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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Cepheus (AKA-18)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Xray - Papa - Golf
NXPG

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 - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1)
Third Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

USS Cepheus (AKA-18) was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II

Andromeda Class Attack Cargo Ship:

Laid down, date unknown, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 207) at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.

Allocated to the US Navy as AK-67

Launched, 23 October 1943

Acquired by the US Navy, 15 December 1943

Commissioned USS Cepheus (AKA-18), 16 December 1943, CAPT. Robert B. Hall, USCG, in command

During WWII USS Cepheus was assigned first to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and later to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Invasion of southern France Saint Raphael, 15 to 25 August 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 15 April 1945

When assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater USS Cepheus (AKA-18) came under the command of:
TransRon Eighteen, COMO J. G. Moyer USN (14);
TransDiv Fifty-Two

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

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
22 to 30 September 1945	26 December 1945 to 22 January 1946
19 to 29 October 1945

Decommissioned, 22 May 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

USS Cepheus earned two battle stars for World War II service

Returned to the Maritime Commission, 12 September 1946, at the Maritime Commission National Defense Reserve Fleet, Hudson River Group, Jones Point, N.Y.

Delivered, 5 May 1947, to Maryland Drydock Co. for reconversion to merchant service

Merchant Service

Sold for merchant service to United States Lines, 8 October 1947, renamed SS American Hunter

Title returned to the Maritime Administration, 11 January 1961

Operated as a bare bottom charter by United States Lines from 11 January 1961 to 1 March 1966

Sold to Sperling Steamship and Training Corp., 1 March 1966, renamed SS Brookville

Served in the US east-coast to Pacific trade, delivering commercial and military cargo to the Far East via the Panama Canal

Final Disposition, 3 April 1968, being on a ballast voyage home from Sattahip (Thailand) to Tampa, FL, she ran aground at full speed on a reef off Honduras and was heavily damaged. Refloating not being possible, she was finally abandoned as a constructive total loss June 1968

Specifications:
Displacement 6,556 t.(lt), 14,200 t.(lt)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 26' 4"
Speed 16.5 kts.

Complement

Officers 44

Enlisted 360

Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.

Cargo Capacity 4,895 DWT

non-refrigerated 420,000 Cu. ft.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 3'?50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Boats

eight LCMs

one LCP(L)

fifteen LCVPs

Fuel Capacity NSFO 11,010

Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

two Foster Wheeler D-type boilers, 465psi 765°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

three turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

single shaft, 6,000shp

Nicholas Tiberio

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
USS Cepheus (AKA-18)
100201808	656k	Cepheus (AKA-18) under construction at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J., circa November 1943. U.S. Navy photo from MARAD
	90k	*USS Cepheus* (AKA-18)** underway, circa December 1943 in New York Harbor. U.S. Navy photo	Jim Kurrasch Battleship Iowa Pacific Battleship Center
100201805 80-G-294251	616k	*USS Cepheus* (AKA-18)** underway near Navy Yard Norfolk, VA. 9 December 1944. Her camouflage scheme is measure 32/8T. U.S. Navy photos #'s 80-G-294251, 19-N-96758 and 19-N-96759 now in the collections of the U.S. National Archives	Nicholas Tiberio
100201806 19-N-96758	468k
100201807 19-N-96759	620k
100201809	205k	*USS Cepheus* (AKA-18)** underway at Norfolk, VA., 16 December 1944. US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo # 19-N-81312, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives	Nicholas Tiberio
	76k	*USS Cepheus* (AKA-18)** conducting amphibious operations off Honolulu, T.H. in 1945.	From the photo diary of Edward R. Mueller, SC/2c USS Cepheus
	176k	*USS Cepheus* (AKA-18)** underway, probably, in San Francisco Bay, CA., circa late 1945 or early 1946. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 78551, courtesy of James Russell.	US Naval History and Heritage Command
Merchant Service United States Lines
	341k	Ex-*USS Cepheus* (AKA-18)** underway while in merchant service as the United States Lines SS American Hunter, date and location unknown. Original copyright belonged to the late British ship photo dealer Alex Duncan.	Gerhard Muller-Debus

USS Cepheus (AKA-18)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Hall, Robert B. USCG :RADM	16 December 1943 - 1944
02	CDR. Sarratt Jr., Robert Clifton USCG	16 June 1944 - 6 June 1945
03	CAPT. McKay, Donald Edward USCG :RADM	11 June 1945 - January 1946


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
MARAD Vessel History Database

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 12 May 2023