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USS Arneb (AKA-56)
Encyclopedia
USS Arneb (AKA-56/LKA-56) was an Andromeda-class
Andromeda class attack cargo ship
An Andromeda class attack cargo ship was an attack cargo ship built by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Kearny, New Jersey and Moore Dry Dock Co., in Oakland, California;during World War II...
attack cargo ship named after Arneb, the brightest star in the southern constellation Lepus
Lepus (constellation)
Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator, immediately south of Orion. Its name is Latin for hare. Although the hare does not represent any particular figure in Greek mythology, Lepus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it...
. She served as a commissioned ship for 27 years and 3 months, the longest time in commission of any AKA.
Arneb (AKA-56) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1159) as Mischief by the Moore Dry Dock Company
Moore Dry Dock Company
Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. It was started in San Francisco in 1905 as the Moore & Scott Iron Works, but was destroyed by fire in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It reopened soon and in 1909 purchased the Boole Shipyard in Oakland....
at Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, launched on 6 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Carol J. Palmer, the daughter of a plant engineer, acquired by the Navy on 16 November and towed 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...
, where she was converted to an attack cargo ship by the Willamette Iron and Steel Works
Willamette Iron and Steel Works
Willamette Iron Works was a general foundry and machine business established in 1865 in Portland, Oregon, originally specializing in the manufacture of steamboat boilers and engines...
, and commissioned on 28 April 1944, Comdr. Howard R. Shaw in command.
World War II, 1944–1945
Outfitted and loaded with stores for her first cruise by 10 May 1944, the attack cargo ship steamed to San Diego for shakedown training which was made unexpectedly interesting by her rescue of the three-man crew of a Navy Grumman TBFTBF Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....
that had had to "ditch". During June and July, the ship practiced amphibious maneuvers using Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
troops to make landings on San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
.
On 22 July, Arneb sailed for the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, and arrived at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 30 July. After debarking passengers, the ship continued on to Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
for training. On 29 August, the ship got underway with three transport divisions to rehearse landings for the invasion of the Palau Islands. On 8 September, she sortied with Transport Division (TransDiv) 32, and headed for Angaur Island.
The cargo ship arrived on 17 September and lowered all of her boats off the west side of the island to feign landings in that quarter in an effort to divert Japanese defensive forces. The next day, she actually landed troops and equipment of the 306th Engineers. Arneb remained in the Palaus. until 23 September, when she began carrying cargo and troops to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, 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....
, and the Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
.
At Manus
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...
, she fueled and loaded supplies for training and rehearsal exercises for her next operation, the liberation of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She got underway on 12 October, arrived off Leyte on the 20th, and, despite enemy shelling, immediately began discharging, her cargo and troops. Arneb next steamed to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
to take on more cargo and troops for delivery at Leyte on 23 November and 24 November.
Following her second voyage to Leyte, the ship steamed to 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....
to onload provisions, cargo, and personnel as well as to receive minor repairs. Arneb departed Hollandia on 27 December to participate in the invasion of 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...
, anchoring in 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...
on 9 January 1945. Since she was not carrying high priority cargo, her boats helped transports in landing troops and cargo on D-Day before they began unloading her own cargo on the following day. Although enemy air and small craft activity was intense, Arneb only lost one LCVP
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
. She returned to Leyte on 15 January and ferried troops and supplies to 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...
for the assault on the area around La Paz
La Paz, Leyte
La Paz is a 5th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 17,627 people in 3,473 households.-Barangays:...
on the 29th. During the next few weeks, the vessel took on fuel, cargo, and other supplies in Leyte Gulf in preparation for her next major task, the invasion of the Ryukyus.
On 27 March, Arneb left Leyte Gulf, arrived off Okinawa
Okinawa Island
Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...
on 1 April, and unloaded supplies despite enemy air attacks. She retired to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and was ordered to proceed on 10 April via Pearl Harbor to the United States. The ship arrived in San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
on 3 May and was given a 15-day availability. Then, after loading ammunition and other supplies, she sailed for Pearl Harbor on 8 June. She returned to the west coast before the end of the month and moved into drydock at the Moore Dry Dock Co. On 20 July, the cargo ship was once again headed for the Hawaiian Islands on the first of two voyages made before the end of August. During the ship's second run to Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Japan capitulated
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
, ending the fighting in the Pacific.
While in Pearl Harbor on 28 August, Arneb received orders to load cargo and sail for the China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
coast to support the occupation forces. She ferried cargo and troops between Okinawa and China until 26 October, when she headed for San Francisco. Diverted to Seattle en route, she arrived there on 13 November 1945.
Transport duties and conversion, 1945–1949
The ship was then assigned to the Naval Transport Service and made cargo runs between the west coast and the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
until December 1947.
Placed in reserve at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
on 16 March 1948, Arneb was modified to prepare her for polar operations. Equipped to become Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd's flagship for a planned Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
cruise, she was recommissioned on 19 March 1949.
Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleet, 1949–1955
Following shakedown training out of Guantanamo BayGuantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
in April and May, Arneb cruised in the North Atlantic from June to October to test the effectiveness of the cold weather equipment installed. After her return to Norfolk on 1 November, the ship trained in Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
Arneb, needed to supplement the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean in early 1950, returned to the east coast in May, and underwent a three-month availability. She resumed normal training and support services for the Atlantic Fleet when the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
compelled postponement of the Antarctic expedition. Nevertheless, the ship utilized her cold weather gear from March to December 1951 when she rendered logistic support to naval activities in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, including an amphibious training operation in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
Until March 1955, Arneb cruised primarily in the warm waters of the West Indies. From January to April 1952, the transport ferried cargo between islands in the West Indies. After a yard overhaul, she participated in the lengthy, large-scale NATO "Operation Mainbrace
Operation Mainbrace
Exercise Mainbrace was the first large-scale naval exercise undertaken by the newly established Allied Command Atlantic , one of the two principal military commands of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . It was part of a series of NATO exerciseS jointly commanded by Supreme Allied Commander...
" in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. After her return to the east coast in February 1953, Arneb made six cruises to the West Indies, before beginning preparations for an extended operation at Antarctica.
Polar logistic support, 1955–1964
As a preliminary trial before her cruise southward, Arneb participated in an operation in waters north of the Arctic CircleArctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
along the east coast of Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
in August and September and then returned to Norfolk for final outfitting. On 14 November, Arneb got underway as flagship of "Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
I" that would allow her to claim the distinction of crossing both the Arctic and Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...
s in the course of one year. She transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on 20 November, stopped at New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Franklin Island
Franklin Island
Franklin Island is one of three islands located in Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait in the high Arctic and is part of Greenland. Its two sister islands are Crozier Island and Hans Island. The former is also part of Greenland, whilst the latter's ownership is disputed between Denmark and Canada.It...
before arriving at Kainan Bay
Kainan Bay
Kainan Bay is an iceport which indents the front of Ross Ice Shelf about 37 miles NE of the NW end of Roosevelt Island. Discovered in January 1902 by the British National Antarctic Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott. It was named by the Japanese expedition under Lieutenant Nobu Shirase which, in...
and McMurdo Sound
McMurdo Sound
The ice-clogged waters of Antarctica's McMurdo Sound extend about 55 km long and wide. The sound opens into the Ross Sea to the north. The Royal Society Range rises from sea level to 13,205 feet on the western shoreline. The nearby McMurdo Ice Shelf scribes McMurdo Sound's southern boundary...
, where she stayed from 27 December 1955 to 30 January 1956. She returned to the United States via the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean, completing her circumnavigation of the globe upon her arrival at Norfolk on 5 May 1956.
After undergoing an overhaul from May to August and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Arneb was prepared for "Operation Deep Freeze II." She departed Norfolk in November; stopped at Wellington, New Zealand; entered the ice field on 16 December; and rendezvoused with the Coast Guard icebreaker . Arneb experienced no difficulty in following the icebreaker during the first day of movement through the frozen sea; but, on the 18th, a quarter-inch crack — apparently caused by contact with ice during the previous two days — appeared in her hull running some 31 inches above and below the waterline. Arneb's men repaired the damage, enabling the ship to make slow but steady progress toward McMurdo Sound, where the ships arrived on Christmas Eve.
Upon completion of their work there, the two ships returned to Cape Hallett
Cape Hallett
Cape Hallett is a snow-free area on the northern tip of the Hallett Peninsula on the Ross Sea coast of Victoria Land, East Antarctica. A very large Adelie penguin rookery is located at Cape Hallett...
, where Arneb moored to the ice while Northwind proceeded into Moubray Bay
Moubray Bay
Moubray Bay is a bay in western Ross Sea, indenting the coast of Victoria Land between Cape Roget and Hallett. Discovered in 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross and named by him for George H. Moubray, clerk in charge of the expedition ship Terror....
to clear an unloading site. On the last day of 1956, the ice pack
Ice pack
An ice pack or gel pack is a plastic sac of ice, refrigerant gel or liquid, or, in an emergency, even frozen vegetables. The refrigerant, usually non-toxic, can absorb a considerable amount of heat, since its enthalpy of fusion is high...
into which Arneb was nosed began to move and soon surrounded the ship with solid ice pressing against her hull. The framing on both sides of the ship began to buckle, rivets popped, seams split, and beams ripped. Frigid water and ice began flooding into several cargo holds at a combined rate of 1200 gallons per minute. Damage control parties worked doggedly to contain the inrush of water, but the men were only able to stay in the water for a few minutes at a time. Nevertheless, by using mattresses, steel plates, and shoring timbers, they managed to reduce the flow of water until the pumps could lower the water level.
On 3 January 1957, the ice pack had loosened; and enabled Northwind to lead the battered Arneb into port. After unloading the cargo, the crew repaired the cracks and split seams by listing the ship alternately to port and to starboard. Although having suffered a bent rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
post and a broken propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
blade, Arneb was able to continue the operation.
No further mishaps occurred until 30 January when Arneb, the icebreaker , and cargo ship attempted to push through the icepack off Knox Coast
Knox Coast
Knox Coast, part of Wilkes Land, is a portion of the coast of Antarctica lying between Cape Hordern, at 100° 31' E, and the Hatch Islands, at 109° 16' E.-History:...
. A large chunk of ice broke off and brushed Arneb's port side, ripping a gash 12 feet long and one-half inch wide and once again flooding the holds as well as buckling plates, popping rivets, and opening seams. The experienced damage control parties used the same techniques to patch the new wounds in her hull. The ships then got underway again, with Glacier towing Arneb. Early the next morning, they arrived at Knox Coast and once again, the damage was repaired.
Arneb left the ice fields on 17 February and steamed to Sydney, Australia, without incident. There, she went into drydock and, after minimum repairs, got underway on 28 February 1957 for the continental United States.
In spite of her troubles with ice damage, Arneb made five more cruises to Antarctica to resupply the research stations and to transport hundreds of scientists involved in research on the frozen continent. During "Deep Freeze 61" she even delivered the foundation of a nuclear power plant to McMurdo Sound. Following "Deep Freeze 63," Arneb was modified to enable her to return to normal duty with the Amphibious Force of the Atlantic Fleet.
Atlantic and Caribbean, 1965–1971
She underwent intensive training in amphibious operationsAmphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
through participation in major Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
exercises. In 1965, she transported much-needed supplies to American forces operating in the Caribbean during the crisis in the Dominican Republic.
Arneb began a routine of operations in Atlantic and Caribbean waters and practiced with Navy and Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
personnel in actual landings at Onslow Beach
Onslow Beach
Onslow Beach is a 12 km stretch of undeveloped beach at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County, North Carolina. It has been used at various times for practice amphibious landings by the U.S. Navy. Presently, it is used as a recreational area by the Camp Lejeune community.- External...
, N.C., and Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. During one such exercise, "LANTFLEX 66," 94 Atlantic Fleet ships took part in a three-week opposed approach, landing, and departure from Vieques under the surveillance of a Soviet intelligence-gathering trawler.
Between 8 February and 22 February 1967, Arneb was in drydock at the Bethlehem Steel Corp., in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. She then moved to the Berkeley yards of the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. for the remainder of her overhaul. With the overhaul completed and following refresher training during the summer of 1967, Arneb resumed her standard operating schedule of local Atlantic coast operations.
Arneb deployed to the Mediterranean in January 1968 and spent five months there as part of the 6th Fleet's Amphibious Ready Force. In August 1968, the cargo ship became the first amphibious ship and the first AKA qualified for spacecraft recovery duty, and she was on station as the secondary recovery vehicle for the Apollo 7
Apollo 7
Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the American Apollo space program, and the first manned US space flight after a cabin fire killed the crew of what was to have been the first manned mission, AS-204 , during a launch pad test in 1967...
flight in October.
On 1 January 1969, Arneb was reclassified as an amphibious cargo ship
Amphibious cargo ship
Amphibious cargo ships were U.S. Navy ships designed specifically to carry troops, heavy equipment and supplies in support of amphibious assaults, and to provide naval gunfire support during those assaults. A total of 108 of these ships were built between 1943 and 1945—which worked out to an...
, LKA-56. Arneb made three more Mediterranean cruises in 1969 and 1970 and participated in numerous Caribbean exercises before the Navy decided to end her naval service. Rather than inactivate and preserve the worn old ship, the Board of Inspection and Survey
Board of Inspection and Survey
The Board of Inspection and Survey is a U.S. Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess material condition of Naval vessels.The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia.- INSURV teams :...
for the Atlantic Fleet recommended that Arneb be disposed of by sale.
Decommissioning and sale
Arneb was decommissioned at Norfolk on 12 August 1971, and her name was struck from the Navy ListNaval 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...
the following day. She was sold on 1 March 1973 to Andy International Inc. of Houston, Texas, and scrapped.
Awards
Arneb received four battle stars for her World War IIWorld 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...
service, and a Meritorious Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
for the recovery mission for Apollo 7.