USS Hector (AR-7)
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USS ''Hector'' (AR-7) was a repair ship that served 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 ...
from 1944 to 1987 and as PNS ''Moawin'' in the
Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...
from 1989 to 1994.


World War II

''Hector'' was launched 11 November 1942 by the
Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division was a shipyard in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. Before applying its last corporate name, the shipyard had been called Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company and Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles ...
, San Pedro,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and sponsored by Mrs. Schuyler F. Helm. ''Hector'' was commissioned 7 February 1944. Hector had twin screws, (propellers), and two engine rooms. The boilers produced 400 psi of steam pressure. Among other things, some of the repair shops on board were a foundry, machine shop, canvas shop, optical repair, pump / valve repair, welding, diesel repair, scuba divers, Radio repair, and perhaps others. There were two cranes topside for lifting objects on and off of the ship. The crew consisted of 1108 Officers and Enlisted.http://www.hullnumber.com/crew1.php?cm=AR-7 ! U.S.S. HECTOR (AR-7) Crew Roster Displacement was 9140 tons. Length was 529 feet 6 inches. Beam was 73 feet 6 inches Flank Speed was 19 knots. After
shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...
along 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 ...
, the new repair ship sailed for the Pacific, reaching
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 ...
9 April 1944. She remained at Pearl Harbor effecting repairs on various ships, primarily
landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...
, until she departed for
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 ...
on 5 June. Arriving there 13 June, ''Hector'' spent the summer at Eniwetok and then sailed for
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 ...
30 September. Her biggest repair job of the war came to her 27 October at Ulithi as the cruiser , torpedoed twice by Japanese
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s, was towed alongside. Although hampered by a severe
typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
season which twice sent her out to sea for safety, ''Hector'' managed to repair ''Houston'' by the end of the year besides aiding many other smaller craft. ''Hector'' departed Ulithi on 16 February 1945 and five days later steamed into
Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tar ...
,
Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao Isl ...
, to repair ships as the battle for the Philippines raged. This task completed, she returned to Ulithi 30 March and continued on to
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 ...
22 May. After the war ended on 1 September, ''Hector'' remained in the Pacific to prepare various ships for return to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.


Korean War

Departing
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 ...
21 January 1946, ''Hector'' reached
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
3 February. After serving as a repair ship there, she sailed for her first
WestPac Westpac Banking Corporation, known simply as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, it ...
cruise 7 May 1947, thereby settling into a peacetime schedule interrupted 3 years later by the outbreak of
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 ...
. ''Hector'' sailed into Yokosuka 18 September 1950. From there she continued to
Inchon, Korea Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
, arriving at the scene of the
Inchon Invasion The Battle of Incheon (), also spelled Battle of Inchon, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved so ...
, 25 September. For the remainder of the Korean War ''Hector'' alternated repair service along the Korean coast and in Japan with normal duty out of Long Beach. In 1954 she was presented with the Battle Efficiency Plaque for the year 1953–1954, and again in 1955 was awarded the same plaque for the year 1954–1955. Thereafter, as before the Korean War, ''Hector'' alternated four to six months of service and exercises along the California coast with 6- and 8-month WestPac cruises. During these cruises the repair ship, operating in support and service of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Pacific and Asian defenses, visited such ports as Yokosuka,
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
,
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
,
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 ...
, and Eniwetok. Serving intermittently 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 ...
for both Service Squadrons 1 and 3, ''Hector'' also was a major participant in the Navy's "People to People" program in Asia. Her deployments to the Western Pacific continued into the 1960s.


Vietnam

''Hector'' operated in the Far East from Japan to the Philippines between June 1963 and January 1964. After providing repair services for ships at Long Beach during the remainder of 1964 and the first 6 months of 1965, she underwent a modernization overhaul at Long Beach between July 1965 and February 1966 to increase her repair capabilities. Thence, she resumed fleet services out of Long Beach until departing for the Far East 5 August. She arrived Subic Bay later that month, and during the next six months repaired and serviced ships in the Philippines,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, and Japan. She returned to the West Coast in March 1967 and into mid-1967 ''Hector'' continued to maintain a high state of readiness and provide repair services at Long Beach. Hector departed for WESTPAC via Pearl Harbor on 3 January 1972 arriving in Sasebo 26 January where she served as the flagship for COMSERVGRU THREE. While providing service to the fleet during this deployment ''Hector'' visited Vung Tau, Vietnam, Hong Kong, DaNang, Vietnam, Subic Bay RP, Okinawa, and Keelung, Taiwan. On 26 August ''Hector'' was relieved as COMSERVGRU THREE flagship and departed Sasebo for the US and arrived in Long Beach on 9 September 1972. In 1972 ''Hector'' was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation that read in part the following: For meritorious service from 26 January to 25 August 1972 in direct support of United States Seventh Fleet combat operations in Southeast Asia. USS ''Hector'' contributed materially to the success of these operations by rendering vital fleet repair services to United States and friendly naval forces operating in the Republic of Vietnam. ''Hector'' also received a Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation and three additional Vietnam Service Medals during this deployment. Hector serviced the fleet as needed in various ports and locations. ''Hector'' provided maintenance repairs as well as damage repairs on ships from combat actions, notably the destroyers , USS Joseph Strauss and . 1974 began with ''Hector'' in Sasebo, Japan, and after visiting Yokosuka, that deployment ended with her return to Long Beach in the middle of February. In March, ''Hector''s home port was shifted to Mare Island, Vallejo, California. She underwent overhaul in Richmond, California in April, and visited San Diego during the same year.


End of Vietnam and Cold War

During the evacuation of Saigon in 1975 ( Operation New Life), ''Hector'' aided in setting up camps in Guam for Vietnamese refugees, for which ''Hector'' earned her first Humanitarian Service Award. During the same year, she completed conversion to Navy Distillate fuel and renovation to her crew's galley, mess decks and scullery. During her deployment in 1977, ''Hector'' was called on to replenish combatant ships that had departed Pearl Harbor quickly in order to observe Soviet cruise missile triangulation operations. During this operation, the infamous "Hector Missile" was built to confuse the enemy. It was thought that the ship may come under Soviet Satellite observation, so a missile was constructed on board ship using 5 gallon soup and tomato cans taped together to form the body, then fins added to the rear and a cone to the front. Paint and lettering was added. The 5" guns that she once had were previously removed, and the only defenses Hector had at this time were .50 caliber machine guns. In July, ''Hector'' was forced to cancel an R&R visit to
Keelung Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...
, Taiwan in order to evade Typhoon Vera, which struck northern Taiwan. She proceeded on to her next scheduled port, Subic Bay, Philippines. During the spring of 1978, ''Hector'' provided Fleet Repair Service in Seattle, WA. Her deployment in September began with a visit to Papeete, Tahiti, and later to Subic Bay, Keelung, Taiwan; Pusan, Korea and finished the year providing FRS in Yokosuka, Japan. In 1980, she received a major overhaul, and ''Hector'' became one of the first ships in the Pacific Fleet to have women officers report aboard. (One of whom was Ensign Darlene Iskra who served aboard as Diving Officer from 1980 to 1982 who went on to become the first woman to command a naval vessel, , in 1990.) In 1981, ''Hector'' began her 25th deployment, visiting Subic Bay Philippines, Yokosuka Japan; Diego Garcia; Mombasa, Kenya, Melbourne, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand, Tonga, and Western Samoa. While in Pearl Harbor, ''Hector'' sent a team to rescue 12 passengers of a plane which crashed off ''Hector''s quarter. For this she was commended by Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet. In October 1981, ''Hector''s home port was again shifted, from Mare Island to Oakland, California. In June 1982 the first ten enlisted women reported aboard ''Hector'' at the Naval Supply Center in Oakland, California. ''Hector'' received the Navy "E" Ribbon for the period 1 January 1982 – 30 June 1983. In 1983, ''Hector'' spent a month repairing ships in Bremerton, Washington. During the month of April, ''Hector'' temporarily served as the Logistic Command Center while Commander Task Force 73 was embarked for FLEET EX 83-1, the largest military exercise in the North Pacific since World War II. In 1984, during the ship's 26th deployment, ''Hector'' steamed over 35,000 miles. She also provided disaster relief to the storm battered island of Madagascar. On this deployment ''Hector'' received two Humanitarian Medals. One was for the rescue of 28 Vietnamese refugees from a small wooden craft. For the second award, a group of Hector volunteers spent several days in a leper colony doing maintenance on local homes, and other facilities, while in Madagascar. They also provided some much-needed medical service including dental work and amputations, all with field tools and in a damaged gazebo. Her home port was changed from Alameda to San Diego in 1985, and ''Hector'' celebrated her 42nd birthday on the high seas. During transit up the Willamette River to Portland, Oregon in August, ''Hector''s aft mast was snapped off as a result of coming into contact with the
Burnside Bridge The Burnside Bridge is a 1926-built bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, carrying Burnside Street. It is the second bridge at the same site to carry that name. It was added to the National Register of ...
. At the beginning of 1986, ''Hector'' provided FRS to the ''Midway'' Battle Group in Yokosuka, Japan. ''Hector''s stay in Subic Bay was extended to 1 months during January to February due to Philippine elections and civil unrest. She later visited Al-Masirah, Oman and Pattaya Beach, Thailand. After 43 years of continuous service ''Hector'' was decommissioned on 31 March 1987 in San Diego.


Pakistan service

On 20 April 1989, ''Hector'' was leased to Pakistan and renamed ''Moawin''. She was returned to the United States at Singapore in 1994 and on 17 October of that year was sold for scrapping to an Indian company.


References

*


External links


Ship's homepage


{{DEFAULTSORT:Hector (AR-7) Vulcan-class repair ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built in Los Angeles 1942 ships