USS ''Burias'' (AG-69/ARG-13) was a ''Basilan''-class miscellaneous auxiliary acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was heavily armed and converted into a repair ship and spent her career in the South Pacific Ocean. At war's end she was used to transport troops home from the war.

Constructed in New Orleans, Louisiana

''Burias'' (AG-69) was laid down on 11 February 1944 at New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Delta Shipbuilding Company, Inc., under a

U.S. Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

contract (MCE hull 2458) as ''Mollie Moore Davis''; launched on 27 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Paul L. Jahncke; delivered to the Navy on 24 April 1944; converted for naval service at

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, by the Alabama Drydock Company; and commissioned there on 9 October 1944.

World War II service

''Burias'' conducted shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay. Following a final outfitting at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, she got underway for the Pacific Ocean early in December. After a month-long voyage during which she transited the Panama Canal, the ship arrived at Pearl Harbor on 7 January 1945. At the Oahu base, she underwent conversion to an electronics repair ship. She completed the conversion within two months and, early in March, received orders to join that portion of

Service Squadron A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships and US Navy Auxiliary ships. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of th ...

(ServRon) 10 stationed at

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

in the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

. There, she spent the remainder of World War II working in conjunction with and making hull and electronic repairs to warships damaged at

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

and in the long Okinawa campaign.

End-of-war operations

She departed Saipan on 30 October 1945 and arrived at Wakayama,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, on 5 November. ''Burias'' took on board servicemen on their way home at Wakayama and got underway for the U.S. West Coast on 10 November 1945. The ship arrived at San Francisco, California, on 28 November and disembarked her passengers. Two days later, she put to sea bound for Bremerton, Washington.

Post-war inactivation

She reached Bremerton on 3 December and soon began decommissioning preparations. The ship then moved to Seattle, Washington, on 23 January 1946 for the removal of her 20 millimeter antiaircraft guns and of some electronics equipment still on board.

Temporary reactivation

On 11 February, however, decommissioning preparations stopped, and she got underway for Hawaii with passengers embarked. ''Burias'' entered Pearl Harbor on 21 February, disembarked her passengers, and resumed stripping operations.

Final dispositioning

She was placed out of commission at Pearl Harbor on 9 April 1946. ''Burias'' remained in Hawaii until March 1947 at which time she was towed to San Francisco. Declared surplus to the needs of the Navy late in June, she had her name struck from the Navy List on 17 July 1947. On 15 August 1947, the ship was turned over to the

to be laid up with the National Defense Reserve Fleet group berthed at

Suisun Bay Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the ent ...

, California. She remained there for more than two decades until 2 November 1970 when she was sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, for scrapping.

References

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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - ARG-13 / AG-69 Burias
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burias (AG-69) Basilan-class auxiliary ships Ships built in New Orleans 1944 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Liberty ships Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet