USS Kanawha (AOG-31)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Kanawha.

USS Kanawha (AOG-31) was a T1-M-A2 Mettawee-class gasoline tanker acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations.

History
United States
Namesake	Kanawha River in southwest West Virginia
Ordered	as T1-M-A2 tanker hull
Laid down	30 August 1944
Launched	18 October 1944
Acquired	13 November 1944
Commissioned	23 November 1944
Decommissioned	23 March 1946
Stricken	date unknown
Fate	Scrapped, 1964
General characteristics
Tonnage	1,228 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Displacement	846 tons(lt) 2,270 tons(fl)
Length	220 ft 6 in
Beam	37 ft
Draft	17 ft
Propulsion	Diesel direct drive, single screw, 720 hp
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement	62
Armament	one single 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mount, two 40 mm guns, three single 20 mm gun mounts

The fourth ship to be named Kanawha by the Navy, AOG-31 was laid down 30 August 1944 by the East Coast Shipyard, Inc., Bayonne, New Jersey, under a United States Maritime Commission contract; launched 18 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. May T. Norton; transferred to the Navy 13 November; and commissioned 23 November 1944.

World War II service

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Kanawha cleared Norfolk, Virginia, 15 January 1945 to load oil at Aruba, Netherlands West Indies, and arrived San Pedro, Los Angeles, 13 February.

Pacific Fleet operations

She arrived Pearl Harbor 20 March and departed 6 April with a cargo of lube oil, arriving Eniwetok 2 weeks later. Kanawha continued fueling services in the Marshalls and Marianas until she departed Ulithi 7 June with a cargo of lube oil for the Philippines and arrived Leyte 11 June. The tanker operated in the Philippines for the rest of the war and began similar duties at Okinawa 6 October.

Post-war decommissioning

Kanawha sailed for America 14 November and arrived Mare Island, California, 14 December via Pearl Harbor. She decommissioned 23 March 1946 and was transferred to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) August 1946. She entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California, 4 September. She was sold for scrapping 2 March 1964. Final disposition: scrapped, 1964.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Kanawha (AOG-31) at NavSource Naval History