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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Bellatrix (AF-62)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Victor - Lima NHVL
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Cocktail (Q)uebec - 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 - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Quemoy-Matsu, 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 under GAA contract, by United Fruit Co.

To Coastwise SS. Co., 20 October 1946, for operation under bare bottom charter

To General SS Co. 12 October 1948, for operation under GAA contract

To Pacific Far East Lines, 27 December 1948, for operation under bare bottom charter

Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 1 January 1958, operated by Pacific Far East Lines under GAA contract

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:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 7 to 9 June 1964 21 to 24 June 1964 15 to 17 July 1964 20 to 24 December 1964 3 to 10 January 1965 1 February to 6 March 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 6 to 28 February 1967 31 March to 10 April 1967
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

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

Struck from the Naval Register, 30 September 1968

USS Bellatrix earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with five campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 24 March 1969, under MARAD contract PD-X-824 of 27 February 1969, to Zidell Explorations Inc., for $36,606.60

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

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
100200320	59k	*Namesake* Bellatrix - A bluish-white giant star located 250 light years away in the constellation of Orion, where it marks the giant’s western “shoulder”. It is the 3rd brightest star in Orion, with an apparent magnitudes of 1.64, but only the 27th most luminous star in the night sky. Its location close to the sky’s 10th brightest star, an enormous red giant called Betelgeuse, makes it one of the easiest stars to recognize, with Bellatrix best seen in December and January.	Tommy Trampp
	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.)
	373k	*USS Bellatrix* (AF-62) under way in the Tonkin Gulf, Christmas Day 1965 during an underway replenishment of USS Enterprise (CVN-65). Bellatrix** got the nickname "UNREP A GO GO" because of this photo.	John E ("JB") Bagby. LT USN, USS Bellatrix, PAO/PIO
	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.
	451k	*USS Coral Sea* (CVA-43)*, with A-4E Skyhawks from VA-153* "Blue Tail Flies" and *VA-155* "Silver Foxes," moored to pier #3 South, NAS Alameda, California, 22 to 26 July 1967. *USS Hancock* (CVA-19) is moored to pier #3 North, and USS Ranger (CVA-60) to pier #2 North. Other ships present include: USS Bellatrix (AF-62) and USS Aludra (AF-55), moored port side and starboard side, respectively, to pier #2 South; and probably USNS Breton (T-AKV-42), astern of Coral Sea**.	William T. Larkins
09066206	247k	*USS Bellatrix* (AF-62)** underway outbound to sea from San Francisco Bay, date unknown. NAS Alameda photo	David Wright

USS Bellatrix (AF-62)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Dozier, Nathan Ernest, USNR	18 November 1961 - 27 November 1962
02	LCDR. Lilly Jr., Raymond Edward, USNR	27 November 1962 - 11 January 1963
03	CAPT. Whiteaker, James Glenn, USN	11 January 1963 - 20 January 1964
04	CAPT. Evans, Jack Lavelle, USN	20 January 1964 - 2 November 1964
05	CAPT. Short, James Woodleigh, USN (USNA 1943)	2 November 1964 - 29 September 1965
06	CAPT. Shawcross, William Henley (Bill), USN :RADM	29 September 1965 - 28 January 1967
07	CAPT. Koen, George, USN	28 January 1967 - 22 February 1968
08	CAPT. Johnson Jr., John David, USN :VADM	22 February 1968 - 30 September 1968


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
MARAD Vessel History Data Base

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 6 October 2023