Mississinewa began her brief but active wartime service on 18 May 1944. Having completed shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay, she sailed for Aruba, Netherland West Indies, to take on her first cargo. Filling her cargo tanks on 23–24 June she continued on to the Pacific Ocean, arriving Pearl Harbor on 10 July. As a unit of Service Squadron 10 (ServRon 10), she then steamed to Eniwetok where she first fueled ships of the 3rd Fleet. On 25 August, she got underway for Manus where she supplied fuel and stores and delivered mail to ships of TF 38, the fast carrier force, 32 and 31 during the assault and occupation of the Palaus.
Returning to Manus on 30 September, she replenished her tanks and again headed north to refuel TF 38 as that force struck at Japanese shipping and shore installations in the Philippines, on Taiwan, and in the Ryukyus in preparation for the Philippine campaign. On 19 October, having emptied her tanks into ships scheduled to take part in the landings at Leyte, she sailed to Ulithi in the Caroline Islands, her new base. Thence in early November, Mississinewa sailed her last fueling at sea assignment, returning on the 15th.
The next day, she replenished her cargo tanks, filling them almost to capacity with 404,000 US gallons (1,530 m3) of aviation gas, 9,000 barrels (1,400 m3) of diesel fuel, and 90,000 barrels (14,000 m3) of fuel oil. Four days later, 20 November, she was still anchored in berth No. 131. At 05:47, shortly after reveille, a heavy explosion rocked the oiler. Seconds later, fumes in an aviation gas cargo tank ignited, causing a second explosion. Massive flames immediately burst from midship forward. Bunker C oil immediately engulfed the ship, with aviation gas on top of that. The aviation gas acted like a wick. Fanned by a light wind, the fire spread aft quickly. A few minutes later the fires reached the after magazine and caused yet another explosion to tear through the ship. The ship was abandoned and soon enveloped in flames over 100 ft (30 m) high. Fleet tugs were immediately brought in to try to extinguish the fire, but in spite of their efforts, at about 09:00 the ship slowly turned over and disappeared. Fifteen minutes later, the fire on the water was out and Ulithi anchorage was again quiet. This ship was the first to be hit by a Japanese Kaiten manned torpedo. The ship sank with a loss of 63 hands as well as the kaiten pilot.
Of the five kaiten sent against US ships, only one was successful, but the explosion and fire from Mississinewa was so great that the Japanese Naval Command back in Tokyo were erroneously informed that three aircraft carriers were hit. This resulted in an expansion of the kaiten program, even though it would not significantly affect the war. Mississinewa was hit in the front starboard bow area, the kaiten probably released by Japanese submarine I-47 just outside Ulithi lagoon.
Mississinewa sinkingMississinewa sinking on 20 November 1944
The Mississinewa remained undiscovered in a tropical lagoon of Yap State for over 56 years.[1] On 6 April 2001, the hulk of the shipwreck was found by adventure divers at a depth of 132 feet (40 m) roughly 7⁄10 mile (1.1 km) north of Mogmog Island, Ulithi, Micronesia. For two months, from July 2001 to August, the sunken wreck leaked oil into the Ulithi lagoon. Officials estimated that 18,000 to 24,000 gallons of oil had been released over the course of two months, threatening coral reefs, sea turtle breeding grounds, and local fishing. Following a typhoon, the island's beaches and the lagoon were contaminated by heavy fuel oil leaking from the wreck.[1]
A state of emergency was declared by the Governor of Yap. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Yap Marine Resources Department imposed a ban on fishing in the lagoon. In September 2001, a dive team and contractors hired by the U.S. Navy led a survey to determine the status of the wreck and the potential for environmental damage from the deteriorating hulk. Divers confirmed leaks, finding cracks in two of the Mississinewa's tanks. A second oil leak from the oiler was reported in December 2001 and leaks were plugged in February 2002. An investigation by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme found that the estimated 5,000,000 gallons of oil remaining in the wreck constituted an "unacceptable and ever present risk".[1] The potential for a large release of the tanker's cargo fuel made a recovery attempt necessary.
In February 2003, a US Navy salvage team led an expedition to recover as much oil as possible. Divers used "hot taps" to drill into the oil tanks and removed all accessible oil, nearly 2 million US gallons (7,600 m3), rendering the wreck safer. The recovered oil was barged back to Singapore, where it was sold for $0.50/gallon to help cover the $11 million salvage costs.
^ abcGilbert, Trevor; Nawadra, Sefanaia; Tafileichig, Andy; Yinug, Leonard (1 April 2003). "Response to an Oil Spill from a Sunken WWII Oil Tanker in Yap State, Micronesia". International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings. 2003 (1): 175–182. doi:10.7901/2169-3358-2003-1-175.
Mair, Michael Oil, Fire and Fate: The Sinking of the USS Mississinewa AO-59 in WWII by Japan's Secret Weapon 2008. SMJ Publishing, Platteville, Wisconsin. ISBN978-0-615-21644-7
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Mississinewa (AO-59).
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
"The AO-59 Memorial" 15 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. On 20 November 1944, at Ulithi Atoll, the Mississinewa was sunk
Report of U.S. Navy survey dive expedition in August 2001
Report of U.S. Navy oil recovery dives in February 2003
mississinewa, other, ships, with, same, name, mississinewa, first, united, states, navy, ships, name, auxiliary, oiler, navy, laid, down, october, 1943, bethlehem, sparrows, point, shipyard, sparrows, point, maryland, launched, march, 1944, sponsored, miss, ma. For other ships with the same name see USS Mississinewa USS Mississinewa AO 59 was the first of two United States Navy ships of the name She was a T3 S2 A1 auxiliary oiler of the US Navy laid down on 5 October 1943 by the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard Inc Sparrows Point Maryland launched on 28 March 1944 sponsored by Miss Margaret Pence and commissioned on 18 May 1944 Mississinewa was commanded by Captain Philip G Beck The ship is named for the Mississinewa River of eastern Indiana HistoryUnited StatesNameUSS MississinewaNamesakeMississinewa River in IndianaBuilderBethlehem Sparrows Point ShipyardLaid down5 October 1943Launched28 March 1944Commissioned19 May 1944Honors andawards4 battle stars WWII FateSunk by Japanese Kaiten manned torpedo on 20 November 1944General characteristicsClass and typeCimarron class fleet replenishment oilerTypeT3 S2 A1 tankerDisplacement25 425 long tons 25 833 t Length553 ft 169 m Beam75 ft 23 m Draft32 ft 9 8 m Installed power30 400 shp 22 700 kW Propulsion2 geared steam turbines 2 shaftsSpeed18 kn 33 km h 21 mph Capacity146 000 barrels 23 200 m3 Complement21 officers and 278 enlistedArmament2 5 in 130 mm 38 cal dual purpose gun 1x2 4 3 inch 50 caliber guns 4 40 mm anti aircraft guns 4 20 mm anti aircraft cannons Contents 1 World War II 2 Discovery of shipwreck 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksWorld War II EditMississinewa began her brief but active wartime service on 18 May 1944 Having completed shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay she sailed for Aruba Netherland West Indies to take on her first cargo Filling her cargo tanks on 23 24 June she continued on to the Pacific Ocean arriving Pearl Harbor on 10 July As a unit of Service Squadron 10 ServRon 10 she then steamed to Eniwetok where she first fueled ships of the 3rd Fleet On 25 August she got underway for Manus where she supplied fuel and stores and delivered mail to ships of TF 38 the fast carrier force 32 and 31 during the assault and occupation of the Palaus Returning to Manus on 30 September she replenished her tanks and again headed north to refuel TF 38 as that force struck at Japanese shipping and shore installations in the Philippines on Taiwan and in the Ryukyus in preparation for the Philippine campaign On 19 October having emptied her tanks into ships scheduled to take part in the landings at Leyte she sailed to Ulithi in the Caroline Islands her new base Thence in early November Mississinewa sailed her last fueling at sea assignment returning on the 15th The next day she replenished her cargo tanks filling them almost to capacity with 404 000 US gallons 1 530 m3 of aviation gas 9 000 barrels 1 400 m3 of diesel fuel and 90 000 barrels 14 000 m3 of fuel oil Four days later 20 November she was still anchored in berth No 131 At 05 47 shortly after reveille a heavy explosion rocked the oiler Seconds later fumes in an aviation gas cargo tank ignited causing a second explosion Massive flames immediately burst from midship forward Bunker C oil immediately engulfed the ship with aviation gas on top of that The aviation gas acted like a wick Fanned by a light wind the fire spread aft quickly A few minutes later the fires reached the after magazine and caused yet another explosion to tear through the ship The ship was abandoned and soon enveloped in flames over 100 ft 30 m high Fleet tugs were immediately brought in to try to extinguish the fire but in spite of their efforts at about 09 00 the ship slowly turned over and disappeared Fifteen minutes later the fire on the water was out and Ulithi anchorage was again quiet This ship was the first to be hit by a Japanese Kaiten manned torpedo The ship sank with a loss of 63 hands as well as the kaiten pilot A Kaiten on display at Yasukuni Jinja TokyoOf the five kaiten sent against US ships only one was successful but the explosion and fire from Mississinewa was so great that the Japanese Naval Command back in Tokyo were erroneously informed that three aircraft carriers were hit This resulted in an expansion of the kaiten program even though it would not significantly affect the war Mississinewa was hit in the front starboard bow area the kaiten probably released by Japanese submarine I 47 just outside Ulithi lagoon Mississinewa received four battle stars for World War II service Discovery of shipwreck Edit Mississinewa sinking Mississinewa sinking on 20 November 1944The Mississinewa remained undiscovered in a tropical lagoon of Yap State for over 56 years 1 On 6 April 2001 the hulk of the shipwreck was found by adventure divers at a depth of 132 feet 40 m roughly 7 10 mile 1 1 km north of Mogmog Island Ulithi Micronesia For two months from July 2001 to August the sunken wreck leaked oil into the Ulithi lagoon Officials estimated that 18 000 to 24 000 gallons of oil had been released over the course of two months threatening coral reefs sea turtle breeding grounds and local fishing Following a typhoon the island s beaches and the lagoon were contaminated by heavy fuel oil leaking from the wreck 1 A state of emergency was declared by the Governor of Yap The Environmental Protection Agency and the Yap Marine Resources Department imposed a ban on fishing in the lagoon In September 2001 a dive team and contractors hired by the U S Navy led a survey to determine the status of the wreck and the potential for environmental damage from the deteriorating hulk Divers confirmed leaks finding cracks in two of the Mississinewa s tanks A second oil leak from the oiler was reported in December 2001 and leaks were plugged in February 2002 An investigation by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme found that the estimated 5 000 000 gallons of oil remaining in the wreck constituted an unacceptable and ever present risk 1 The potential for a large release of the tanker s cargo fuel made a recovery attempt necessary In February 2003 a US Navy salvage team led an expedition to recover as much oil as possible Divers used hot taps to drill into the oil tanks and removed all accessible oil nearly 2 million US gallons 7 600 m3 rendering the wreck safer The recovered oil was barged back to Singapore where it was sold for 0 50 gallon to help cover the 11 million salvage costs The ship was featured on the television shows The Sea Hunters Deep Sea Detectives and Dogfights Notes Edit a b c Gilbert Trevor Nawadra Sefanaia Tafileichig Andy Yinug Leonard 1 April 2003 Response to an Oil Spill from a Sunken WWII Oil Tanker in Yap State Micronesia International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2003 1 175 182 doi 10 7901 2169 3358 2003 1 175 References EditThis article incorporates text from the public domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships The entry can be found here Mair Michael Oil Fire and Fate The Sinking of the USS Mississinewa AO 59 in WWII by Japan s Secret Weapon 2008 SMJ Publishing Platteville Wisconsin ISBN 978 0 615 21644 7External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Mississinewa AO 59 NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive U S S Mississinewa AO 59 Web Site The AO 59 Memorial Archived 15 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine On 20 November 1944 at Ulithi Atoll the Mississinewa was sunk Report of the initial wreck dives in April 2001 on Bentprop org Report of U S Navy survey dive expedition in August 2001 Report of U S Navy oil recovery dives in February 20039 58 44 22 N 139 39 45 43 E 9 9789500 N 139 6626194 E 9 9789500 139 6626194 Location of the wreck of the USS Mississinewa AO 59 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title USS Mississinewa AO 59 amp oldid 1168823853, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
