USS Towaliga (AOG-42) was a Mettawee-classgasoline tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations.
Towaliga was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2068) on 29 September 1944 at Bayonne, New Jersey, by the East Coast Shipyard Inc.; launched on 29 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Michael Canose; acquired by the Navy on 6 December 1944; and commissioned on 14 December 1944.
After filling her cargo tanks, the ship proceeded through the Panama Canal to the U.S. West Coast, spent 14 March and 15 March at San Diego, California, and sailed for Hawaii on the 16th. She reached Pearl Harbor on 28 March and, for the next four months, shuttled diesel oil and aviation gasoline from Hawaii to Johnston Island. In mid August, while the ship was undergoing an overhaul in dry dock at Pearl Harbor, hostilities ended.
End-of-war activityedit
Upon completion of the yard work, Towaliga got underway for Japan and, after stops at Eniwetok and Saipan, arrived at Osaka on 9 October 1945. The ship operated from Osaka until 16 August 1946 when she was ordered to China. She arrived at Qingdao on the 19th and was placed in a standby status with a reduced crew, preparatory to being decommissioned. On 6 December, the ship's complement was filled, and she began training Chinese crews.
Post-war decommissioningedit
Towaliga was decommissioned on 10 May 1947 and transferred to the Republic of China under the lend-lease program. The ship was nominally returned to the United States on 17 February 1948 but simultaneously transferred permanently to China, where she was renamed Tai Hwa.[1]Towaliga was struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1948. Final disposition: fate unknown.
Military awards and honorsedit
Towaliga’s crew was eligible for the following medals:
^. www.coltoncompany.com. Archived from the original on 2007-07-08.
External linksedit
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AOG-42 Towaliga
November 29, 2023
towaliga, mettawee, class, gasoline, tanker, acquired, navy, dangerous, task, transporting, gasoline, warships, fleet, remote, navy, stations, historyunited, statesname, namesaketowaliga, riverorderedas, tanker, hull, 2068buildereast, coast, shipyard, bayonne,. USS Towaliga AOG 42 was a Mettawee class gasoline tanker acquired by the U S Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet and to remote Navy stations HistoryUnited StatesNameUSS Towaliga AOG 42 NamesakeTowaliga RiverOrderedas T1 M A2 tanker hull MC 2068BuilderEast Coast Shipyard Bayonne New JerseyYard number24Laid down29 September 1944Launched29 October 1944Commissioned14 December 1944Decommissioned10 May 1947Stricken12 March 1948Fatetransferred to the Republic of China 1947HistoryTaiwanNameROCS Tai HwaAcquired1947RenamedROCS Hsing Kao 1955FateunknownGeneral characteristicsClass and typeMettawee class gasoline tankerTonnage1 228 long tons deadweight DWT Displacement846 tons lt 2 270 tons fl Length220 ft 6 in 67 21 m Beam37 ft 11 m Draft17 ft 5 2 m PropulsionDiesel direct drive single screw 720 hpSpeed10 knots 19 km h Complement62Armamentone single 3 in 76 mm dual purpose gun mount two 40 mm guns three single 20 mm guns gun mountsTowaliga was laid down under Maritime Commission contract MC hull 2068 on 29 September 1944 at Bayonne New Jersey by the East Coast Shipyard Inc launched on 29 October 1944 sponsored by Mrs Michael Canose acquired by the Navy on 6 December 1944 and commissioned on 14 December 1944 Contents 1 World War II service 1 1 Pacific Ocean operations 1 2 End of war activity 2 Post war decommissioning 3 Military awards and honors 4 References 5 External linksWorld War II service editThe gasoline tanker called at Norfolk Virginia on 9 January 1945 and began shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay the next day On 11 February she joined a convoy bound for the West Indies and arrived at Aruba Netherlands Antilles 10 days later Pacific Ocean operations edit After filling her cargo tanks the ship proceeded through the Panama Canal to the U S West Coast spent 14 March and 15 March at San Diego California and sailed for Hawaii on the 16th She reached Pearl Harbor on 28 March and for the next four months shuttled diesel oil and aviation gasoline from Hawaii to Johnston Island In mid August while the ship was undergoing an overhaul in dry dock at Pearl Harbor hostilities ended End of war activity edit Upon completion of the yard work Towaliga got underway for Japan and after stops at Eniwetok and Saipan arrived at Osaka on 9 October 1945 The ship operated from Osaka until 16 August 1946 when she was ordered to China She arrived at Qingdao on the 19th and was placed in a standby status with a reduced crew preparatory to being decommissioned On 6 December the ship s complement was filled and she began training Chinese crews Post war decommissioning editTowaliga was decommissioned on 10 May 1947 and transferred to the Republic of China under the lend lease program The ship was nominally returned to the United States on 17 February 1948 but simultaneously transferred permanently to China where she was renamed Tai Hwa 1 Towaliga was struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1948 Final disposition fate unknown Military awards and honors editTowaliga s crew was eligible for the following medals China Service Medal extended American Campaign Medal Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp References editThis article incorporates text from the public domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships WWII Auxiliaries Combat Logistics Resupply Ships AE AF AO AOG www coltoncompany com Archived from the original on 2007 07 08 External links editNavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive AOG 42 Towaliga Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title USS Towaliga amp oldid 1156749190, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
