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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Starr (AKA-67)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Golf - Oscar
 NHGO
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (9 April 1945, Okinawa) - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Personnel Awards

Purple Hearts (4-WIA, 9 April 1945 Okinawa, Fletcher, R.F. S1/c, Frazier, E.V. Cox, Moore, W.E. MoMM3/c, Norwicki, J.J. MoMM3/c)
Tolland Class Attack Cargo Ship:
  • Laid down, 13 June 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1392), at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. Wilmington, N.C.
  • Launched, 18 August 1944
  • Commissioned USS Starr (AKA-67), 21 October 1944, at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C., CDR. Frederick 0. Goldsmith in command
  • During WWII USS Starr was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Seventeen, COMO. T.B. Brittan USN (20);
    TransDiv Fifty, CAPT. R.W. Abbot USN (20) and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 5 March 1945     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 10 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS Starr 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 27 September 19453 to 18 December 1945
    20 to 29 October 1945 
    19 to 25 December 1945 

  • Decommissioned, 31 May 1946, at Norfolk VA.
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 1 June 1946, National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946
  • USS Starr earned two battle stars for World War II service
  • Merchant Service
    Dealt to Pacific Far East Lines, 3 December 1947, renamed SS India Bear
    Sold in April 1957 to the Trans-Pacific Co.
    Resold, 11 June 1959, to Derma Inc., renamed SS Lanakila
    Resold, 7 February 1961, to Far East Lines, renamed SS India Bear
    Final Disposition, sold, 9 September 1970, to Sing Cheng Yuen Steel Col Ltd., for scrapping in Taiwan
    Specifications:
    Displacement 8,635 t.(lt) 13,910 t.(fl), 14,160 (lim)
    Length 459' 2"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 26' 4"
    Speed 16.5 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 62
    Enlisted 333
    Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    sixteen single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Boats
    fourteen LCVPs
    eight LCMs
    Cargo Capacity 5,275DWT
    non-refrigerated 380,000 Cu ft.
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO 10,425 Bbls
    Diesel 805 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one General Electric geared turbine
    two Foster and Wheeler header-type boilers, 450psi 750°
    double General Electric Main Reduction Gear
    three Ship's Service Generators 300Kw, 120V/240V D.C.
    single propeller, 6,000shp
    .
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS Starr (AKA-67)
    Starr 52k USS Starr (AKA-67) at anchor, date and location unknown. USS Starr web site
    Starr 25k USS Starr (AKA-67) at anchor, date and location unknown. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic
    Landmarks Commission web site
    Starr 19k USS Starr (AKA-67) at anchor, date and location unknown. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic
    Landmarks Commission web site
    Starr 138k Aft plan view of USS Starr (AKA-67) at Mare Island Navy Yard, 7 February 1946. Starr was under repair at the shipyard from 26 January to 8 February 1946. USS Mizar (AF-12) is outboard of Starr and USS General G. M. Randall (AP 115) and USS General William Mitchell (AP 114) are aft of Starr.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AKA 67 550-46, Navy Photo, 2/7/46    		 Darryl Baker
    Starr 128k Forward plan view of USS Starr (AKA-67) at Mare Island Navy Yard, 7 February 1946. USS Mizar (AF-12) is outboard of Starr.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AKA 67 553-46, Navy Photo, 2/7/46    		 Darryl Baker
    Starr
    100206707    		 177k Ex-USS Starr (AKA-67) drydocked at Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, ME. in 1947. Starr departed the James River Reserve Fleet, 14 January 1947, for demilitarization at Bath Iron Works, Bath ME. prior to being sold to Pacific Far East Lines. Dvid Wright
    Merchant Service Pacific Far East Lines
    Starr 120k Ex-USS Starr (AKA-67) in merchant service as the Pacific Far East Lines freighter SS India Bear moored pierside in a US west coast port, mid-1950s. Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    USS Starr (AKA-67)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Goldsmith, Frederick Oliver21 October 1944 - 2 June 1945
    02LCDR. Moody Jr., Harold Abram, USNR (acting)2 June 1945 - 28 February 1946
    04CDR. Gunn, Frederick Arthur, USN (USNA 1934)18 May 1946 - 31 May 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
    USS Starr (AKA-67)
    USS Starr (AKA-67) War Diary / History and Action Reports October 1944 to November 1945
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Amphibious Cargo Ship (AKA) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 17 February 2023