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Mattaponi Class Fleet Oiler: Laid down, 24 December 1941,
for Keystone Tankship Corp. as Jorkay, a Maritime Commission type
(T2-A-MC-K) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract, (MC hull 157) at
Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA; Launched, 18 April 1942;
Commissioned USS Tappahannock (AO-43), 22 June1942, at Norfolk, VA.;
Decommissioned, (date unknown); Laid up in the Reserve Fleet; Assigned to MSTS
and placed In-service, as USNS Tappahannock (T-AO-43), 1 October 1949;
Placed Out-of-service, (date unknown); Transferred to MARAD for lay up in the
National Defense Reserve Fleet; Struck from the Naval Register, 15 July 1976;
Disposed of by MARAD exchange, 2 February 1987, fate unknown.
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AO-43 USS Tappahannock
- Mattaponi class Fleet Oiler:
- Displacement: 21,750 tons
- Length: 520'
- Beam: 68'
- Draft: 30'6"
- Speed: 17 knots (max); 10.5 knots (econ)
- Armament: 1 5"/38 DP, 4 3"/50 DP, 4x2 40mm, 4x2 20mm
- Complement: 242
- Capacity: 135,000 barrels
- Geared turbine engines, single screw, 12,800 hp
- Maritime Commission T2-A (MC-K) type
- Built at Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. and commissioned 22 Jun 1942
- ex-SS Jorkay
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Awards,
Citations and Campaign Ribbons
(Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right)
Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 7 April 1943)
China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9)
World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Korea, Oct.66) - Vietnam Service Medal (9) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
USS Tappahannock (AO-43) refueling - July 1945
to port, USS Yorktown (CV-10) -- to starboard, USS Missouri (BB-63)
From: www.geocities.com/ziggyfoos/Missouri.html
SECOND MAIDEN VOYAGE
Fleet Oiler USS Tappahannock (AO 43)
steams toward her new home port,
Long Beach, California
after six years in the Reserve
Fleet - US Navy Photo (c.) November 1966
Seventh Fleet ships replenishing in the South China Sea, May 1969. Ships present are (from front to back):
USS Wiltsie (DD-716), USS Tappahannock (AO-43), USS Oriskany (CVA-34),
USS Mars (AFS-1) and
USS Perkins (DD-877) US Navy photo # USN 1139357 from US Naval Historical Center
USS Tappahannock
(AO-43) and USS Enterprise (CVAN-65)
(date unknown)
From: www.destroyers.org
Photo courtesy of Tin Can Sailors, Inc. Used with permission.
Sister Ship USS Kankakee (AO-39) at sea
(Picture rendered to depict shipboard similarity)
Photo courtesy of Tin Can Sailors, Inc. Used with permission.
Sister Ship USS Naches (AO-47) during underway
replenishment
(Picture rendered to depict shipboard similarity)
From: www.geckotech.com/ussnechesao47
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On-Site References |
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Gamewardens of Vietnam |
Reproduction of the original November 1966
ALL HANDS magazine.
ŠAll Hands Magazine, Inc. |
Could these photos be of USS Tappahannock (AO-43) while refueling
USS
Allen M. Sumner DD-692
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This USS Tappahannock
(AO-43) site is dedicated to Robert D. Werner (RD-3) who served aboard
this fine ship during WW-II and to his son
Virgil Werner, who served aboard
USS Hassayampa (AO-145) during 1972-1974 |
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