USS ''Apollo'' (AS-25) was an in 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 ...

Construction

''Apollo'' was laid down 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 860, on 24 June 1943 at

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 2 ...

, by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation; launched on 6 November 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James B. Hill; and acquired by the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

and placed in reduced commission on 31 December 1943 for passage to her conversion yard. The vessel proceeded to the

Atlantic Basin Iron Works The Atlantic Basin Iron Works was a ship repair and conversion facility that operated in Brooklyn, New York, from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. It converted numerous ships to military use in World War II. Founded before 1910, the yard ...

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, New York, and was decommissioned there on 14 January 1944 to undergo conversion for naval service as a

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

. ''Apollo'' was recommissioned on 29 September 1944.

Service history

Pacific Fleet, 1944–1945

After loading stores, the new submarine tender got underway for shakedown in the waters off

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

, and in

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. She then took on spare parts and equipment at New London before departing Connecticut on 6 November, bound for the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

. ''Apollo'' transited the Panama Canal on 13 November; paused briefly at

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, California, for replenishment; and continued on to

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 ...

, Hawaii. On 10 December, the ship set a course for

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, Mariana Islands, and arrived in Apra Harbor 11 days later. She then commenced providing services to various submarines of the Pacific Fleet. Her tour of duty at Guam ended on 10 July 1945, when the vessel got underway to return to Pearl Harbor. Shortly after her arrival, her crew resumed submarine tending activities. Following the

Japanese capitulation 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 ( ...

, ''Apollo'' set sail on 27 August for the east coast of the United States. She transited the Panama Canal on 12 September and continued on to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, where she dropped anchor on the 16th. The ship resumed her voyage on 30 October; arrived at

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, on 3 November; and began unloading her ammunition. Four days later, ''Apollo'' sailed on to New London. Upon reaching that port on the 8th, the tender took up the task of placing submarines of the New London Group, 16th Fleet, in an inactive status.

Decommissioning , 1946–1974

On 16 October 1946, ''Apollo'' was placed in commission, in reserve. She was decommissioned on 12 February 1947 and was berthed at New London. On 1 July 1963, her name was struck from the Navy list, and the vessel was transferred to the

Maritime Administration Maritime administrations, or flag state administrations, are the executive arms/state bodies of each government responsible for carrying out the shipping responsibilities of the state, and are tasked to administer national shipping and boating issue ...

for

layup A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, laying the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a jump s ...

in the James River. She was sold to the Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation for scrapping in 1974.

Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

Online resources *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apollo (AS-25) Aegir-class submarine tenders Submarine tenders of the United States Navy Submarine tenders

Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1943 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States