USS ''Sagittarius'' (AKN-2) was an S-class Indus net cargo ship in the service of the United States Navy in World War II. Named after the constellation

Sagittarius Sagittarius ( ) may refer to: *Sagittarius (constellation) *Sagittarius (astrology), a sign of the Zodiac Ships *''SuperStar Sagittarius'', a cruise ship * USS ''Sagittarius'' (AKN-2), a World War II US Navy cargo ship Music *Sagittarius (ban ...

, it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name. ''Sagittarius'' was laid down on 8 November 1943 as liberty ship SS ''J. Fred Essary'' (MCE hull 1835) by

Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard The Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard of Baltimore, Maryland, was a shipyard in the United States from 1941 until 1945. Located on the south shore of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River which serves as the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, Ba ...

, Inc.,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, under a Maritime Commission contract; launched on 30 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. J. Fred Essary; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on a

bare-boat 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 ...

on 8 December 1943; converted to a net cargo ship; and commissioned as ''Sagittarius'' (AKN-2) on 18 March 1944.

Service history

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, ''Sagittarius'' departed Norfolk on 1 May; transited the Panama Canal on 9 May; and arrived at San Diego on 21 May. Ten days later, she put into Pearl Harbor; and, on 8 June, she sailed for 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 ...

. Arriving 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 ...

on 1 August, she installed harbor defense nets there and at Tinian until early September. On 4 September, she sailed for Nouméa,

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

; took on nets as cargo; and steamed for Ulithi, where she laid nets from mid-October to mid-November. She then got underway for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 29 November. In December, ''Sagittarius'' continued on to San Francisco for repairs and alterations at Mare Island. At the end of January 1945, she headed back to Hawaii; and, in March, she steamed for Ulithi. Arriving on 2 April, she became flagship of TU 52.8.3; then waited for further routing to the Ryukyus. Ten days later, the AKN sailed for Okinawa. She arrived in the Hagushi anchorage on 18 April; joined TF 51; and, within hours, underwent her first enemy air attack. On 28 April, she splashed her first kamikaze. On 2 May, she shifted to

Nakagusuku Wan is a bay on the southern coast of Okinawa Island on the Pacific Ocean in Japan. The bay covers and ranges between to deep. The bay is surrounded by the municipalities of Uruma, Kitanakagusuku, Nakagusuku, Nishihara, Yonabaru, Nanjō, all in ...

, where, as at Hagushi, the almost daily air raids continued. Despite the interruptions, however, ''Sagittarius'' conducted net laying operations until 26 May. On 27 May, having downed her second kamikaze and assisted in destroying a third, she headed for Pearl Harbor. Steaming via the Marianas, she exploded a drifting Japanese mine one day out of

, on 4 June. On 17 June, she arrived at Pearl Harbor only to depart again, laden with nets, on 8 July. From 24 July to 9 August, she conducted net operations at Ulithi, then returned to Pearl Harbor. Arriving after the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, ''Sagittarius'' steamed west again in mid-September; took on reclaimed nets at Ulithi; transported them to Saipan; then headed back to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco. She arrived at the latter on 19 November; and, in December, continued on to the east coast for inactivation. ''Sagittarius'' was decommissioned at Norfolk on 16 January 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission three days later. Her name was struck from the Navy List on 7 February 1946. ''Sagittarius'' was scrapped in 1972.

Awards

''Sagittarius'' earned two battle stars during World War II.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at navsource.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Sagittarius (Akn-2) Indus-class net cargo ships Ships built in Baltimore 1943 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States