway near Norfolk Navy Yard, 18 May 1944. US National Archives photos # 19-N-66536 and 19-N-66537, RG-19 LCM. US Navy Bureau of Ships photos now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Robert Hurst
19-N-66537, RG-19 LCM	118k		Robert Hurst
	79k	Broadside view of *USS Tutuila* (ARG-4) off Norfolk, Navy Yard, 18 May 1944. Note Tutuila** is painted Camouflage Measure 31, Design 6AX. Navy Yard Norfolk photo # 7628(44) May 18,1944.	Russ Padden
	40k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** with; USS LCI(R)-705 USS LCI(M)-802 USS LCI(M)-803 USS LCI(R)-647 *LCT-1213* and an unidentified vessel alongside, date and location unknown.	Russ Padden
	78k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)**, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	.
	44k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)**, date and location unknown.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
	121k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** moored at St Helena Annex, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA., late 1953. SS United States was making her way down river on the South Branch of the Elizabeth River.	Gerald J Reiser ET2 USS Tutuila
	95k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** under way in Hampton Roads off Norfolk, VA. with the assistance of tugs, 3 September 1953	Gerald J Reiser ET2 USS Tutuila
	82k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4) at anchor with (from outboard to inboard); USS Cardinal (MSC(O)-4)** USS Lapwing (MSC(O)-48) USS Hawk (MSC(O)-17) USS Fulmer (MSC(O)-47) USS Peregrine (MSF-373) circa 1956-57, probably at Charleston, S.C. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, August 1959.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	82k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** Christmas Card, 1960.	Randy Pilak USS Tutuila 1960-61.
	96k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** moored at Port Everglades, October 1960.	Randy Pilak USS Tutuila 1960-61.
	321k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** underway, circa 1962 or earlier, location unknown.	Randy Pilak USS Tutuila 1960-61 and Bob Maloney IM2(P1) USS Tutuila 1959-62
09290442	119k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4) with; USS Notable (MSO-460), USS Salute (MSO-470) and USS Observer (MSO-461** alongside while moored to a buoy off Naval Station Charleston, S.C., in 1964. U.S. Navy photo	Nicholas Tiberio
	65k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)**, off Hawaii, circa 1965 US Navy photo	John T. Kulp USS Tutuila 1965-66
	174k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)**, off Hawaii, circa 1965. US Navy photo	John Chiquoine dd573@aol.com
	631k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4) with APL-21** alongside while tending PCFs circa 1969-1972 probably at An Thoi, South Vietnam, where she supported the continuation of "Market Time," as well as "Seafloat" and "Sealord" operations.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	106k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)**, anchored off Nha Be, South Vietnam in 1971	© Richard Leonhardt
09290441	318k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)**, anchored off Nha Be, South Vietnam, circa 1971	Dave Way Historian / Artifact Collections Pacific Battleship Center National Museum of the Surface Navy at the Battleship IOWA
	78k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)**, anchored off Nha Be, South Vietnam in 1971	© Richard Leonhardt
	92k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** anchored off Nha Be, South Vietnam in 1971	© Richard Leonhardt
	51k	*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4)** underway, date and location unknown. Photo courtesy Mobile Riverine Force Association (MRFA)	Robert Hurst
ROCS Pien Tai (ARG-516)
	44k	Ex-*USS Tutuila* (ARG-4) in the Republic of China service as ROCS Pien Tai (ARG-516)** moored pierside, date and place unknown.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.

Additional Tutuila Ship's Patches
Contributed by Mike Smolinski	Contributed by Roy Nielsen, SF3 USS Tutuila	Contributed by Mike Smolinski	Contributed by Tommy Trampp SK3 USS Taluga

USS Tutuila (ARG-4)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
Tutuila (ARG-4) Vietnam History

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Boldizsar, George Thomas USN (USNA 1922)	08 April 1944 - 18 January 1945
02	CDR. Rigley, Arthur Robert USNR	18 January 1945 - 15 February 1946
03	CAPT. Brod, Robert Sanford, USNR	15 February 1946 - 9 July 1946
04	CDR. Mayfield, Henry, USNR	9 July 1946 - 17 October 1946
05	LCDR. Alexander, James Silas, USN	17 October 1946 - 7 December 1946
	Decommissioned	7 December 1946 to 7 May 1951
06	CAPT. Weigle, Claude Lee, USN (USNA 1927)	7 May 1951 - March 1953
07	CAPT. Joyner Jr., Algernon Sidney, USN (USNA 1926)	March 1953 - November 1954
08	CDR. Overton, William Arthur, USN (USNA 1933)	November 1954 - August 1955
09	CDR. Crawford Jr., Joseph Wesley, USN	August 1955 - 18 February 1957
10	CDR. Emmons, James William, USN (USNA 1942)	18 February 1957 - 14 June 1958
11	CDR. DuBrule, Jean Paul, USN	14 June 1958 - 3 March 1960
12	CDR. Brown, William Stewart, USN (USNA 1942)	3 March 1960 - 12 June 1961
13	CDR. Peterson, Frank Joseph, USNR	12 June 1961 - 20 December 1962
14	CDR. Bolton, Jordan Tesch, USN (USNA 1946)	20 December 1962 - 5 January 1964
15	CDR. Deibler, Robert Russell, USN (USNA 1946)	1 January 1964 - 17 September 1964
16	CDR. Byington, Ward Gregory, USN (USNA 1947)	17 September 1964 - 15 October 1966
17	CDR. Treadwell Jr., Lawrence Penfield, USN (USNA 1951)	15 October 1966 - 7 December 1967
18	CDR. Castle, Ernest Carl, USN (USNA 1948B)	7 December 1967 - 18 November 1968
19	CDR. Bauerlein, Leo Peter, USN	18 November 1968 - 8 November 1969
20	CDR/CAPT. Feagin, Frederick King, USN (USNA 1950)	8 November 1969 - 10 November 1970
21	CDR. Frick, Walter Benjamin USN, (USNA 1954)	10 November 1970 - 29 October 1971
22	CDR. Todd, James Forrest, USN (USNA 1955)	28 October 1971 - 21 February 1972


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Miscellaneous Exterior Photos of USS Tutuila by Randy Pilak USS Tutuila (ARG) 1960-61
1964 Welcome Aboard pamphlet
1968 Command History report
1969 Command History report
1970 Command History report
Mobile Riverine Force Association
Brownwater Navy

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Last Updated 16 February 2024