USS ''Taganak'' (AG-45) – also known as USS ''Lake Shore'' (ID-1792) – was a commercial cargo ship acquired by the

U.S. 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 o ...

during World War I as ''Lake Shore''. She was again reacquired during World War II as ''Taganak''. During both wars she carried a variety of cargo for the Navy, including coal, ammunition, and general cargo. She survived both wars and was returned to civilian service after each war.

Constructed in Ohio

''Taganak'' (AG-45) was built in 1917 as ''War Shell'' at

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, by the

Toledo Shipbuilding Company The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard located on Toledo, Ohio. History The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1905 when a syndicate of investors purchased the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, Ohio. The group was composed of L ...

. Acquired by the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...

and delivered to the United States Navy for use as a mine carrier, the ship was renamed ''Lake Shore'', commissioned at

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, on 11 January 1918, and assigned to the

Naval Overseas Transportation Service Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

(NOTS).

World War I service as ''Lake Shore''

''Lake Shore'' was refitted at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, armed with one 5-inch gun and one six-pounder, manned with a complement of 64, and got underway for

Hampton Roads, Virginia Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic O ...

, on 7 February. The ship loaded a cargo of coal there and sailed for Boston, Massachusetts, arriving on the 17th. After discharging her cargo, ''Lake Shore'' returned to Norfolk, Virginia, on the 27th. She then loaded coal and mines for the North Sea barrage, sailed for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

on 7 March, and arrived at Lamlash on the 29th. The steamer returned to Norfolk, Virginia, on 5 May and sailed on the 18th for Boston where she received an extensive overhaul. On 17 June, she proceeded, via New York City, to Norfolk where she loaded mines and general cargo. Her

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

sailed on 27 June for

and reached

Corpach Corpach ( gd, A' Chorpaich) is a large village north of Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands. The canal lock at Corpach Basin on Loch Linnhe, east of the narrows leading to Loch Eil, is the western sea entrance of the Caledonian Canal. It is ...

on 15 July. ''Lake Shore'' returned to Norfolk on 18 August. She made two more trips from Hampton Roads to Europe—one back to the British Isles and one to France—before returning home on 6 February 1919. She was decommissioned on 5 March 1919 and returned to the Shipping Board the next day.

Post-war decommissioning

In 1923, ''Lake Shore'' was sold to the E. K. Wood Lumber Company, Inc., of

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, and renamed ''Olympic''. The steamer was operated by the lumber company along the Pacific coast until it was withdrawn from service in 1940.

World War II service as ''Taganak''

Early in World War II, to relieve its acute shortage of cargo ships, the Navy reacquired ''Olympic'' on 23 May 1942. Following repairs, alterations, and refitting at

Mare Island Mare Island ( Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the ...

, the ship was commissioned as ''Taganak'' (AG-45) on 23 July 1942. ''Taganak'', formally purchased on 28 September 1942, sailed for the South Pacific, via

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 ...

, in late October. Upon her arrival at

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and ...

, New Caledonia, she was sent to New Zealand to return with a load of lumber. The ship then shuttled cargo between New Zealand, New Caledonia,

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

, and the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

for the next year.

Attacked by a Japanese submarine

On 19 August 1943, ''Taganak'' was a few hours out of

en route to

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...

with a cargo of ammunition when she was attacked by a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

submarine. attacked the enemy with depth charges and forced it to the surface. American dive bombers of Scouting Squadron VS-57 came to the assistance of the New Zealand corvette and aided in the kill of the . Rescue efforts succeeded in saving a few survivors. On 26 October, ''Taganak'' stood out of

Tutuila Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, A ...

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

, and headed for the United States laden with copra. The ship arrived at

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, on 19 November; discharged her cargo, and moved to

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, for an overhaul. On 11 February 1944, ''Taganak'' sailed for the South Pacific to resume shuttling inter-island cargo. She put into

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand, on 6 February 1945 for repairs and then plied the waters of the South Pacific Ocean carrying cargo until after hostilities with Japan ended. The old steamer departed

on 30 September and headed for the United States.

Post-war decommissioning

She arrived at San Francisco on 26 October 1945; was decommissioned at

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to th ...

, on 25 March 1946; was struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval autho ...

on 12 April; and was sold on 15 November 1946 to the Pillsbury and Martignoni Co., San Francisco, for scrap.

References

*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - ''Lake Shore'' (ID 1792) - AG-45 ''Taganak''

at Naval Historical Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Taganak Ships built in Toledo, Ohio World War I auxiliary ships of the United States World War II auxiliary ships of the United States 1917 ships Cargo ships of the United States Navy Lake ships Ships built by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company