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USS Amycus (ARL-2)
Encyclopedia
USS Amycus (ARL-2) was one of 39 Achelous-class
landing craft
repair ships built for the United States Navy
during World War II
. Named for Amycus
(in Greek mythology
, the son of Poseidon
and Melia
), she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Originally projected as LST-489, this ship was redesignated ARL-2 and named Amycus on 13 January 1943. She was laid down on 17 January 1943 at Richmond, California
by the Kaiser Company, Inc.; launched on 2 April 1943; delivered on 3 June 1943 to the Matson Navigation Company
of San Francisco, California
for conversion to a landing craft repair ship; and commissioned on 30 July 1943, Lieutenant
John J. Reidy, Jr. in command.
coast before departing San Diego on 20 September 1943 and heading for the South Pacific
to join the Service Forces of the 7th Fleet
. She made port calls at Pago Pago, American Samoa
; Noumea
, New Caledonia
; Brisbane
and Port Townsville, Australia; and Milne Bay
, New Guinea
. On 29 November, the vessel arrived at Buna, Papua New Guinea
where she joined Task Force 76 (TF 76). She remained at Buna until late April, 1944 servicing and repairing small escort vessels and landing boats.
On 25 April 1944, Amycus got underway for Cape Cretin, New Guinea where she joined a convoy bound for Hollandia
. She reached that base on 3 May and assumed duty as a repair ship and the flagship
of the landing craft
control officer. The ship remained in Humboldt Bay through the summer and autumn carrying out repair and tender services for various landing craft. On 20 December Amycus left Hollandia and proceeded to Seeadler Harbor
, Manus Island
. A week later, she sortied with a task group destined to take part in the Lingayen Gulf
landings. As her convoy crossed the South China Sea
, there were numerous air raid alerts, but only one attack materialized. On 7 January 1945, two enemy planes came in low to attack. One was shot down by a screening vessel, and the other broke off her approach and escaped undamaged. Amycus anchored in Lingayen Gulf on 9 January and the bombardment of the Luzon
beaches began at 0700 that day. Shortly thereafter, the ship began repairing battle-damaged landing craft. During the Allied assault, Amycus fired intermittently at enemy aircraft. While at anchor on 28 January, a friendly plane accidentally jettisoned a bomb which exploded about 60 feet off her port quarter. Shrapnel from the explosion killed three and wounded nine crew members and caused minor damage to the repair ship's hull.
Amycus remained in Lingayen Gulf through 26 June when she sailed for Subic Bay
in the Philippine Islands. Upon her arrival there, the ship operated under Service Squadron 3 at the naval base at Subic Bay. The Japanese surrender in August found Amycus still providing services at Subic Bay. She remained there until 27 October, when she shaped a course for the United States
. The ship reached San Francisco on 30 November 1945 and later steamed to Portland, Oregon
. Decommissioned on 15 November 1946, she joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet in the Columbia River
. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 June 1970. She was sold for scrap on 13 August 1971 to Zidell Explorations, Inc. of Portland.
Achelous class repair ship
The Achelous class repair ship was a class of ship built by the US Navy during World War II.As the US gained experience in amphibious operations, it was realized that some sort of mobile repair facility would be useful for repairing the damage that frequently occurred to smaller vessels such as...
landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
repair ships built for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Named for Amycus
Amycus
In Greek mythology, Amycus was the son of Poseidon and Melia. He was a boxer and King of the Bebryces, a mythical people in Bithynia. Polydeuces beat him in a boxing match when the Argonauts passed through Bithynia. He was also a prominent Trojan during the Trojan War. He married Theona and had...
(in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, the son of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
and Melia
Melia
-People:* Melia Watras , a prominent American violist* Elie Melia , a Georgian Orthodox priest and church historian* Fulvio Melia , an Italian-American physicist* Jimmy Melia , a former English footballer...
), she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Originally projected as LST-489, this ship was redesignated ARL-2 and named Amycus on 13 January 1943. She was laid down on 17 January 1943 at Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
by the Kaiser Company, Inc.; launched on 2 April 1943; delivered on 3 June 1943 to the Matson Navigation Company
Matson Navigation Company
The Matson Navigation Company, a subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, is a private shipping company with roots extending into the late 19th century...
of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
for conversion to a landing craft repair ship; and commissioned on 30 July 1943, Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
John J. Reidy, Jr. in command.
Service history
Amycus conducted shakedown training along the CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast before departing San Diego on 20 September 1943 and heading for the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
to join the Service Forces of the 7th Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
. She made port calls at Pago Pago, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
; Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
; Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Port Townsville, Australia; and Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. On 29 November, the vessel arrived at Buna, Papua New Guinea
Buna, Papua New Guinea
Buna is a village in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. It was the site in part, of the Battle of Buna-Gona during World War II, when it constituted a variety of native huts and a handful of houses with a airstrip...
where she joined Task Force 76 (TF 76). She remained at Buna until late April, 1944 servicing and repairing small escort vessels and landing boats.
On 25 April 1944, Amycus got underway for Cape Cretin, New Guinea where she joined a convoy bound for Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
. She reached that base on 3 May and assumed duty as a repair ship and the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
control officer. The ship remained in Humboldt Bay through the summer and autumn carrying out repair and tender services for various landing craft. On 20 December Amycus left Hollandia and proceeded to Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...
, Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
. A week later, she sortied with a task group destined to take part in the Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
landings. As her convoy crossed the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, there were numerous air raid alerts, but only one attack materialized. On 7 January 1945, two enemy planes came in low to attack. One was shot down by a screening vessel, and the other broke off her approach and escaped undamaged. Amycus anchored in Lingayen Gulf on 9 January and the bombardment of the Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
beaches began at 0700 that day. Shortly thereafter, the ship began repairing battle-damaged landing craft. During the Allied assault, Amycus fired intermittently at enemy aircraft. While at anchor on 28 January, a friendly plane accidentally jettisoned a bomb which exploded about 60 feet off her port quarter. Shrapnel from the explosion killed three and wounded nine crew members and caused minor damage to the repair ship's hull.
Amycus remained in Lingayen Gulf through 26 June when she sailed for Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
in the Philippine Islands. Upon her arrival there, the ship operated under Service Squadron 3 at the naval base at Subic Bay. The Japanese surrender in August found Amycus still providing services at Subic Bay. She remained there until 27 October, when she shaped a course for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The ship reached San Francisco on 30 November 1945 and later steamed to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Decommissioned on 15 November 1946, she joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet in the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 June 1970. She was sold for scrap on 13 August 1971 to Zidell Explorations, Inc. of Portland.