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USS Mount Baker (AE-4)
Encyclopedia
USS Mount Baker (AE‑4), originally named USS Kilauea (AE-4), was acquired by the Navy 14 November 1940 while building by Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, Fla., as SS Surprise; delivered to Alabama Drydock & Shipbuilding Co., for conversion to Type C2
; and commissioned 16 May 1941, Capt. W. I. Causey in command.
was to carry ammunition to ships and bases and to issue it to the users. She began operating 17 June 1941 out of Norfolk, serving combatants on the east coast, in the Caribbean
, and building up the base at NS Argentia
, Newfoundland
. Aside from necessary overhaul, and a period as station ammunition ship in the Norfolk area October 1942‑January 1943, she continued American theater duty into 1943.
Kilauea was renamed Mount Baker 17 March 1943 to avoid confusion with a similarly named ship. On 8 June, she sailed with ammunition for the Mediterranean, and until 6 November supplied ships in Oran
, Algiers
, Arzeu, Bizerte
, and Palermo
. Returning to Norfolk for local duty, Mount Baker then sailed 29 April to arm ships in the British Isles
ports from which the Normandy invasion was to be staged. Returning to Norfolk 23 June, Mount Baker prepared for another mission to the Mediterranean, and upon its completion 30 September sailed directly for the Panama Canal
and Ulithi
, where she served as station ammunition ship from December 1944 to June 1945. During this time she conducted experiments in at‑sea replenishment with a battleship, a cruiser, and a destroyer.
Mount Baker departed Ulithi 3 June for overhaul at San Francisco, still in progress at the close of the year. She sailed in time to bring Christmas mail to occupation forces in the Philippines
, then began the long task of bringing back to the United States
unused ammunition that had been stockpiled at the various Pacific bases in anticipation of the planned invasion of Japan
. She decommissioned in January 1947 and was placed in reserve at San Diego, Calif.
, Mount Baker recommissioned 5 December 1951, Capt. Richard Mueller Nixon in command. She sailed 18 February 1952 to supply ammunition to U.S. and other U.N. forces fighting the North Korea
n Communists, serving in the war zone from 9 March to 8 November, and then returning to San Diego. On 12 January 1953, she sortied from San Francisco with a cruiser‑destroyer force for the largest, to that time, postwar training operation in the Pacific. Early in February she sailed for Sasebo, Japan, to resume combat duty. From March until the Armistice in July, Mount Baker gave efficient and essential service in the cause of a free Korea. Returning to San Diego early in the fall, she provided the fleet primarily with training ammunition, was overhauled, and 10 March 1954 sailed to support the 7th Fleet in operations off Japan and the Philippines.
in the struggle against North Vietnamese communism. She also brought ammunition to ships of the Taiwan
patrol and bases in Japan and the Philippines during this and her other recent deployments.
Returning to Port Chicago, Calif., in the spring of 1965, Mount Baker prepared for a year‑long deployment for which she sailed 5 January 1966. During much of this tour in the Far East, Mount Baker was on station with carriers off Vietnam, providing ammunition for aircraft flying strikes on North Vietnam
, and against enemy concentrations in South Vietnam
. After overhaul at Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard, Mount Baker sailed once more for the Far East 28 September 1967 to aid the United States fleet well into 1968. Mount Baker served in the Far East for a final time in 1969.
Mount Baker was struck from the Naval Register on 2 December 1969 and transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal, she was scrapped in 1974.
Type C2 ship
Type C2 ships were designed by the United States Maritime Commission in 1937-38. They were all-purpose cargo ships with five holds, and U.S. shipyards built 173 of them from 1939-1945. Compared to ships built before 1939, the C2s were remarkable for their speed and fuel economy. Their design speed...
; and commissioned 16 May 1941, Capt. W. I. Causey in command.
1941-1947 (WWII and aftermath)
Kilauea’s dangerous, difficult, and vital service during 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...
was to carry ammunition to ships and bases and to issue it to the users. She began operating 17 June 1941 out of Norfolk, serving combatants on the east coast, in the 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...
, and building up the base at NS Argentia
Naval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...
, Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. Aside from necessary overhaul, and a period as station ammunition ship in the Norfolk area October 1942‑January 1943, she continued American theater duty into 1943.
Kilauea was renamed Mount Baker 17 March 1943 to avoid confusion with a similarly named ship. On 8 June, she sailed with ammunition for the Mediterranean, and until 6 November supplied ships in Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, Arzeu, Bizerte
Bizerte
Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...
, and Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
. Returning to Norfolk for local duty, Mount Baker then sailed 29 April to arm ships in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
ports from which the Normandy invasion was to be staged. Returning to Norfolk 23 June, Mount Baker prepared for another mission to the Mediterranean, and upon its completion 30 September sailed directly for 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...
and 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...
, where she served as station ammunition ship from December 1944 to June 1945. During this time she conducted experiments in at‑sea replenishment with a battleship, a cruiser, and a destroyer.
Mount Baker departed Ulithi 3 June for overhaul at San Francisco, still in progress at the close of the year. She sailed in time to bring Christmas mail to occupation forces in 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...
, then began the long task of bringing back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
unused ammunition that had been stockpiled at the various Pacific bases in anticipation of the planned invasion of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. She decommissioned in January 1947 and was placed in reserve at San Diego, Calif.
1951-1954 (Korean War)
With the rapid expansion of the fleet required by the Korean WarKorean 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...
, Mount Baker recommissioned 5 December 1951, Capt. Richard Mueller Nixon in command. She sailed 18 February 1952 to supply ammunition to U.S. and other U.N. forces fighting the North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n Communists, serving in the war zone from 9 March to 8 November, and then returning to San Diego. On 12 January 1953, she sortied from San Francisco with a cruiser‑destroyer force for the largest, to that time, postwar training operation in the Pacific. Early in February she sailed for Sasebo, Japan, to resume combat duty. From March until the Armistice in July, Mount Baker gave efficient and essential service in the cause of a free Korea. Returning to San Diego early in the fall, she provided the fleet primarily with training ammunition, was overhauled, and 10 March 1954 sailed to support the 7th Fleet in operations off Japan and the Philippines.
1955-1969 (Far East, Vietnam)
In 1955, and almost every year thereafter, Mount Baker made similar deployments to the Far East, usually of 8 months duration. Stateside periods between were given to necessary overhaul and training, as well as providing training in underway replenishment to other ships of the fleet. When she left San Diego 28 October 1964, she was bound for duty replenishing 7th Fleet ships operating off the coast of VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in the struggle against North Vietnamese communism. She also brought ammunition to ships of the Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
patrol and bases in Japan and the Philippines during this and her other recent deployments.
Returning to Port Chicago, Calif., in the spring of 1965, Mount Baker prepared for a year‑long deployment for which she sailed 5 January 1966. During much of this tour in the Far East, Mount Baker was on station with carriers off Vietnam, providing ammunition for aircraft flying strikes on North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
, and against enemy concentrations in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. After overhaul at Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard, Mount Baker sailed once more for the Far East 28 September 1967 to aid the United States fleet well into 1968. Mount Baker served in the Far East for a final time in 1969.
Mount Baker was struck from the Naval Register on 2 December 1969 and transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal, she was scrapped in 1974.
External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org