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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS Kennebago (T-AO-81)
ex
 Kennebago (AO-81) (1949 - 1950)
 USS Kennebago (AO-81) (1943 - 1946)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Hotel - Whiskey
 NKHW
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
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
Escambia Class Fleet Oiler:
  • Laid down, 9 January 1943, as a Maritime Commission type (T2-SE-A2) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1260) at Marinship, Sausalito, CA.
  • Launched, 9 May 1943
  • Acquired by the Navy 30 July 1943
  • Converted for Naval service at Matson Navigation Co., San Francisco, CA.
  • Commissioned USS Kennebago (AO-81), 4 December 1943, CDR. Brainerd N. Bock in command
  • During World War II USS Kennebago was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Saipan, 11 June to 10 August 1944
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 12 July to15 August 1944     		Leyte operation
    Northern Luzon and Formosa attacks, 11 to 14 October 1944
    Luzon attacks, 15, 18 to 19 October and 19 to 23 November 1944
    Battle of Surigao Strait, 24 to 26 October 1944
    Tinian capture and occupation , 20 July to 10 August 1944 Luzon operation
    Formosa attacks, 3 to 4 and 15 and 21 January 1945
    Luzon attacks, 6 to 7 January 1945
    China Coast attacks, 16 January 1945
    Nansei Shoto attack, 22 January 1945
    Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944
    Assaults on the Philippine Islands, 9 to 24 September 1944     		3d Fleet operations against Japan, 11 July to 3 August and 9 to 15 August 1945

  • Following World War II USS Kennebago 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 6 October 19457 October to 15 December 1945
    17 to 20 December 194511 to 17 February 1946
    5 to 9 February 1946 

  • Decommissioned, 19 July 1946, at Boston, MA.
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 24 May 1947, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
  • Reacquired by the Navy, 1 October 1949, and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS)
  • Placed in service as USNS Kennebago (T-AO-81), September 1950
  • Placed out of service, 27 November 1957, at Beaumont, TX.
  • Transferred to MARAD for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX.
  • Reacquired and placed in service by MSTS, 23 May 1958
  • Placed out of service, 22 May 1959, at New York, N.Y.
  • Transferred to MARAD, 23 June 1959, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Fort Eustis, VA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 29 July 1946
  • USS Kennebago earned six battle stars for World War II service
  • Acquired by the US Army, 20 May 1966, converted to a Mobile Army Emergency Power Plant and assigned to Vietnam service
  • Title transferred to MARAD, 9 September 1974
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping (PD-X-983), 9 September 1974, to China Dismantled Vessel Trading Corp. Ltd., Taiwan
    Specifications:
    Displacement 5,782 t.(lt) 22,380 t.(fl)
    Length 523' 6"
    Beam 68'
    Draft 30' 10"
    Speed 15.1 kts,
    Complement
    Officers 22
    Enlisted 245
    Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.
    Armament
    four 3"/50 cal. dual purpose gun mounts
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Cargo Capacity 15,300 DWT
    Oil 120,400 Bbls
    Gasoline 575,000 Gals
    Fuel Capacity 9,235 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one General Electric turbo-electric engine
    two Babcock & Wilcox D-type boilers, 600psi, 825°
    Ship's Service Generators
     two turbo-drive 400Kw 450V A.C.
     two turbo-drive 85Kw 120V D.C.
     one turbo-drive 55Kw 120V D.C.
     one turbo-drive 50Kw 450V A.C.
    single propeller, 10,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    SS Kennebago (War Shipping Administration)
    Kennebago 75k Kennebago floats free after launching, 9 May 1943, at Marinship, Sausalito, CA.
    US Maritime Commission photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages    		 Robert Hurst
    USS Kennebago (AO-81)
    Kennebago 181k Forward plan view from the bridge of Kennebago (AO-81) at Matson Navigation Co. piers in San Francisco, CA., 6 August 1943, before conversion for Naval service
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 5746-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Kennebago 83k Broadside view of Kennebago (AO-81) moored at Matson Navigation Co. piers in San Francisco, CA., 6 August 1943, before conversion for Naval service.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 5748-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Kennebago 157k Forward plan view from the bridge of USS Kennebago (AO-81) at Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 15 December 1943, after conversion for Naval service.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 8274-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Kennebago 157k Aft plan view from the bridge of USS Kennebago (AO-81) at Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 15 December 1943, after conversion for Naval service.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 8276-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Kennebago 56k Stern view of USS Kennebago (AO-81) departing Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 16 December 1943, after conversion for Naval service. Kennebago was in overhaul at Mare Island from 4 to 16 December 1943.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 8302-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Kennebago 87k Broadside view of USS Kennebago (AO-81) off Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 16 December 1943.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM. Photo # 19-N-57871 courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Darryl Baker and Robert Hurst
    Kennebago 60k Bows on view of USS Kennebago (AO-81) off Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 16 December 1943, with the tug Tillamook (YT 122) assisting .
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 8308-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    Kennebago 138k USS Kennebago (AO-81) and USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81) are on a post-shakedown cruise from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, 31 March 1944. Logs report that practice unrep exercises between them were carried out.
    US Navy photo.    		 John Chiquoine
    Kennebago 25k Line drawing of USS Kennebago (AO-81) under way Brettt Kirby
    Kennebago 96k USS Kennebago (AO-81) under way, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages    		 Robert Hurst
    Kennebago 113k USS Kennebago (AO-81) at anchor in San Francisco Bay in March 1946 while enroute from the Western Pacific to Boston for decommissioning.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 78568 courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    USNS Kennebago (T-AO-81)
    Kennebago 96k USNS Kennebago (T-AO-81) operating as a civilian-manned MSTS tanker during the 1950s. Unlike Escambia, which received the same armament in early 1941, this ship has enclosed mounts both forward and aft. The vertical splinter protection has also been omitted from all four 3" gun positions.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # None courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Kennebago 36k USNS Kennebago (T-AO-81) under way, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages    		 Robert Hurst
    US Army
    Tamalpais 98k Ex-USS Tamalpais (AO-96) and ex-USS Kennebago (AO-81) at anchor near Nha Trang while serving as floating power stations in South Vietnam. These two vessels were transferred over to the United States Army sometime between 31 December 1965 and 30 June 1966. They remained in this role until at least May 1971.Image from Mascots of the 459th Signal Battalion, RVN 1970 Robert Hurst
    USS Kennebago (AO-81)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Bock, Brainerd Norton, USN (USNA 1924)4 December 1943 - 2 June 1944
    02LCDR. Brockway, Charles William2 June 1944 - 19 June 1946
    03LTjg. Jorgensen, Hansy Neil, USN19 June 1946 - 19 July 1946
    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 Data Base
    Back to the Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Fleet Oiler (AO) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 16 November 2018