USS Palisana (AF-39) was an
Adria stores ship stores ship acquired by the
U.S. Navy for service in
World War II. Her task was to carry stores, refrigerated items, and equipment to ships in the fleet, and to remote stations and staging areas.
''Palisana'' was laid down by the
Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc.,
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...
, 28 August 1944 under contract with the U.S.
Maritime Commission; launched 21 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Hugh R. Jones; delivered to the
U.S. Navy on a
bareboat charter
A bareboat charter or demise charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible f ...
basis on 22 March 1945; commissioned 16 April 1945.
World War II service
Following
shakedown, ''Palisana'' took on cargo in
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 ...
, transited the
Panama Canal 18 May and proceeded to
Pearl Harbor where she joined
ServRon 8,
U.S. Pacific Fleet. She departed
Pearl Harbor 14 June bound for
Ulithi,
Caroline Islands.
Okinawa operations
From there she sailed to
Okinawa with cargo for various ships of the fleet and army units ashore there. Under continuing threat of air attack, she remained at Okinawa until 13 August when she returned to
Ulithi. Thence she steamed to
New Zealand and the
Marianas
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 ...
. She transported returning servicemen to
Seattle, Washington, in early November, returned to Okinawa 22 January 1946 and carried out service missions to occupation forces in
Korea and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
before returning to
Puget Sound Navy Yard 26 March.
Post-war decommissioning
''Palisana'' was returned to the U.S.
Maritime Commission 22 May. She was struck from the
Naval Register 19 June 1946. She was then leased by the Maritime Commission for commercial service, to the
Alaska Steamship Co., and renamed ''Spirit''. In 1957, she was purchased by an unknown company in
Tacoma, Washington. Friend Ships obtained ''Spirit'', 2 October 1985 for humanitarian purposes. Though ''Spirit'' hasn't sailed since 2003, she continues to serve as a housing and dining base for Friend Ships crew based in Lake Charles, LA.
Military awards and honors
Navy records do not indicate
battle stars for ''Palisana''. However, her crew was eligible for the following:
*
American Campaign Medal
*
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
*
World War II Victory Medal
*
Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
References
*
External links
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palisana
Adria-class stores ships
Ships built in Beaumont, Texas
1944 ships
World War II auxiliary ships of the United States