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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Bellatrix (AF-62)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Victor - Lima NHVL

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3-Quemoy-Matsu, 7-Vietnam)
Bottom Row - Vietnam Service Medal (5) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Alstede Class Stores Ship:

Laid down, 16 October 1944, as SS Fleetwood a Maritime Commission, type (R2-S-BV1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1207) at Moore Drydock Co. Oakland, CA.

Launched, 4 December 1944

Delivered to the Maritime Commission, 21 June 1945, for operation by United Fruit Co.

Transferred in October 1946 to Pacific Far East Lines for operation

Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) in April 1958, operated by Pacific Far East Lines

Transferred to the Navy, 22 August 1961, converted for Naval Service at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Renamed and designated Bellatrix (AF-62), 13 October 1961

Commissioned, 18 November 1961 as USS Bellatrix (AF-62) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., CDR. Nathan E. Dozier in command

During the Vietnam War USS Bellatrix participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam Defense 29 November to 7 December 1965 20 to 23 December 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 3 to 22 November 1967 11 to 26 December 1967 3 to 9 January 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 24 December 1965 to 2 January 1966 14 to 25 May 1966 3 to 10 June 1966 22 to 30 June 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 7 to 16 May 1968 28 May to 7 June 1968 19 to 29 June 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 6 to 28 February 1967 31 March to 10 April 1967

Decommissioned, 30 September 1968, at Naval Shipyard Hunters Point, San Francisco, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 30 September 1968

Final Disposition, scrapped in 1969

USS Bellatrix earned five campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 14,180 t.(fl)
Length 460'
Beam 63'
Draft 26'
Speed 16 kts.
Complement 292
Armament two .50 cal machine guns
Propulsion cross-compound turbine engine, single propeller

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
142k	*USS Bellatrix* (AF-62) conducting underway replenishment with USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) and USS Duncan (DDR-874) in Western Pacific waters. Photograph was released by Coral Sea** under date of 16 April 1962. US Navy photo # NH 97649 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
327k	*USS Bellatrix* (AF-62) replenishing USS Ranger (CVA-61)**, 1963, location unknown.	Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR (Ret.)
89k	*USS Bellatrix* (AF-62)** underway in the Tonkin Gulf, 5 June 1966.	© Richard Leonhardt
93k	*USS Bellatrix* (AF-62)** underway, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
222k	*USS Bellatrix* (AF-62)** underway, date and location unknown.	Rich Rohweder RMC(NAC) Ret. USS Bellatrix Feb-Sep 1966.

USS Bellatrix (AF-62)
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Dozier, Nathan E.	18 November 1961 - ?
02	CAPT. Whiteaker, Maurice Gene	no dates
04	CAPT. Shawcross, William H. (Bill) :RADM	September 1965 - February 1967
06	CAPT. Johnson Jr., John David :VADM	February 1968 - 1 October 1968


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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 21 January 2011