U.S.S. Mount Katmai AE-16

U.S.S. MOUNT KATMAI (AE-16)

The U.S.S. Mount Katmai is one of three ammunition supply ships that were named after geographical locations in Alaska. The other two naval vessels were the U.S.S. Great Sitkin (AE-17) and U.S.S. Wrangell (AE-12). In keeping with naval traditions, the ammunition supply ships are named after volcanoes. The U.S.S. Mount Katmai was built in the closing days of World War II. She was launched on 6 January 1945 and commissioned on 21 July 1945 at Jacksonville, Florida with Commander C.H. Ross in command. Her length was 459 feet with a beam of 63 feet. Her speed was 16 knots with a complement of 267 personnel and a capacity of 7,700 dead weight tons.
Although the U.S.S.Mount Katmai (AE-16) entered the naval fleet at the conclusion of World War II she would see action later in her career. During the time that she serviced the fleet she would earn nine Battle Stars for service in Korea and nine Battle Stars for Vietnam service.
In the early 1970's, the U.S.S. Mount operated within the same service task force on Yankee Station with the U.S.S. Ponchatoula (AO-148) on which I was serving. Operations consisted of replenishment operations to the fleet operating in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam.
Korean Conflict

Following her commission, the U.S.S. Mount Katmai would have her shakedown cruise and outfitting. She reported for duty with Commander Service Force, Atlantic Fleet on 8 September 1945, just days prior to the surrender of Japan to the allied forces. The Mount Katmai was then detached with orders to proceed to Hawaii via the Panama Canal. The ammunition ship was assigned to the western Pacific, arriving in Leyte in mid October 1945.
As with all service ships, the U.S.S. Mount Katmai lived up to the slang usage of U.S.S. (Underway, Saturday, Sunday). She made many Pacific transits during her career. On 22 July 1950, she deployed from San Francisco to the Western Pacific, arriving in the Korean Combat Zone on 18 August 1950. She returned home in November 1951 and departed for Korea again in April 1952. She returned to the United States in February 1953 and once again made the transit to the Far East in May 1953. Following the armistice, the Mount Katmai returned home. One year later she would once again get underway for the Far East. Between May 1954 and May 1964 she would make nine 6 month cruises into the Western Pacific.

Vietnam Conflict

On February 26, 1965 the U.S.S. Mount Katmai departed her home port of San Francisco, underway to a new war zone to replenish 7th Fleet ships. She arrived at Subic Bay, Philippines on May 15, 1965. Within several days, she was underway for operations in the South China Sea, servicing the carrier strike groups and combatant ships off Vietnam. Once the replenishment operations were completed, as all service ships did, the U.S.S. Mount Katmai would return to Subic Bay and take on supplies to replenish the fleet. The Mount Katmai was a work horse, during her remaining career she would make seven cruises into the South China Sea during the Vietnam Conflict.

The U.S.S. Mount Katmai (AE-16) would be decommissioned on 14 August 1973 and enter the Pacific Fleet Reserve Fleet. At a later date, she would see the same fate that the majority of our naval vessels see, that of being sold for scrap metal. The twenty eight years that she served the fleet, she served them well.