Laid down 13 August 1942 Commissioned 17 January 1944 Struck 1 May 1946 Launched 22 May 1943 | Acquired 15 January 1944 Decommissioned 29 March 1946 Construction started 13 August 1942 Beam 11 m | |
Ordered as T1-M-A2 tanker hull, MC hull 901 | ||
USS Sakatonchee (AOG-19) 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.
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Sakatonchee, MC hull 901, was laid down on 13 August 1942 by East Coast Shipyards, Inc., Bayonne, New Jersey; launched on 22 May 1943; sponsored by Miss Mary Abate; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 15 January 1944; and commissioned on 17 January 1944, Lt. Frederick C. Steinmetz in command.
World War II service
Following shakedown off the U.S. East Coast, Sakatonchee steamed via Aruba and the Panama Canal to Milne Bay, New Guinea, arriving on 26 May 1944. She supplied petroleum products to forward bases in western New Guinea, such as those at Biak and Noemfoor islands. Her operations supported the campaign at Palawan, Philippine Islands, where the Allies landed on 28 February 1945, and at Balikpapan, Borneo, where the Allies landed on 1 July.
Post-war decommissioning
In January 1946, she arrived in San Francisco, California. Decommissioned on 29 March, she was struck from the Navy list on 1 May, transferred to the Maritime Commission on 1 July, and scrapped in 1964.
Military awards and honors
Sakatonchee received three battle stars for World War II service. Her crew was eligible for the following: