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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS Cahaba (T-AO-82)
ex
USS Cahaba (AO-82) (1944 - 1949)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Uniform - Alpha NJUA

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
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (8) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

Escambia Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, 20 January 1943, as SS Lackawapen, later changed to SS Lackawaxen, a Maritime Commission type (T2-SE-A2) tanker hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1261) at Marinship, Sausalito, CA.

Launched, 19 May 1943

Commissioned USS Cahaba (AO-82), 14 January 1944, CDR. Edmund H. Danesi, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Cahaba (AO-82) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Hollandia operation, 21 to 24 April 1944	Western Caroline Islands operation Assaults of the Philippine Islands, 9 to 24 September 1944
Asiatic-Pacific Raids Truk, Sata, Ponape raid, 29 April to 1 May 1944	Iwo Jima operation Assaults and occupation of Iwo Jima, 23 February to 5 March 1945
Marianas operation Capture and Occupation of Saipan, 11 June to 10 August 1944 Battle of Philippine Sea, 19 to 20 June 1944 2d Bonins raid, 24 June 1944 Capture and Occupation of Guam, 12 July to 15 August 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18 to 25 June 1945
Tinian operation, 20 July to 1 August 1944	3d Fleet operation against Japan, 17 July to 15 August 1945

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

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
8 September 1945 to 22 March 1946	8 September 1945 to 22 March 1946

Decommissioned, 15 May 1946

Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 8 May 1947, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.

Withdrawn from reserve, 14 October 1947, for lease to American Petroleum Transport Corp.

Reacquired by the Navy, 5 March 1948, at Hoboken, N.J. and assigned to the Naval Transportation Service (NTS) and placed in service as Cahaba (AO-82)

Absorbed into the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and place in service as USNS Cahaba (T-AO-82), 8 May 1949

Placed out of service, 19 June 1956, and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Olympia, WA. Group

Custody transferred to the Maritime Administration, 20 January 1956, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX. Group

Struck from the Naval Register. 1 September 1959

USS Cahaba earned eight battle stars for World War II service

Acquired by the US Army, 11 May 1966, for Project Powerfloat, converted to a floating power station for Vietnam service at Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co., Mobile, AL.

Custody returned to the Maritime Administration, 30 August 1971, at Qui Nhon, Vietnam

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, (PD-X-912 of 16 June 1971), to Chin Tai Steel Enterprise Co. Ltd., Taiwan, for $295,150.00

Specifications:
Displacement 5,782 t.(lt) 21,880 t.(fl)
Length 523' 6"
Beam 68'
Draft 30' 10"
Speed 15.1 kts.

Complement

Officers 22

Enlisted 245

Armament

one 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

four twin 20mm AA gun mounts

Cargo Capacity 15,300DWT

Oil 120,400 Bbls

Gasoline 575,000 Gals

Fuel Capacity NSFO 9,235 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric turbine

two Babcock and 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 Lackawaxen (War Shipping Administration)
	66k	SS Lackawaxen moored in her fitting out berth after launching, 19 May 1943, at at Marinship, Sausalito, CA. US Maritime Commission photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst
	76k	Stern view of SS Lackawaxen at San Francisco just prior to the start of her conversion for Naval service, 6 September 1943. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6367-43.	Darryl Baker
	125k	Amidships and forward view of SS Lackawaxen at San Francisco just prior to the start of her conversion for Naval service, 6 September 1943. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6368-43 from NARA San Francisco, Mare Island Naval Shipyard Ship Files, NAR San Bruno.	Tracy White
	96k	Amidships and aft view of SS Lackawaxen at San Francisco just prior to the start of her conversion for Naval service, 6 September 1943. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6369-43 from NARA San Francisco, Mare Island Naval Shipyard Ship Files, NAR San Bruno.	Tracy White
USS Cahaba (AO-82)
091908215	519k	*Namesake* Cahaba - The Cahaba River is the longest substantially free-flowing river in Alabama and is among the most scenic and biologically diverse rivers in the United States. It is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River basin. (Wikipedia) Photo - Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama - Public Domain Map - Map of the Cahaba River and some of its tributaries CC By 2.5 - Nathan V. Whelan, Paul D. Johnson, Phil M. Harris - Whelan N. V., Johnson P. D. & Harris P. M. (2012)	Tommy Trampp
	188k	*USS Cahaba* (AO-82) during an underway refueling in the Pacific Ocean of the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38) off her port side and the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61)** off her starboard side, July 1945	091908203 - Gerhard Mueller-Debus 091908204 - Robert Hurst, courtesy Shipscribe.com 091908205 - Gerhard Mueller-Debus
80-G-K-6112	265k
	146k
	31k	*USS Cahaba* (AO-82) during an underway refueling in the Pacific Ocean of the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38) off her port side. Photo taken from USS Iowa (BB-61)**, July 1945.	Pieter Bakels
	136k	Overhead view of *USS Cahaba* (AO-82)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst
	96k	*USS Cahaba* (AO-82)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst
	91k	*USS Cahaba* (AO-82)** moored pierside, date and location unknown. US Navy photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst
USNS Cahaba (T-AO-82)
	57k	*USNS Cahaba* (T-AO-82)** entering the harbor at San Juan, Puerto Rico, date unknown. Photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst
	35k	*USNS Cahaba* (T-AO-82)** moored pierside, date and location unknown. Photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst
	133k	*USNS Cahaba* (T-AO-82)** moored pierside, date and location unknown. Photo courtesy Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages	Robert Hurst

USS Cahaba (AO-82)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Danesi, Edmund Herman USNR	14 January 1944 - 1 June 1944
02	LCDR. Burnbaum, Julius	1 June 1944 - 26 November 1945
03	LT. Hield, Henry Zader, USNR	26 November 1945 - 10 February 1946
04	CAPT. Jackson Jr., Andrew, USNR	10 February 1946 - 15 May 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 Database

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 23 July 2021

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS Cahaba (T-AO-82)ex USS Cahaba (AO-82) (1944 - 1949)

USNS Cahaba (T-AO-82)
ex
USS Cahaba (AO-82) (1944 - 1949)