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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Neches (AO-47)
ex
USNS Neches (T-AO-47) (1957 - 1961)
USS Neches (AO-47) (1942 - 1957)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Uniform - Delta - Foxtrot NUDF
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Cocktail (W)hiskey - 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 - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9)- World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia or Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea) - Vietnam Service Medal (9) - Philippine Liberation Medal
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Mattaponi Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, 12 June 1941, for Keystone Tankship Corp., as SS Aekay, a Maritime Commission type (TE-A(MC-K)) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract, (MC hull 148) at Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA.

Launched, 11 October 1941

Acquired by the Navy, 20 July 1942

Commissioned USS Neches (AO-47), 16 September 1942, CAPT. John J. Curley Jr., in command

During World War II was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Gilbert Islands operation, 26 November to 7 December 1943	Luzon operation Formosa attacks, 3, 4, 8 and 15 January 1945 China coast attacks, 12 and 16 January 1945 Nansei Shoto attack, 22 January 1945
Marshall Islands operation Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 29 January to 8 February 1944 Occupation of Eniwetok Atoll, 17 February to 2 March 1944	Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 15 to 24 February 1945
Asiatic-Pacific Raids - 1944 Truk attack, 16 to 17 February 1944 Marianas attack, 21 to 22 February 1944 Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai raid, 30 March to 1 April 1944 Truk, Satawan, Ponape raid, 29 April to 1 May 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to 30 June 1945 5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March to 11 June 1945
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944 3rd Fleet supporting operations Okinawa Attack, 9 to 24 September 1944	3rd Fleet operations against Japan, 10 to 18 July and 26 July to 14 August 1945
Leyte operation Luzon attacks, 20 to 25 November 1944

Following World War II USS Neches was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
2 September to 16 October 1945	3 April to 4 May 1946
30 January to 1 April 1946	17 June to 7 August 1946
12 to 15 June 1946	22 September to 27 December 1946
16 to 20 September 1946	16 to 19 March 1947
15 to 17 February 1947
10 to 12 March 1947
22 March to 2 April 1947	22 March to 2 April 1947

Decommissioned, 10 July 1950, at San Diego, CA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group

Recommissioned, 3 June 1951, at Oakland, CA.

USS Neches was assigned to Occupation service in Europe for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
3 August 1951 to 3 January 1952
3 June to 3 December 1952
18 September 1953 to 9 June 1954
22 November 1954 to 10 June 1955

Decommissioned in June 1955

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Stockton Group

Placed in service in 1957 as USNS Neches (T-AO-47)

During 1957 Neches carried JP-4 and JP-5 from Hawaii to the DEW line stations at Point Barrow, including Adak, Kodiak, Whittier, Haines and Anchorage

Recommissioned, 24 November 1961

During the Vietnam War USS Neches (AO-47) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnam Defense 6 to 16 July 1965 25 July to 3 August 1965 12 to 27 August 1965 31 August to 11 September 1965 4 to 10 and 15 to 20-October 1965 28 October to 5 November 1965 16 to 21 November 1965 28 November to 4 December 1965 10 to 13 December 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI 2 to 6 and 11 to 19 November 1968 3 to 12 and 17 to 26 December 1968 9 to 12 and 17 to 26 January 1969 1 to 8 and 19 to 22 February 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 21 to 29 July 1966 5 to 15 and 23 to 28 August 1966 1 to 8 and 14 to 18 September 1966 30 September to 10 October 1966 15 to 23 December 1966 3 to 14 January 1967	Tet 69/Counteroffensive 23 to 26 February 1969 2 to 4 March 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 15 to 20 September 1967 26 September to 5 October 1967 27 October 1967 2 to 10 December 1967 21 to 25 and 29 January 1968	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 26 January to 2 February 1970 19 to 26 February 1970 4 to 7 and 18 to 21 March 1970 27 March to 4 April 1970 9 to 17 April 1970
Tet Counteroffensive 30 January to 9 February 1968 15 to 23 February 1968 4 to 9 March 1968	Sanctuary Counteroffensive 12 May 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 28 September to 1 October 1968 9 to 11 and 15 to 21 October 1968 28 October to 1 November 1968

Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 1 October 1970

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet

USS Neches earned nine battle stars for World War II service and nine campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 15 December 1971, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (PDX-924 dated 11 November 1971), for $65,184.50, withdrawn from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, 3 January 1973

Specifications:
Displacement 6,809 t.(lt) 22,325 t.(fl)
Length 520'
Beam 68'
Draft 30' 9"
Speed 17.4 kts.

Complement

Officers 16

Enlisted 212

Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.

Armament 1942

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

four twin 20mm AA gun mounts

Armament 1968

two single 3"50 cal dual purpose gun mounts forward

Cargo Capacity 15,300 DWT

Oil 117,000 Bbls

Gasoline 689,000 Gals

Fuel Capacity

NSFO 9,500 Bbls

Propulsion

one Westinghouse geared turbine

two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 450psi 742°

double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears Ship's Service Generators
two turbo-drive 400Kw 230V A.C.
one turbo-drive 50Kw 230V A.C.
one Diesel-drive 50Kw 120V D.C.

single propeller, 12,800shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
USS Neches (AO-47)
091904710	101k	*Namesake* Neches - A river in texas that begins in Van Zandt County west of Rhine Lake and flows for 416 miles through the piney woods of east Texas, defining the boundaries of 14 counties on its way to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. (Wikipedia) Photograph of the Neches River seen from Four Oaks Ranch Road, looking into the Big Thicket National Preserve from Orange County, Texas. 15 October 2016, by ©William L. Farr.	Tommy Trampp
091904712	325k	*USS Neches* (AO-47)** port and starboard bow views of damage sustained from sticking a mine off the coast of California, 21 May 1944. The explosion tore a 22’ by 15’ hole in her port side, necessitating a week of drydock repairs at San Pedro. Final repairs were completed in two months, and she was back at Pearl Harbor 27 July. Before leaving the shipyard she was repainted in camouflage scheme Measure 32 / 5AO. 091904712 - Two views of damage to port bow, photos dated 30 May 1944 091204713 - Two views of damage to port and starboard bow, photos dated 24 May 1944 U.S. National Archives and Records Administration II, College Park, MD.. US Navy Bureau of Ships War Damage reports	Tracy White
091904713	347k		Tracy White
	75k	*USS Harrison* (DD-573) overtakes USS Neches (AO-47)** to refuel while in the TG heading for the Gilberts invasion, 16 Nov 1943. Photo by Tom McCann.	John Chiquoine
	71	*USS Neches* (AO-47) refueling USS North Carolina (BB-55) mid-Pacific, date unknown. Neches**' camouflage is measure 32 design 5AO.	US Navy photo
	297k	*USS Neches* (AO-47)** under way in the Pacific Ocean, date and location unknown.	Dave Way, Curator Battleship Iowa BB 61 Pacific Battleship Center
091904715	30k	*USS Neches* (AO-47) refueling the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61)*, circa 1952. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Iowa (BB-61) 1951-1952 cruise book. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Iowa (BB-61) 1951-1952 cruise book*	Robert Hurst
	108k	*USS Neches* (AO-47) circa 1955 with an armament of two 3"/50, two quadruple 40mm, and four 20mm twin mounts. All of the guns except two 20mm twin mounts were aft. The cruiser on the left is USS Juneau (CLAA-119)*. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo No. Unknown*. courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
	107k	*USS Neches* (AO-47), USS Winston (AKA-94) and USS Monticello (LSD-35)** moored in the harbor at San Diego, CA., in 1962.	Tommy Trampp
	111k		Tommy Trampp
	56k	Overhead view of *USS Neches* (AO-47)** under way in WestPac, circa October 1963 - March 1964.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
091904701	94k	*USS Neches* (AO-47) mid-Pacific, near International dateline, 19 February 1966, refueling HMAS Vendetta (D-08). Photo taken from HMAS Vendetta (D-08)**.	Richard Leonhardt and Yu Chu
091904714	72k	A U.S. Navy Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 2 (HS-2) "Golden Falcons" retrieves a sailor from the fleet oiler *USS Neches* (AO-47). HS-2** was assigned to Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 57 (CVSG-57) aboard the aircraft carrier *USS Hornet* (CVS-12)** for a deployment to the Western Pacific and Vietnam from 12 August 1965 to 23 March 1966. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Hornet (CVS-12) 1965-1966 cruise book	Robert Hurst
091904704	60k	*USS Neches* (AO-47), USS Passumpsic (AO-107) and USS Taluga (AO-62)** steam together in 1968, location unknown. U.S. Navy photo from USS Passumpsic (AO-107) 1968-1969 cruise book	Robert Hurst
091910732	184k		Robert Hurst
	103k	*USS Neches* (AO-47)** near Subic Bay, Philippines, 18 February 1970. US Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo No. K-81888, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
	305k	*USS Neches* (T-AO-47) conducting and underway replenishment off San Francisco in 1970 with USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) and USS Henry W. Tucker (DD-875)**.	Mike Smolinski
091904711	288k	Crewmen of the fleet oiler *USS Neches* (AO-47) stand at attention as the ship's flag is lowered in ceremonies, Tuesday, 1 October 1970 at the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Mare Island. Neches** was brought back to service on three different occasions prior to her decommissioning on 1 October. "Vallejo Times-Hearld", October 3, 1970, pg. 8	Darryl Baker

USS Neches (AO-47)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Curley Jr., John Joseph	16 September 1942 - 28 November 1942
02	CAPT. Emory, Campbell Dallas	28 November 1942 - 7 July 1943
03	CDR. Hansen, Hedley George	7 July 1943 - June 1946
04	CAPT. Scott, Roger Frederick, USN (USNA 1927)	14 June 1946 - June 1947
05	CDR. Luther, Roger Williams, USNR	June 1947 - 19 May 1949
06	CAPT. Scull, Gifford	19 May 1949 - 10 May 1950
	Decommissioned	10 July 1950 - 3 June 1951
07	CAPT. Fellows Jr., John Benjamin, USN :RADM	3 June 1951 - 20 June 1952
08	CAPT. Bruchez, Ernest Valentine	20 June 1952 - 13 June 1953
09	CDR. Hamilton Jr., George Benjamin, USN (USNA 1942)	November 1956 - November 1957
	Decommissioned	June 1955 - 24 November 1961
10	CAPT. Zullinger, John Richard	24 November 1961 - 1962
11	CAPT. Prickett Jr., Samuel Lee, USN	1962 - 16 December 1963
12	CAPT. Connolly III, Bartholomew Joseph, USN (USNA 1943)	16 December 1963 - 14 November 1964
13	CAPT. Rowe, Robert Arnold, USN	14 November 1964 - 2 October 1965
14	CAPT. Stanley, Donald Curry, USN	2 October 1965 - 15 October 1966
15	CAPT. Millar, Donald Bush, USN (USNA 1944)	15 October 1966 - 13 July 1968
16	CAPT. Godfrey, Earl Francis, USN	13 July 1968 - 1969
17	CAPT. Ruebsamen, Darrel Dean, USN	1969 - 9 September 1970
18	LCDR. Smith, Leverne Otis, USN	9 September 1970 - 1 October 1970


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Database
USS Neches AO-47 Reunion Society

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 5 April 2024

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Neches (AO-47)ex USNS Neches (T-AO-47) (1957 - 1961) USS Neches (AO-47) (1942 - 1957)

USS Neches (AO-47)
ex
USNS Neches (T-AO-47) (1957 - 1961)
USS Neches (AO-47) (1942 - 1957)