USS Adhara

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mare Island Navy Yard
, 20 August 1943
History
United States
NameG. H. Corliss
NamesakeGeorge Henry Corliss
OwnerWar Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator
J.H. Winchester & Co., Inc.[3]
Orderedas a
MCE hull 425[2]
Builder
Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California
Cost$1,142,406[1]
Yard number425[2]
Way number8[2]
Laid down16 September 1942
Launched27 October 1942
Sponsored by
Ginny Sims
Identification
FateTransferred to
US Navy, 6 November 1942[3]
United States
NameAdhara
NamesakeThe star Adhara
Acquired6 November 1942
Commissioned16 November 1942
Decommissioned7 December 1945
Stricken3 January 1946
Identification
FateSold for scrapping, 26 October 1971
NotesName reverted to G. H. Corliss when laid up in Reserve Fleet
General characteristics [4]
Class and typeCrater-class cargo ship
TypeType EC2-S-C1
Displacement
  • 4,023 long tons (4,088 t) (standard)
  • 14,550 long tons (14,780 t) (full load)
Length441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Installed power
  • 2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C)
    Babcock & Wilcox
    )
  • 2,500 shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion
Speed12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Capacity
  • 7,800 t (7,700 long tons) DWT
  • 444,206 cu ft (12,578.5 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement205
Armament

USS Adhara (AK-71) was a

US Navy in the Pacific theater in World War II. Named after the star Adhara in the constellation Canis Major
, it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name.

Construction

Adhara was laid down 16 September 1942 as

Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; launched on 27 October 1942; sponsored by Miss Ginny Simms, the lead vocalist for Kay Kyser's orchestra; acquired by the Navy on 6 November 1942; renamed Adhara (AK-71); and commissioned on 16 November 1942.[5][1]

Service history

Adhara sailed from San Francisco, on 27 November bound for the South Pacific. For the next eight months, she served as a member of Service Squadron (ServRon) 8 transporting cargo and passengers between the ports of Tutuila, Samoa; Efate, New Hebrides; Espiritu Santo; Guadalcanal; Tulagi; Nouméa, New Caledonia; and Wellington, New Zealand.[5]

While at Guadalcanal on 7 April 1943, Adhara was among several ships subjected to a Japanese air attack. Five bombs exploded close aboard Adhara and punctured her hull in three places. The ship received jury patching at Espiritu Santo and then steamed to Australia for repairs.[5]

After emerging from

Okinawa from 8 to 27 May during the fighting for that island.[5]

Decommissioning

Following Japan's capitulation in mid-August, Adhara arrived at

Navy list on 3 January 1946.[5]

Final disposition

Adhara was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Virginia.[4]

The ship resumed her former name, G. H. Corliss, and carried it until she was sold for scrap on 26 October 1971, to Hierros Ardes, S.A., a Spanish firm, for $71,520.[3] They took delivery of the vessel almost a month later, on 23 November 1971.[5]

Awards

Adhara won two

battle stars for her World War II service.[5]

References

Bibliography

  • "Adhara (AK-71)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • "Kaiser Permanente No. 2, Richmond CA". ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  • Priolo, Gary P. (12 March 2021). "USS Adhara (AK-71)". Navsource.org. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  • "G. H. CORLISS". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  • "SS G.H.Corliss". Retrieved 9 February 2022.

External links