History
United States
NameUSS Gualala
NamesakeGualala River in California
Ordered
  • as T1-M-A2 tanker hull
  • MC hull 1525
Laid downdate unknown
Launched3 June 1944
Acquired19 August 1944
Commissioned25 August 1944
Decommissioned29 March 1946
Stricken1 May 1946
FateScrapped in 1970
General characteristics
Tonnage1,228 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Displacement846 tons(lt) 2,270 tons(fl)
Length220 ft 6 in
Beam37 ft
Draught17 ft
PropulsionDiesel direct drive, single screw, 720 hp
Speed10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement62
Armamentone single 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mount, two 40 mm guns, three single 20 mm gun mounts

USS Gualala (AOG-28) was a Mettawee-class gasoline tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations.

Gualala was launched 3 June 1944, by the East Coast Ship Yard Inc., Bayonne, New Jersey, under a Maritime Commission contract; acquired by the Navy 19 August 1944; and commissioned 25 August 1944.

World War II service

After completing trials, Gualala sailed from New York 23 October 1944; touching at Guantanamo, Cuba, and Christobal, she transited the Panama Canal 8 November, proceeding from there to Biak Island via Bora Bora and New Guinea.

Arriving 13 January 1945, Gualala sailed the seas between Biak, Morotai, and Mios Woendi serving as a fueling ship for fleet units. Departing Mios Woendi 4 June, she touched at Morotai before reaching Balikpapan, Borneo, the 16th. Gualala continued her fueling duties throughout the Philippines and at Saipan until 26 December 1945. when she sailed for San Francisco via Pearl Harbor.

Post-war decommissioning

Arriving San Francisco, California, 31 January 1946, Gualala remained there until decommissioning 29 March 1946, at the Kaiser Shipyard No. 2, Richmond, California. Her name was struck from the Navy List 1 May 1946, and she was transferred to the Maritime Commission 10 September 1946. Gualala and her sister ship Klaskanine were subsequently overhauled at the General Engineering & Dry Dock Company in Alameda, California and sold to the Brazilian government for $500,000 each and renamed Rijo and Raza.[1] Final disposition: scrapped in 1970.

Military awards and honors

Gualala received one battle star for World War II service:

  • Western New Guinea operation

Her crew was eligible for the following medals:

References

  1. ↑ "General Engineering Completes Tanker Conversion". The Log. October 1948. p. 58.

Sources

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.


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