USS ''Menelaus'' (ARL-13) was laid down as a
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
but converted to one of 39 s that were used for repairing
landing craft during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Named for
Menelaus
In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of th ...
(in
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
, a son of
Atreus, king of
Ancient Sparta, husband of
Helen and younger brother to
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; grc-gre, Ἀγαμέμνων ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Greeks during the Trojan War. He was the son, or grandson, of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the ...
), she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
Construction
''LST-971'' was laid down on 17 November 1944, at
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...
, by the
Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard
The Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard of Hingham, Massachusetts, was a shipyard in the United States from 1941 until 1945. Located on Weymouth Back River, it was owned by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company and operated by the nearby Fore River Shipyard. ...
; launched 20 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. William Cosgrove; and placed in reduced commission 15 January 1945. Proceeding to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland, she decommissioned on 29 January; was converted to an ARL at the
Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard; and commissioned in full as ''Menelaus'' (ARL 13) 29 May 1945.
Service history
World War II
Having completed
shakedown and fitting out by 2 July, the landing craft repair ship headed north to
Davisville, Rhode Island
Davisville, Rhode Island is a village in the town of North Kingstown in the U.S. state of Rhode Island that was formerly the home of the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, which housed the United States Navy's SeaBees.
Village descr ...
, to take on
pontoons for transport to forward areas. On 7 July, she departed the east coast, transited the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...
on 15 July, and was two days out of
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...
when she received word of the
Japanese surrender
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
. Mooring in Pearl Harbor 16 August, she got underway again on 20 August, for
Saipan, where she carried out her repair duties for the next six months.
Departing Saipan 18 February 1946, ''Menelaus'' proceeded, via Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and
, to
Galveston, Texas, arriving 17 June, to begin inactivation. Completing the process at
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,324. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Hous ...
, she decommissioned 5 June 1947, and was berthed there as a unit of the
Atlantic Reserve Fleet
The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...
.
Korean War
Recommissioned 14 December 1950, she sailed for
Charleston, South Carolina, for outfitting and on 24 March 1951, arrived at
Norfolk, Virginia, to report for duty to ComAirLant. On 5 September, having added aviation supply duties to her role as a repair ship, she departed Norfolk for an extended tour with the
United States 6th Fleet in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
. For the next four and a half years, with only one interruption for availability at Norfolk, 9 March to 15 August 1953, ''Menelaus'' operated throughout the Mediterranean. On 19 March 1955, she returned to Norfolk for her second pre-inactivation overhaul. In June, she steamed to
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,908.
The city is named after the portio ...
, where she decommissioned 5 September. The ARL remained berthed in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, as a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until struck from the
Naval Vessel Register
The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
1 June 1960. On 28 October 1960 she was sold to the
Norfolk, Baltimore & Caroline Line, which subsequently placed her in service as MV ''Maryland Clipper''.
She was sold in 1978, to the
Thor Corporation of
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, her final fate is unknown.
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Menelaus (Arl-13)
Achelous-class repair ships
Achelous-class repair ships converted from LST-542-class ships
World War II auxiliary ships of the United States
Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States
Ships built in Hingham, Massachusetts
1944 ships