U.S.S.
Severn
AO-61
The Call to
Final
Muster
|
The fourth Severn (AO-61) was laid down under Maritime Commission
contract (MC hull 727) on 24 November 1943 by the Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard, Inc.,
Sparrows Point, Md.: launched on 31 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Harold B. Hinton; and
delivered and commissioned on 19 July 1944, Lt. Comdr. Owen Rees in command.
Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Severn departed the east
coast for the Panama Canal and duty as a fresh water carrier in the Pacific. Assigned to ServRon 8, she arrived at Pearl Harbor
on 8 September and at Eniwetok on the 22d. There she discharged her cargo into YO’s,
and, on the 28th, sailed for the Admiralties. At Manus, on 3 October, she
commenced watering amphibious craft of the 7th Fleet preparing for the Leyte
invasion; and, on the 13th, got under way for Hollandia, whence she sailed for
Leyte Gulf on the 18th. The 23d brought the beginning of the Battle for Leyte
Gulf; and, as that day turned into the 24th Severn entered the gulf. After
daylight, she moved into San Pedro Bay. An hour later, she underwent her first air attack;
and, on the 25th, began discharging fresh water.
Through the daily air attacks of the next few weeks Severn continued To
provide 7th Fleet units with water. By November, the attacks were down to two a
day and were usually broken up by friendly aircraft. But, on the 24th, an enemy
plane penetrated the CAP cover and released a bomb aimed at the water carrier. The bomb
missed Severn, but hit PC-1124 then receiving water.
In December, Severn returned to Manus, took on more water,
clothing, dry provisions, and lube oil; loaded an LCVP and 2 jeeps at Hollandia, Then
returned to the Philippines in time to support the landings in Lingayen Gulf. Arriving in
that gulf on 13 January 1945, she distributed water and fuel oil through the 26th,
then returned to San Pedro Bay. From Leyte, she proceeded back to the Admiralties; and, on
14 February, got under way for the Western Carolines.
During March, Severn filled her cargo tanks with water at Guam and
offloaded at Ulithi into ships staging for the Okinawa campaign. In April, she continued
to focus her operations on Ulithi which she left only to rendezvous with 5th
Fleet units at sea to return to the Marianas to refill her cargo tanks. In May, with the
arrival of Ataban (AW-4) at Ulithi, she commenced roughly triangular operations which took
her from the Carolines to the Admiralties to the Marianas and back to the Carolines,
taking on potable water at Manus and Guam and discharging it into water carriers and small
craft at Saipan and Ulithi.
In August, Severn moved up to Okinawa to discharge water to ships
in Buckner Bay and in the Hagushi anchorage. After the end of hostilities, she remained at
Okinawa, and during September, October, and November she shuttled water from Samar to the
Ryukyus. In December, she carried water to distributing ships at Sasebo, Kagoshima, and
Wakayama, Japan; and, on the 27th, sailed for the United States.
Severn arrived at San Pedro, Calif., on 10 January 1946. Overhaul
followed; and, in May, she sailed for the Marshalls. There, into October, she provided
fresh water to units of Joint Task Force 1 during Operation “Crossroads,” the
atomic test series conducted that summer at Bikini. She then returned to the United
States; and, in December, assumed the duties of an oiler and initially transported Navy
special fuel and diesel fuel between west coast ports. At mid-month, Severn sailed for
Japan where she joined ServRon 3 and commenced shuttling fuel between Japanese and Korean
ports. In February 1947, she was transferred
to Persian Gulf runs, and, into July, moved fuel from Ras at Tannura to Yokosuka. In July,
she returned to the west coast for overhaul; and, in November, resumed runs between Japan
and the Persian Gulf. In May 1948, her schedule was altered, and, into September, she
carried petroleum products from the Middle East to the east coast of the United States.
She then returned to the Pacific; and, but for a run to Europe, she conducted Persian
Gulf-Japan runs until ordered back to the United States for inactivation in January 1950. At the end of that month, she proceeded to the
Puget Sound Navy Yard for tank cleaning and voyage repairs, then, in early April, moved
south to San Diego to complete inactivation. Despite the outbreak of hostilities in Korea,
she was decommissioned as scheduled on 3 July but was soon reactivated again as that
conflict drew available shipping into the Pacific and produced unfilled demands in other
areas.
Severn was recommissioned on 29 December 1950 and, although
assigned to Service Force, Atlantic, was initially employed in transpacific service.
Severn earned two battle stars during World War II.
Final Chapter:
Decommissioned
in1973 at NavSta Newport RI; Laid up at NISMF Philadelphia,
PA; Struck from the
Naval Register, 1 July 1974; Transferred to the Maritime
Administration for
disposal; Final disposition, sold, 22 January 1975 by
MARAD, fate unknown.
This page was last updated on 03/20/08.
