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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Pictor (AF-54)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Sierra - Zulu NHSZ
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Geezer (G)olf - Section 6A of JANAP 119(F) 1968

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - National Defense Service Medal
Second Row - Korean Service Medal (1) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Taiwan Straits, Quemoy-Matsu, Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (8)
Third Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Alstede Class Stores Ship:

Laid down, 18 March 1942, as SS Great Republic, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 187), at Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA.

Launched, 4 June 1942

Delivered to United Fruit Co., 29 June 1943, at Oakland, CA.

Acquired from the Maritime Commission by Pacific Far East Lines, Inc., 24 September 1946, at Oakland, CA.

Returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 6 May 1950, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Acquired by the Navy, 13 September 1950 at Suisun Bay and converted to a Provisions Store Ship

Commissioned USS Pictor (AF-54), 13 September 1950

During the Korean War USS Pictor (AF-54) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
Korea, Summer-Fall 1953 Campaign 4 to 8 May 1953 14 to 18 May 1953 15 to 20 June 1953 9 July 1953

During the Vietnam War USS Pictor (AF-54) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 24 to 26 April 1964 29 December 1964 to 4 January 1965 11 to 15 January 1965 19 to 20 January 1965	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase IV 30 June 1968
Vietnam Defense 31 August to 9 September 1965 18 to 30 September 1965 9 to 17 October 1965	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase V 1 to 12 July 1968 23 July to 3 August 1968 15 to 24 August 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 16 to 27 April 1966 6 to 11 May 1966 27 May to 1 June 1966	Tet/69 Counteroffensive 30 January to 19 February 1969
Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase II 18 to 23 December 1966 4 to 11 January 1967 23 to 30 January 1967	Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 21 to 28 August 1969 8 to 11 September 1969 20 to 23 September 1969 29 September 1969 1 October 1969
Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase III 15 to 26 July 1967 5 to 17 August 1967 15 to 25 September 1967 1 to 8 October 1967

Decommissioned in December 1969

Returned to MARAD, 11 August 1970, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 June 1976

USS Pictor earned one battle star for Korean War service, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Vietnam Service Medal with eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 29 September 1986, to Shiong Yek Steel Corp., Republic of China

Specifications:
Displacement 15,500 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 28'
Speed 16 kts.
Complement 292
Propulsion cross-compound turbines, single propeller

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
	388k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** Commissioning Ceremony, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 13 September 1950. US Navy photo courtesy of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum File name: AF 54 7212-10-50 TH	Darryl Baker
	146k	CDR. John V. Cameron Prospective Command Officer of *USS Pictor* (AF-54)** reads his orders during the Commissioning Ceremony held at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 13 September 1950. US Navy photo courtesy of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum File name: AF 54 7213-10-50 TH	Darryl Baker
	130k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54) conducting an underway replenishment with USS Yorktown (CVA-10) and USS Bausell (DD-845)** in 1957, location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	34k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** moored pierside, circa 1960, location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
09065421	250k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54) conducting an underway replenishment of USS Bennington (CVS-20)** during the training exercise Operation Sea Shell, 8 October 1961. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photo ID: 330-PSA-253-61 (USN 1057563) (21214109574). Image posted to Flickr by Photograph Curator at https://flickr.com/photos/127906254@N06/21214109574.	Robert Hurst
	75k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	111k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** outbound to sea from San Diego, date unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	117k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** standing into the inner harbor of Cam Ranh Bay, RVN, 1967.	Jim Azevedo
	136k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** under way in 1968, location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	150k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** under way, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	85k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** under way, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	86k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54) during an underway replenishment with USS Watts (DD-567) and HMCS Fraser (DDH-233)**, WESTPAC, 1968.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	98k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** at Naval Support Activity, Danang, South Vietnam, probably in 1969.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	339k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** unloading at Naval Support Activity, Danang, South Vietnam in 1969.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	249k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** under way during a WESTPAC deployment in 1969, location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
091914527	108k	U.S. Navy stores ship *USS Pictor* (AF-54), highlines cargo to the fast combat support ship USS Camden (AOE-2), center, while the fleet oiler USS Hassayampa (AO-145) replenishes Camden*'s fuel oil tanks, circa February 1969. 091914527 - U.S Navy photo* 091914543 - U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # XFC-02171-2-69 by PH2 Kenneth L. Barrett	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret. Robert Hurst
091914543 USNHC XFC-02171-2-69	196k		Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret. Robert Hurst
	88k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** outbound from San Francisco, Bay, date unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	362k	Aerial view of the piers at NAS Alameda, circa early July 1969. Ships present include from front to back: *USS Enterprise* (CVAN-65), USS Hancock (CVA-19), USS Markab (AR-23)** with Pictor (AF-54) outboard, and *USS Procyon* (AF-61) forward of them, and USS Coral Sea (CVA-43)**	Robert M. Cieri
	104k	*USS Pictor* (AF-54)** moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.

USS Pictor (AF-54) Miscellaneous Contributed by Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
1969 WESTPAC deployment customer list	Decommissioned Program cover page

For more photos and information about USS Pictor, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
MARAD Vessel History Data Base
USS Pictor (AF-54)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Cameron, John Voorhees	13 September 1950 - 1 June 1952
02	CDR. Foley, James Louis	1 June 1952 - 4 June 1954
03	CDR. Ustick, Theodore Monfayne, USN (USNA 1939)	4 June 1954 - 20 May 1955
04	CDR. Collison, Gene	20 May 1955 - 1 August 1956
05	CDR. Moore, Willard Harvey	1 August 1956 - 15 March 1958
06	CDR. Sosnowsky, Edward Leonard	15 March 1958 - 31 March 1959
07	CDR. Ryan, Delbert Owen	31 March 1959 - 20 August 1960
08	CDR. Lantrip, Lester William	20 August 1960 - 4 December 1960
08	LT. Barnes, Philip A.	4 December 1960 - 10 January 1961
10	CDR. Nasset, Lawrence Oliver	10 January 1961 - 8 February1962
11	CAPT. Walls, Samuel Charles	8 February 1962 - 9 March 1963
12	CAPT. Grimes, Alton Barger, USN (USNA 1942)	9 March 1963 - 28 May 1964
13	CAPT. Easton, William Richard	28 May 1964 - 15 February 1965
14	CAPT. O'Brien, Frank Hammond, USN (USNA 1942)	15 February 1965 - 3 February 1966
15	CAPT. Dusek, Charles Clarence	3 February 1966 - 29 April 1967
16	CAPT. Iglesias, Edward	29 April 1967 - 19 September 1968
17	CAPT. Roux, Vernon Kenneth, USN (USNA 1946)	19 September 1968 - 20 November 1969


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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Last Updated 2 June 2023