- USS Zebra (AKN-5)
The USS "Zebra" (AKN-5) was an sclass|Indus|net cargo ship in the service of the
United States Navy inWorld War II . Named after the animalZebra , it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name."Zebra" was laid down
18 March 1943 asLiberty ship SS "Matthew Lyon" (MCE hull 535) byPermanente Metals Corporation , Richmond No. 1 Yard,Richmond, California , under a Maritime Commission contract; launched on11 April 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. Harry H. Feldhahn; and delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on26 April 1943 . Operated for the WSA by a civilian contractor, Dichmann W. & P., the ship plied the waters of the Pacific during the summer of 1943. On12 August , while voyaging toEspiritu Santo in theNew Hebrides , she received severe damage as the result of a torpedo fired by warship|Japanese submarine|I-11. Several days later, the freighter limped into Espiritu Santo and languished there in Segond Channel for several weeks, apparently headed for scrapping.Late in September, a naval officer recognized her potential for emergency service as a net cargo ship; and, on
1 October 1943 , she was placed in service as "Zebra" (IX-107). Her susbequent success in that role prompted her complete conversion to a net cargo ship and her total rehabilitation to operable status. On15 February 1944 , the ship was redesignated AKN-5, and "Zebra" was placed in commission on27 February 1944 , while in drydock at Espiritu Santo, Lt. Comdr. Robert D. Abernethy, USNR, in command.During the first three months of her commissioned service, "Zebra" remained at Espiritu Santo completing her partial conversion to a net cargo ship. She began her first mission on
1 June , when she started loading a cargo of reclaimed net material and put to sea on8 June , bound forNew Caledonia . The ship arrived inNouméa on11 June , unloaded her net material, and took on a general cargo destined for the Fiji Islands. She departed Nouméa on19 June , arrived atSuva three days later, unloaded, and began taking on reclaimed net material. On27 June , she moved to the other side of the island where she began loading material salvaged from the Nandi net installations. The ship completed loading on5 July and headed back to New Caledonia that same day. "Zebra" entered Nouméa on8 July and discharged her load of salvaged net gear. Following 10 days at Nouméa, the net cargo ship embarked upon a circuit of various South Pacific islands to collect nets and equipment salvaged from the harbor defense installations. Through the remainder of the summer, the ship visitedTongatapu ;Bora Bora ;Tutuila andUpolu ,Samoa ; andFunafuti . At each island, she stopped long enough to unload part of the general cargo she had taken on at Nouméa and pick up each installation's salvaged net gear. She departed her last port of call on that voyage, Funafuti in the Ellice Islands, on23 August and returned to Nouméa five days later."Zebra" remained at Nouméa until
15 September . On that day, she embarked upon a voyage which took her closer to war and which brought her first actual net-laying mission. The ship arrived in Eniwetok lagoon on24 September and remained there until3 October when she continued on toward the Western Carolines. Reaching Ulithi Atoll on8 October , the net cargo ship immediately began installing net gear around the anchorage with two of her sister ships, USS|Sagittarius|AKN-2|2 and USS|Tuscana|AKN-3|2. They completed their mission by10 November , and "Zebra" loaded the unused net material for transportation to thePalau s. She departed Ulithi that same day and entered Barnum Bay nearPeleliu two days later. While the fighting on Peleliu continued, the net cargo ship assembled a net installation for the protection of a wharf about to be constructed at the island. She concluded that portion of her mission on14 November and headed north in company with two net tenders to the anchorage at Kossol Roads. There, she spent 11 days assembling over two miles of net and supporting equipment. At the conclusion of that assignment, "Zebra" received orders toPearl Harbor . She departed the Palaus on25 November , stopped at Eniwetok briefly on4 December , and arrived inHawaii on15 December . At Pearl Harbor, she underwent 20 days of repairs and modifications before loading net gear in preparation for her next mission.She remained at Pearl Harbor through the end of January 1945 awaiting sailing orders. Finally, the ship got underway on
5 February , bound forIwo Jima . She stopped at Eniwetok between16 February and21 February and then continued her voyage. Two days out of Eniwetok, "Zebra"'s convoy received orders changing its destination from Iwo Jima toSaipan in the Marianas. "Zebra", two net tenders, and a destroyer, however, received instructions to continue on to their original destination as a result of battle damage to her sister ship USS|Keokuk|AKN-4|2. The little task unit arrived off Iwo Jima on28 February , and "Zebra" immediately began double duty, laying nets and serving as flagship for all minecraft in the vicinity. She stayed at Iwo Jima for 42 days, laying nets in spite of adverse weather, heavy seas, and fire from the doomed but stubborn enemy garrison. She also superintended the laying of ship moorings and performed several salvage jobs including pulling USS|Zuni|ATF-95|2 and "LST-727" off the Iwo Jima beach."Zebra" concluded her tour of duty at Iwo Jima on
11 April and shaped a course back to Eniwetok, where she arrived on18 April . Continuing east, the ship entered Pearl Harbor again on28 April for a four-day layover before resuming her voyage to the West Coast. On11 May , the net cargo ship arrived inSan Francisco, California , to complete her conversion to a net cargo ship. She entered the Oakland yard of theMoore Dry Dock Company on14 May . Work continued until mid-July when she received orders to participate in net laying experiments atTiburon, California . Though speeded up, her conversion had not been completed when she slipped her moorings on25 July to join the operations up the bay at Tiburon. That duty lasted until3 August at which time the ship returned to Moore Drydock Co. to complete the remaining conversion work. On26 August , she made her post-conversion, full power trial run and, soon thereafter, received orders assigning her to the Administrative Command, Minecraft, located at Pearl Harbor.The ship stood out of San Francisco Bay on
31 August and arrived in Pearl Harbor on8 September . She remained in Hawaii only 12 days. On20 September , she headed back to the western Pacific to collect salvaged net equipment. Carrying a small cargo of mine gear for theMarshall Islands command, she steamed toKwajalein where she arrived on30 September and unloaded her cargo before proceeding on to Iwo Jima. "Zebra" arrived at the latter island on9 October , loaded net gear, and then headed for the Marianas on29 October . The ship made port at Saipan on1 November , unloaded the salvaged net equipment at the Saipan stockpile, and began loading passengers and equipment for return to the United States.She departed Saipan on
15 November and stopped atGuam on16 November . There, she unloaded some mine-sweeping gear before resuming the voyage on29 November . Steaming by way of Pearl Harbor, "Zebra" arrived in the Canal Zone on31 December 1945 . Routed on toNorfolk, Virginia , she reported to the Commandant, 5th Naval District, on8 January 1946 . "Zebra" was decommissioned at Norfolk on21 January 1946 and simultaneously returned to the War Shipping Administration. Her name was struck from the Navy List on7 February 1946 ."Zebra" was awarded one
battle star for service during World War II.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/z1/zebra.htm
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.