USS Andromeda (AKA-15)
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USS ''Andromeda'' (AKA-15) was an in service with the
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 ...
from 1943 to 1956. She was scrapped in 1971.


History

''Andromeda'' named after the constellation Andromeda. She was laid down on 22 September 1942 at Kearny, New Jersey, by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company under a
Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...
contract (MC hull 199); launched on 22 December 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Janet Roper; reclassified an attack cargo ship and redesignated AKA-15 on 1 February 1943; delivered to the Navy on 30 March 1943; and commissioned at the
New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...
on 2 April 1943.


World War II

The attack cargo ship made her maiden voyage late in April from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
to
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, and then conducted shakedown training in
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
. On 8 June, she put to sea with a convoy bound for the
Mediterranean Sea 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 and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
. ''Andromeda'' arrived in
Mers el Kebir Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by ''Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus'' (MERS-CoV). Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. Typical symptoms include fever, cough, ...
, Algeria, on the 22nd and began training for the Allied invasion of Sicily. On 5 July, the attack cargo ship left
Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
, Algeria, with Task Force (TF) 85 and set a course for the southern coast of
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
. She and her colleagues in Cent Force arrived in the transport area off
Scoglitti Scoglitti ( scn, Scugghitti) is a fishing village and hamlet () of Vittoria, a municipality in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, Italy. In 2011 it had a population of 4,175. History Scoglitti found a niche in history after being selected by the All ...
during the night of the 9th and 10th. Allied troops stormed ashore in the darkness of the early morning hours of the 10th, and ''Andromeda'' spent the next two days disgorging her cargo. Late in the evening of the 12th, she departed the area in company with , 10 other auxiliaries, and an escort of nine
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s. Returning to Oran, ''Andromeda'' spent the next few weeks at several locations on the North African coast preparing for another amphibious assault. On 5 September, the attack cargo ship stood out of Mers el Kebir with Task Group (TG) 81.2, the transport group of the Southern Attack Force for the invasion of the Italian mainland just to the southeast of
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
on the shores of the
Gulf of Salerno The Gulf of Salerno (Italian: ''Golfo di Salerno'') is a gulf of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the coast of the province of Salerno in south-western Italy. The northern part of this coast is the Costiera Amalfitana, which ends at Punta di Campanella an ...
. She arrived at her destination late in the evening of the 8th. Early the next morning, troops of the Army's 36th Division stormed ashore at
Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...
. ''Andromeda'' remained in the transport area in the gulf until the 10th discharging troops and equipment to fuel the offensive. She departed the area during the last watch of the 10th with a convoy bound for Oran, Algeria. The attack cargo ship anchored in Oran on the morning of the 14th. On the 19th, she headed back to Salerno carrying supplies and reinforcements. ''Andromeda'' unloaded at Salerno on the 22nd and the 23rd and then embarked upon the return voyage to Algeria. She arrived at Mers el Kebir on 26 September. The attack cargo ship spent about six weeks practicing amphibious landings with American and Free French troops on the Algerian coast at Mers el Kebir, Oran, and Arzew. Between 5 November and 7 November, she made the passage to
Bizerte Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...
, Tunisia, where she loaded cargo and embarked troops until the 19th. Departing Bizerte, Andromeda made a six-day stop at Mers el Kebir between 23 November and 29 November and an overnight pause at Oran on the 29th and 30th before joining a convoy bound for the
British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
. The ship visited
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
in Northern Ireland and several ports in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and then headed across the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
on 18 December. ''Andromeda'' arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, on 2 January 1944 and began a yard overhaul on the 3rd. On 13 February and 14 February, the attack cargo ship made the passage to New York. She loaded cargo at New York and then, on 27 February, put to sea with a convoy bound for Europe. She reached
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
on 9 March and unloaded cargo on the 10th, 11th, and 12th. After visiting several Scottish ports, Andromeda stood out of the
River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
on 29 March and shaped course for North Africa. The ship reached Mers el Kebir again on 6 April and spent the next two months conducting amphibious training on the Algerian coast between Mers el Kebir and Arzew. On 16 June, the attack cargo ship left the North African coast for the Italian boot. She entered Naples on the 19th and remained there until the 23rd. Steaming by way of
Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
, Sicily, ''Andromeda'' made
Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
on 7 July. She loaded cargo and got underway again for Naples on the 8th. Arriving at her destination on 10 July, she divided her time between Naples and the
Gulf of Pozzuoli The Gulf of Pozzuoli ( it, Golfo di Pozzuoli; nap, Gurfo 'e Pezzulo), formerly known as the Gulf of Puteoli, is a large bay (aquatic), bay or small gulf (geography), gulf in the northwestern end of the Gulf of Naples in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It l ...
for the rest of the month. ''Andromeda'' spent the first part of August in the Bay of Castellamare waiting for the beginning of Operation "Dragoon", the invasion of southern France. The attack cargo ship left the Bay of Castellamare on 12 August and arrived off the invasion beaches on the 15th. She unloaded her cargo and headed back to Oran on the 16th. For over two months, the ship went back and forth across the Mediterranean Sea carrying supplies and reinforcements from North Africa to the armies operating ashore in
southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...
. On 25 October 1944, however, she set out from Mers el Kebir to return to the United States. Andromeda arrived in Boston, Mass., on 8 November and commenced a month of repairs on the 9th. After loading cargo at Davisville, R.I., the attack cargo ship put to sea for the journey to the Pacific. Steaming by way of Norfolk, she arrived in the Canal Zone at the end of December, transited the canal on the 31st and resumed her voyage west on New Year's Day 1945. She entered
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 Re ...
on 15 January and began the ubiquitous cargo loading operation. On 24 January, the ship got underway for the southwestern Pacific. She unloaded cargo at Nouméa, New Caledonia, between 3 February and 7 February and then returned to sea bound for 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 capita ...
. On 10 February, ''Andromeda'' arrived at
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
. She spent the ensuing five weeks in the Solomon Islands carrying out amphibious exercises in preparation for the assault on Okinawa. The attack cargo ship left the Solomons on 15 March bound ultimately for the campaign about to unfold in the
Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...
. She entered
Ulithi Atoll Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...
in the Caroline Islands on the 21st and bided her time until the 27th when her portion of the invasion force sortied from the lagoon. ''Andromeda'' arrived in the transport area off
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
on L-day, 1 April. The soldiers and marines carried out their landing that morning, and support ships like ''Andromeda'' began to disgorge supplies and equipment. The attack cargo ship stayed in the vicinity for nine days. During that time, the Japanese launched massive air attacks in an attempt to thwart the offensive. ''Andromeda'' went to
general quarters General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed ...
time after time to help beat off the aerial onslaught and, on at least one occasion, helped to splash one of the intruders. The attack cargo ship cleared the Ryukyu Islands on 9 April and laid in a course for
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. She pulled into Pearl Harbor on the 24th and loaded cargo until near the middle of May. On 12 May, ''Andromeda'' put to sea on her way back to Okinawa. Steaming by way of
Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...
in the Marshalls and
Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...
in the Carolines, the ship reached Okinawa on 7 June. She stayed there for a week then headed back to Pearl Harbor on the 14th. ''Andromeda'' reentered Pearl Harbor on 29 June and then conducted training at
Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
before setting a course for the Mariana Islands. She reached
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 28 July and passed a fortnight in the Marianas. ''Andromeda'' returned to sea on 11 August, and hostilities ended four days later when she was half the way to the Solomons. She spent the period 18 to 23 August in the Solomons and returned to the Marianas at
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
on the 30th. During the two months following Japan's surrender, ''Andromeda'' carried out two missions to the home islands and made a voyage to
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. After embarking servicemen at
Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...
, Japan, the attack cargo ship got underway for the United States on 6 November. After a nonstop voyage, she returned to American soil at
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, Washington, on 22 November. The ship spent four weeks there before heading south to
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 ...
, where she arrived on 22 December 1945.


Cold War

''Andromeda'' remained on active duty during the late 1940s and early 1950s. She made cargo runs between the west coast and American bases at such places as Pearl Harbor, Midway,
Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...
, Kwajalein, Guam, and Saipan. In September and October 1949, the attack cargo ship made a round-trip voyage from the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...
to the
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and back. She resumed operations from her base on the west coast upon her return. In August 1950, she voyaged north to the
Pribilof Islands The Pribilof Islands (formerly the Northern Fur Seal Islands; ale, Amiq, russian: Острова Прибылова, Ostrova Pribylova) are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska, in the Bering Sea, about north of ...
and, in March 1951, left the west coast for the
Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...
. ''Andromeda'' provided logistics support for
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
forces fighting the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
until returning to
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
at the end of the year. After 10 months of duty on the west coast, the ship returned to the
Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...
and logistics support for the United Nations defense of
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. She took up duty along the west coast in the spring of 1953, but interrupted it for a round-trip voyage to Yokosuka, Japan, in August and early September. ''Andromeda'' deployed to the Far East in 1954 and participated in Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of refugees from North Vietnam in August and September. The attack cargo ship came back to the west coast from that assignment in October and arrived in San Diego on 20 NovemberAssociated Press, "Parade of Navy Ships to Bring Thousands Home From Pacific", ''San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Friday 19 November 1954, Volume LXI, Number 69, page 4. and operated on the Pacific Coast. In June 1955 the ship sailed to Seattle in preparation for the Dewline Operation. On 6 July the ship sailed north to Icy Cape, and when the ice cleared, went around Pt. Barrow and then to her offloading sites as far east as Cape Peary in Amundsen Gulf. During this operation in the ice, the ship broke the palm of her rudder. The ship was evacuated of none essential personnel and towed back to Pt. Barrow where the personnel were backloaded. Andromeda was then tow to Seattle arriving early October. Long gashes in the hull from contact with the ice could not be repaired and the ship was deactivated.


Decommissioning and fate

''Andromeda'' was placed out of commission at San Diego on 1 May 1956. She was transferred to the Maritime Administration for lay up with the
National Defense Reserve Fleet The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States of America, mostly merchant vessels, that have been "mothballed" but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies ...
at
Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...
Her name was struck from the Navy List on 1 July 1960, and she was sold to the Marine Power & Equipment Co., of Seattle, Washington, on 12 March 1971.


Awards

''Andromeda'' earned five
battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...
s 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 opposin ...
and five battle stars for service in the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...


References


External links


NavSource Online: AK-66 / AKA-15 ''Andromeda''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Andromeda (AKA-15) Andromeda-class attack cargo ships Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1942 ships World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Korean War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States