USS Megrez (AK-126)
Encyclopedia
USS Megrez (AK-126) was an commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II, named after Megrez
, the star in constellation Ursa Major
. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Megrez (AK 126), built under Maritime Commission contract by the California Ship Building Corp., Wilmington, California, was launched as SS General Vallejo (MC hull No. 1642) 23 April 1943; and sponsored by Mrs. J. R. Jago. She was acquired by the Navy tinder bareboat charter
from the Maritime Commission 7 October 1943; renamed Megrez 11 October 1943; converted by the Bethlehem Steel
Co., Shipbuilding Division, San Francisco, California; and commissioned 26 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. J. E. Dow, USNR, in command.
13 November 1943, Megrez headed for Micronesia
. She operated out of Funafuti
and, after 6 March 1944, Kwajalein
as the "wholesaler" distributing dry provisions, clothing, medical supplies, and ship's store stock to mobile supply base craft, which in turn distributed supplies directly to the consumer units of the fleet.
2 June and took on a cargo of rolling stock, sheet metals, and ammunition for transportation to the Marianas
in support of Saipan
and Tinian
operations. Leaving Hawaii
an waters 19 June, she steamed, via Kwajalein and Eniwetok, for Saipan, Arriving 14 August. Two days later she moved to Tinian where she discharged her cargo at a rate of 590 tons a day.
14 October she became a station ship for the issuance of lube oil to the U.S. 3rd Fleet and the U.S. 5th Fleet. Megrez served in this capacity for the next 7 months, supplying this vital fluid to the warships as they pressed closer to the enemy's home islands.
carrying fleet freight and general stores and supplies. She arrived in the Palau Islands on the 14th, unloaded her cargo and departed for San Pedro Bay
, Philippine Islands, on the 18th.
3 November. Arriving at Yokosuka on the 7th, she supplied ships in the Sea of Japan
, the Yellow Sea
and the East China Sea
until departing for Pearl Harbor in early 1946.
1 August 1947 and she was turned over to the Maritime Commission 18 September 1947. She was then laid up at Suisun Bay
, Benicia, California
, as a unit of the National Defense Reserve Fleet
. In 1974, she was scrapped.
Delta Ursae Majoris
Delta Ursae Majoris is a star in the constellation Ursa Major. It has the traditional names Megrez , from the al-maghriz "the base [of the bear's tail]", and Kaffa....
, the star in constellation Ursa Major
Ursa Major
Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...
. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.
Megrez (AK 126), built under Maritime Commission contract by the California Ship Building Corp., Wilmington, California, was launched as SS General Vallejo (MC hull No. 1642) 23 April 1943; and sponsored by Mrs. J. R. Jago. She was acquired by the Navy tinder bareboat charter
Bareboat charter
A bareboat charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things....
from the Maritime Commission 7 October 1943; renamed Megrez 11 October 1943; converted by the Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
Co., Shipbuilding Division, San Francisco, California; and commissioned 26 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. J. E. Dow, USNR, in command.
World War II Pacific Theatre operations
Departing San Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
13 November 1943, Megrez headed for Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
. She operated out of Funafuti
Funafuti
Funafuti is an atoll that forms the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 4,492 , making it the most populated atoll in the country. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, with a surface of...
and, after 6 March 1944, Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
as the "wholesaler" distributing dry provisions, clothing, medical supplies, and ship's store stock to mobile supply base craft, which in turn distributed supplies directly to the consumer units of the fleet.
Disembarking material at Saipan and Tinian
She returned to Pearl HarborPearl 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...
2 June and took on a cargo of rolling stock, sheet metals, and ammunition for transportation to the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
in support of Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
and Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
operations. Leaving Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an waters 19 June, she steamed, via Kwajalein and Eniwetok, for Saipan, Arriving 14 August. Two days later she moved to Tinian where she discharged her cargo at a rate of 590 tons a day.
A floating supply ship
She next sailed for Eniwetok, arriving on the 31st to become a floating supply and freight depot once again. In October she was reassigned and on her arrival at UlithiUlithi
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...
14 October she became a station ship for the issuance of lube oil to the U.S. 3rd Fleet and the U.S. 5th Fleet. Megrez served in this capacity for the next 7 months, supplying this vital fluid to the warships as they pressed closer to the enemy's home islands.
Supporting Philippine operations
On 13 April 1945, her tour as a floating supply center completed, Megrez departed Ulithi for Kossol RoadsKossol Roads
Kossol Roads, Palau is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob. During World War II, it was used by the United States Navy as the location of a floating resupply and repair base....
carrying fleet freight and general stores and supplies. She arrived in the Palau Islands on the 14th, unloaded her cargo and departed for San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, Philippine Islands, on the 18th.
End-of-war activity
Through September Megrez freighted cargo among the Philippines and between San Pedro Bay and Ulithi. On 5 October she departed for Buckner Bay, Okinawa, arriving on the 13th and continuing on to JapanEmpire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
3 November. Arriving at Yokosuka on the 7th, she supplied ships in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
, the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
and the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
until departing for Pearl Harbor in early 1946.
Post-war decommissioning
Decommissioned at Pearl Harbor 29 May 1946, she was towed to San Francisco, California, a year later. Her name was struck front the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval 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...
1 August 1947 and she was turned over to the Maritime Commission 18 September 1947. She was then laid up at Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...
, Benicia, California
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
, as a unit of the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
. In 1974, she was scrapped.
Military awards and honors
Navy records do not record battle stars awarded to this ship. However, Megrez’ crew was eligible for the following medals:- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
- Philippines Liberation Medal