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USS ''Gold Star'' (AK-12) was a U.S. Navy
cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
that saw service before and during World War II. She was responsible for delivering necessary goods and equipment to ships and stations in the war zone.


Renamed ''Gold Star''

''Gold Star'' (AK-12) was built in 1920 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Delaware: taken over by the Navy as ''Arcturus'' from the USSB on 8 November
921 __NOTOC__ Year 921 ( CMXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March – Battle of Pegae: Bulgarian forces under ''kavhan'' (first ...
commissioned as ''Arcturus'' (AK-12) on 1 February 1922 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and five days later renamed ''Gold Star'' (AK-12) on 6 February. The ship was reclassified AG-12, 12 May 1922.


Post-World War I operations

Renamed ''Gold Star'' sailed from Philadelphia 18 March 1922, arriving Seattle, Washington, 1 July via the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
and California ports. During the next two years she served as a cargo ship on the United States West Coast, making three voyages with supplies for radio stations in the Territory of Alaska. The ship steamed out of San Francisco, California, 9 October 1924 to assume her duties as station ship at Guam, arriving 3 November 1924.


An Asia specialist

During the 1920s and 1930s ''Gold Star'' became a familiar sight in the far-flung ports of Asia. Though assigned as
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the US Navy at Guam she made frequent voyages to
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and the Philippines with cargo and passengers. Prior to World War II, much of her crew was made up of
Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mari ...
, natives of Guam with American non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers. pp. 68-69. ''Gold Star'' became a spy ship by taking on a communications intelligence mission as she moved from port to port in the Orient. As a station ship she was assigned to monitor 1) Internal Japanese Fleet frequencies 2) Frequencies measurements and DF or direction finder azimuths. She had three intercept operators and one chief radioman supervised by an officer. This all started in 1933 during the reconstruction of the Japanese fleet by Tokyo and continued into the summer of 1941. ''Gold Star'' along with ground stations at Guam, Olongapo and Beijing provided significant intelligence before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. DOCID: 3362395 - Approved for Release by NSA. on 06-16-2008, FOIA Case #51505 - UNCLASSIFIED See pages 31 & 32.


In the Philippines when World War II started

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, ''Gold Star'' was coaling at
Malangas Malangas, officially the Municipality of Malangas ( Cebuano: ''Lungsod sa Malangas''; Filipino (Tagalog): ''Bayan ng Malangas''; Zamboangueño/Chavacano: ''Municipio de Malangas''), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Zamboanga Sibu ...
, Philippine Islands. She sailed for Manila 8 December, but was ordered by commander,
Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...
, to proceed to Balikpapan, Borneo. She arrived 14 December as the Japanese advanced quickly southward; and after issuing urgently needed provisions to units of the Asiatic Fleet there, steamed by way of Macassar, Celebes, to Darwin, Australia.Lademan (January 1973) p. 76 Following her arrival at Darwin on 28 December, ''Gold Star'' served as a coastal cargo carrier, steaming between such Australian ports as Brisbane,
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, and
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
. She thus contributed importantly to strengthening Australia and to checking the Japanese advance in New Guinea. After 15 August 1943 the ship continued her coastal operations in Australia, but also began a series of cargo voyages to New Guinea and the Admiralty Islands. ''Gold Star'' brought many loads of vital supplies to
Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...
as the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
began the push toward the Philippines.


Supporting American invasion forces

The ship arrived Manus Island on 6 January 1945 for repairs and conversion to squadron flagship for
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 ...
9. Operating in this capacity the vessel supported the mounting American advance toward Japan, sailing to Leyte and
Morotai Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...
. While conducting cargo operations at Morotai on 28 June ''Gold Star'' was attacked by enemy aircraft but sustained no damage. She arrived Manila 26 July via
Tawitawi Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi ( tl, Lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi; Tausug: ''Wilaya' sin Tawi-Tawi''; Sinama: ''Jawi Jawi/Jauih Jauih''), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim M ...
and remained there issuing supplies until the
surrender of Japan 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 ...
on 15 August 1945.


End-of-war activity

After supporting occupation forces in Japan, ''Gold Star'' sailed to Seattle, Washington, in February 1946 and decommissioned there on 17 April 1946. She had served over 21 years in the Western Pacific Ocean without once returning to the United States, and had carried countless tons of supplies, items large and small, for the warships of the fleet. The old ship was delivered to the Maritime Commission 30 June 1946, and was sold for
scrap Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...
on 1 December 1947 to Dulien Steel Products, Inc.


Military awards and honors

''Gold Star'' received one battle star for World War II service. Her crew members were entitled to the following medals: * Combat Action Ribbon (28JUN45) * American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet Clasp) * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) * World War II Victory Medal * Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia Clasp)


Notes


References

*


External links


NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AK-12 Arcturus - AK-12 Gold Star - AG-12 Gold Star
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold Star (AK-12) Ships built by Harlan and Hollingsworth World War II auxiliary ships of the United States