USS ''Procyon'' (AF-61) was an ''Alstede''-class

stores ship Store may refer to: Enterprises * Retail store, a shop where merchandise is sold, usually products and usually on a retail basis, and where wares are often kept ** App store, an online retail store where apps are sold, included in many mobile op ...

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 1961 to 1972, following commercial service from 1943 to 1961. She was scrapped in 1986.

A pre-commissioning history

''Procyon'' was laid down 15 April 1942 as MC hull No. 188 by the Moore DD Co.,

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 ...

; launched 1 July 1942 as ''SS Flying Scud''; sponsored by Mrs. Carl W. Flesher; operated by the

United Fruit The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...

Co. (18 August 1943 - 4 September 1946) under a General Agency Agreement with the

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 ...

; acquired by the Pacific Far East Lines, Inc., under bare boat charter (5 September 1946 - 19 October 1948); transferred to the General Steamship Corp. 19 October 1948 under a General Agency Agreement; returned to MARAD 26 October 1948 and laid tip at Suisun Bay, California; re-chartered by Pacific Far East Lines 10 December 1948; placed in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay 24 February 1956; acquired by the Navy 8 August 1961 and converted to Navy use at the

San Francisco Naval Shipyard The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was a United States Navy shipyard in San Francisco, California, located on of waterfront at Hunters Point in the southeast corner of the city. Originally, Hunters Point was a commercial shipyard established i ...

; renamed ''Procyon'' (AF–61), 13 October 1961; and commissioned 24 November 1961.

Assigned to WestPac

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, ...

, ''Procyon'' engaged in the testing of Fast at Sea Transfer equipment (FAST) with other replenishment ships of the

U.S. Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

, before deploying to the Western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

2 June 1962. She remained in and around

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 for three months, returning to the U.S. 26 September. She made her second

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, ...

deployment in support of U.S. 7th Fleet carrier task groups 23 February 1963, returning 7 July to conduct Fleet exercises and night replenishment operations until 6 October. ''Procyon'' was ordered back to WestPac in late October, returning 7 March 1964 for coastal operations. She was employed in the Gulf of Tonkin with the 7th Fleet (1 August–7 December) during the

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

crises.

Vietnam operations

''Procyon'' operated in support of the 7th Fleet off the coast of

, returning periodically to the U.S. for upkeep and training. She provided logistic support to Task Force 77 units on Yankee Station, as well as to

Operation Market Time Operation Market Time was the United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Navy and Royal Australian Navy operation begun in 1965 to stop the flow of troops, war material, and supplies by sea, coast, and rivers, from North Vietnam into parts of Sout ...

patrol craft along the coast and in harbor facilities from Da Nang to Vung Tau. The ship remained with the

until 1970.

Decommissioning

''Procyon'' was decommissioned on 4 February 1972 and struck from the

Naval Register 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 ...

, 1 June 1976. She was returned to MARAD in 1981 for lay up in 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 ...

. MARAD eventually sold ''Procyon''. She was scrapped in Taiwan in 1986.

Military awards and honors

''Procyon'' earned ten

campaign stars 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 ...

for

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

service: * Vietnam Defense * Vietnamese Counteroffensive * Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II * Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III * Tet Counteroffensive * Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV * Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI * Tet 69/ Counteroffensive * Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 * Sanctuary Counteroffensive ''Procyon’s'' crew was eligible for the following medals: *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

(Vietnam – 26 August-8 September 1964) *

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

(10) *

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Procyon (AF-61) Type C2-S-B1 ships Ships built in Oakland, California 1942 ships World War II merchant ships of the United States Alstede-class stores ships Type C2-S-B1 ships of the United States Navy Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States