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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Chara (AE-31)
ex
USS Chara (AKA-58) (1944 - 1966)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Hotel - Lima
NHHL
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Abigail (1950-53)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (8 Jan 45)
Second Row - Navy Unit Commendation - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Fourth Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (7) - Vietnam Service Medal (8)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Andromeda Class Amphibious Cargo Ship

Laid down, date unknown, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 210) at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.

Launched, 15 March 1944

Commissioned USS Chara (AKA-58), 14 June 1944, CDR. C. B. Hamblett, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Chara (AKA-58) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
TransRon Fourteen, COMO. D.L. Ryan USN (16)
TransDiv Forty and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 20 October and 18 November 1944	Manila Bay-Bicol operations Zambales - San Antonio, 26 January 1945
Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 and 10 January 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and capture of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 6 April 1945

Following World War II USS Chara was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 4 October to 25 November 1945

Assigned to the Naval Transportation Service (NTS) in 1946

Absorbed into the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) 1 October 1949

During the Korean War USS Chara (AKA-58) was reassigned to the Service Force Pacific and participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
North Korean Aggression 1 to 10 August 1950	Second Korean Winter 28 November to 3 December 1951 16 to 29 December 1951 9 to 23 January 1952 10 to 20 February 1952 26 February to 1 March 1952 13 to 25 March 1952 1 to 7 and 19 to 28 April 1952
Communist China Aggression 14 November 1950 to 24 January 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 23 August to 5 September 1952 12 to 15 September 1952 26 September to 11 October 1952 27 October to 30 November 1952
First UN Counter Offensive 4 February to 2 March 1951	Third Korean Winter 1 to 23 December 1952 12 to 26 January 1953 6 to 12 and 22 to 27 February 1953 10 to 23 March 1953 5 to 13 April 1953
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 23 August to 2 September 1951 6 to 26 September 1951 19 October to 7 November 1951 20 to 27 November 1951

Following the Korean War USS Chara was assigned to China service from 30 to 31 January 1955 and 12 to 13 February 1955

Decommissioned, 21 April 1959

Recommissioned, 25 June 1966 as USS Chara (AE-31), CAPT. Newton P. Foss in command

During the Vietnam War USS Chara (AE-31) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 22 November to 13 December 1966 25 December 1966 to 18 January 1967 29 January to 15 February 1967 28 February to 6 March 1967	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 9 to 27 February 1970 8 to 25 March 1970 1 and 9 to 25 April 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 24 October to 11 November 1967 23 November to 15 December 1967 6 to 18 January 1968	Sanctuary Counteroffensive 1 to 18 May 1970 2 May to 6 June 1970 29 to 30 June 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 6 to 16 November 1968 26 November to 1 December 1968 1 to 13 and 17 to 23 January 1969	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII 1 to 12 July 1970 8 to 18 May 1971 26 May to 14 June 1971 23 to 30 June 1971
Tet/69 Counteroffensive 23 February to 3 March 1969 17 to 23 March 1969 1 to 18 April 1969	Consolidation I 1 to 5 and 12 to 23 July 1971 27 July to 7 August 1971 15 to 26 August 1971 16 September to 14 October 1971 24 October to 6 November 1971

Decommissioned, March 1972

Struck from the Naval Register, 10 March 1972

Returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for disposal

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 12 November 1972, to Zidell Explorations, Portland, OR.

USS Chara as AKA-58 earned four battle stars for World War II service, seven battle stars for Korean War service and as AE-31 earned eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service

AKA Specifications
Displacement 6,556 t.(lt) 13,900 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 26' 4"
Speed 16.5 kts.

Complement

Officers 37

Enlisted 343

Largest Boom Capacity30 t.

Cargo Capacity 4,450 DWT

non-refrigerated 444,000 Cu ft.

Armament

one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Boats

eight LCMs

one LCP(L)

fifteen LCVPs

Fuel Capacity NSFO 10,900 Bbls
Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

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

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

three 300Kw 120V/240V Ships' Service Generators

single propeller, 6,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS Chara (AKA-58)
	24k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58)** underway, date and location unknown.	.
	84k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Tommy Trampp
	73k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58)** underway, date and location unknown.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII web site
	58k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo now in the collections of the NARA Seattle.	Tracy White
	47k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58) during and underway replenishment with USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) and USS Hollister (DD-788)**, circa early 1950s during the Korean War. US Navy photo now in the collections of the NARA Seattle.	Tracy White
	316k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58)** at anchor during the Korean War, location unknown.	David Kusel courtesy Wilbur Karsten USS Chara
	102k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58)** at anchor, US Naval Station Sasebo, Japan, circa 1951-52.	David Kusel courtesy Wilbur Karsten USS Chara
	1388k	*USS Chara* (AKA-58)** entering drydock #3 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 23 January 1948, as she prepares for her official decommissioning on 21 April 1959. US Navy photo.	Darryl Baker
USS Chara (AE-31)
	125k	*USS Chara* (AE-31) underway in January 1967. She was reconfigured as an ammunition ship during the early part of the Korean War but was not reclassified as such until reactivated in 1965 for service in the Vietnam War. Her sister USS Virgo (AE-30)*, ex (AKA-20) had a similar post-World War II career. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # USN 1119650*	Robert Hurst

For more photos and information about USS Chara, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
AE/AOE Sailors Association
Commanding Officers

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

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 17 May 2013

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Chara (AE-31)ex USS Chara (AKA-58) (1944 - 1966)

USS Chara (AE-31)
ex
USS Chara (AKA-58) (1944 - 1966)