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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Waukesha (AKA-84)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Lima - India
NHLI
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
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Tolland Class Attack Cargo Ship:
  • Laid down, 3 July 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1395), at North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp. Wilmington, N.C.
  • Launched, 6 September 1944
  • Acquired by the US Navy from the Maritime Commission and towed to her conversion yard at New York City
  • Converted to an Attack Cargo Ship at Todd-Erie Shipyard, New York, N.Y.
  • Commissioned USS Waukesha (AKA-84), 23 February 1945, at New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn N.Y., LCDR. John S. Herold, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Waukesha was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater;
    TransRon Twenty-Four, COMO. E.l. Short;
     TransDiv Seventy-One, CAPT. W.P. Davis USN (27)
  • Following World War II USS Waukesha was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    2 to 27 September 19453 to 9 May 1946
    21 October to 10 November 1945 
    21 January to 2 March 1946 
    10 to 30 March 1946 
  • Decommissioned, 10 July 1946, at Norfolk VA.
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 10 July 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 31 July 1946
  • Merchant Service
    Sold, 23 October 1947, to Luckenbach Steamship Co. N.Y., renamed SS Mary Luckenbach
    MSTS was given the responsibility for crewing two hospital ships being deployed to Korea. While undergoing its initial sea trials, and before its full civilian crew could be embarked, the Benevolence (AH 13) was rammed and sunk by the SS Mary Luckenbach off San Francisco on August 25, 1950. Out of a crew of 505, 23 died including the prospective master of the ship, Captain William "Pineapple Bill" Murray.
    Sold, 17 November 1959, to States Marine Line, renamed SS Bayou State
    Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 20 October 1970, to Yi Ho Steel Enterprises Corp., Kaohsiung
    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 38
    Enlisted 387
    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 5,275 DWT
    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 Contributed
    By
    USS Waukesha (AKA-84)
    Waukesha
    100208406    		 134k USS Waukesha (AKA-84) in New York harbor, circa January-February 1945, after conversion to a Naval Attack Transport and prior to her commissioning. Darryl Baker
    Waukesha 75k After Japans' surrender Marines of the 4th Regiment, 6th Division, come ashore at Yokosuka during initial landings in the Tokyo Bay area, 30 August 1945. They are in full battle gear in preparation for any treachery from the Japanese. Their LCVP is from USS Waukesha (AKA-84), and they appear to be pulling a 75mm pack howitzer. In the distance are the Japanese battleship Nagato (in the center) and Yokosuka dockyard facilities (at right)
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-490432, a US Navy photo no in the collections of the US National Archives    		 Scott at LBS Products
    Merchant Service Luckenbach Steamship Co. States Marine Lines
    Waukesha
    100208405    		 563k SS Mary Luckenbach Passenger Service brochure, circa 1947 to 1959 Tommy Trampp
    Waukesha 64k Ex-USS Waukesha (AKA-84) in merchant service as Luckenbach Steamship Cos. freighter SS Mary Luckenbach under way, circa 1947 to 1959, location unknown.
    Photo by Anderson - Markell, San Pedro, CA.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Waukesha
    100208403    		 231k Ex-USS Waukesha (AKA-84) in merchant service as States Marine Lines SS Bayou State underway on the River Weser while approaching Bremen, Germany, June 1964. Photo by Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Waukesha 93k SS Bayou State working cargo at the San Diego Marine Terminal, 20 March 1966.
    @copyThomas Ellsworth photo # B-66-2A.    		 Photo courtesy CAPT. Thomas Ellsworth USN Ret. This photo should not be further reproduced without the permission of the donor. Contact Thomas Ellsworth.
    USS Waukesha (AKA-84)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Herold, John Stanley USNR23 February 1945 - 18 October 1945
    02LT. Baker, Robert Woodrow, USNR18 October 1945 - 11 December 1945
    03CDR. Davis, Elmer Olcott USN11 December 1945 - 8 May 1946
    04LCDR. Brown, Clifford Albertson, USNR8 May 1946 - 18 May 1946
    05CDR. Davis, Elmer Olcott USN18 May 1946 - 10 July 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 Waukesha (AKA-84) War Diaries February 1945 to December 1945, Ship's History and Action Reports
    Action Report - Landing of Occupation Forces, Nagasaki Japan, September 1945
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 15 April 2022