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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USNS Alshain (T-AKA-55)
ex
USS Alshain (AKA-55) (1944 - 1949)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Foxtrot - Romeo
NHFR

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5) - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (3) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Andromeda Class Amphibious Cargo Ship:

Laid down, 29 October 1943, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 209), at Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp., Kearny, N.J.

Launched, 26 January 1944

Acquired by the Navy, 31 March 1944

Commissioned USS Alshain (AKA-55), 1 April 1944 at Brooklyn, N.Y., CDR. Roland E. Krause USN in command

During World War II USS Alshain was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater;
TransRon Thirteen, COMO. M. O. Carlson USN (16);
TransDiv Thirty-Eight, CAPT. P. P. Welsh USN (18) and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Marianas operation Assault and occupation of Guam, 21 July to 3 August 1944	Manila Bay-Bicol operation Zambales-Subic Bay, San Narciso-San Felipe, 29 January 1945
Leyte operation Leyte Gulf landings, 20 to 23 October 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 5 April 1945
Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945

Assigned to the Naval Transportation Service (NTS) in 1946

Transferred to the newly created Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 1 October 1949, redesignated (T-AKA-55)

During the Korean War USNS Alshain participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
North Korean Aggression 2 to 4 August 1950 11 to 31 October 1950	Inchon Landing 15 to 17 September 1950
Communist China Aggression 14 to 18 November 1950

Decommissioned, 14 January 1957, at Orange, TX.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group, Beaumont, TX.

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 July 1960

USS Alshain earned five battle stars for her World War II service and as USNS Alshain earned three battle stars for Korean War service

Returned to the Maritime Administration, date unknown, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX.

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 16 February 1978, to Consolidated Andy Inc., (PD-X-1025) for $191,999.00

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

Complement/Troop Capacity

Officers 50

Enlisted 342

Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.

Cargo Capacity 444,000 Cu. ft.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal. dual purpose gun mount

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Boats

8 LCMs

1 LCP(L)

15 LCVPs

Fuel Capacity

NSFO 10,990 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

two Foster and Wheeler D-type boilers 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gear

Ship's Service Generators, three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C.

single propeller, 6,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
100205502	131k	*USS Alshain* (AKA-55)** underway at very low speed, circa May-June 1945. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 107731	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	63k	*USS Alshain* (AKA-55)** moored pierside, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	56k	*USS Alshain* (AKA-55)** at anchor, Golfe Juan, France in 1950. US Navy photo.	Tarrel Clark USS Alshain
100205504	117k	*USS Alshain* (AKA-55)** in Chesapeake Bay for shakedown training, 1 May 1944. Her camouflage scheme is measure 32/8T. U.S. National Archive photos #'s unknown, 19-N-69915, 80-G-228656 and 80-G-181223, U.S. Navy photos now in the collections of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration	Nicholas Tiberio
100205505 19-N-69915	540k
100205506 80-G-228656	496k
100205507	779k	*USS Alshain* (AKA-55), circa 1946, anchored off southern end of San Francisco with federal housing on the hills in the background. Hunters Point Navy Yard is off to the left while Bethlehem Steel Shipyard is off to the right. YCF-84 (maybe 94) along side Alshain being loaded with Alshain**'s landing craft. U.S. Navy photo from the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum	Darryl Baker

USS Alshain (AKA-55)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Krause, Roland Ernest, USN	1 April 1944 - 16 January 1945
02	CDR. Strickland, Benjamin W., USNR	16 January 1945 - 1945
03	CDR. Giles Jr., William Jefferson USN	1945 - 27 February 1947
04	CAPT. Ricketts, Claude Vernon USN :ADM	June 1949 - July 1950
05	CAPT. Clark, Robert Nicholson Scott :RADM	July 1950 - ?
06	CAPT. Field, Jr., Benjamin Prince, USN (USNA 1931)	July 1951 - July 1952
07	CAPT. Foley, Joseph Ferrall :RADM	1953 - 1954
08	CAPT. Gurnette, Byron Lawrence, USN (USNA 1931)	1955 - ?


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Tony Soria Reunion Coordinator
2045 Avalon Drive, Merced CA. 95340
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Database

Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page

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Back To The Amphibious Cargo Ship (AKA) Photo Index

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 9 February 2024

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USNS Alshain (T-AKA-55)ex USS Alshain (AKA-55) (1944 - 1949)

USNS Alshain (T-AKA-55)
ex
USS Alshain (AKA-55) (1944 - 1949)