- USS Auburn (AGC-10)
USS "Auburn" (AGC-10) was a "Mount McKinley"-class amphibious force command ship, named after
Mount Auburn , northwest ofCambridge, Massachusetts . She was designed as an amphibious forceflagship , a floatingcommand post with advanced communications equipment and extensive combat information spaces to be used by theamphibious forces commander andlanding force commander during large-scale operations.Commissioning and 1944
Laid down as "Katkay" under a
Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1351) on14 August 1943 at Wilmington, N.C., by theNorth Carolina Shipbuilding Company ; launched on19 October 1943 ; sponsored by Miss Julia Raney; acquired by the Navy on31 January 1944 ; converted atHoboken, New Jersey , New Jersey, N.J., by the Bethlehem Steel Co., for naval service as an amphibious force flagship; renamed "Auburn" and designated AGC-10; and placed in commission at Hoboken, New Jersey on20 July 1944 , Capt. Ralph Orsen Myers in command. After conducting shakedown training in theChesapeake Bay , the command ship left Norfolk, Va., on17 August and shaped a course for thePacific . She transited thePanama Canal on the 23d and continued on toPearl Harbor , Hawaii, where she arrived on6 September . Three days later, "Auburn" became theflagship for Commander, Amphibious Group 2, Pacific Fleet. On29 September , she entered thePearl Harbor Navy Yard for an availability. During this time, major alterations were made to her flag bridge, additional evaporators were installed, and other minor repairs were completed.1945
In mid-November, the ship began a series of training exercises off
Maui in preparation for the invasion of theVolcano Islands . "Auburn" left Hawaii on27 January 1945 , made port calls atEniwetok andSaipan , and finally reachedTinian in early February. There she began final rehearsals for the assault onIwo Jima .The actual landings on that island commenced on the 19th. During the operation, the ship coordinated and directed the movements of several hundred ships attached to Amphibious Group 2. She remained offIwo Jima until27 March ; then headed forPearl Harbor and a well earned period of rest and recreation for her crew. "Auburn" remained in Hawaiian waters until15 May , when she got underway for Okinawa. The ship arrived there on the 31st and became theflagship for 5th Amphibious Forces. She controlled operations of ships off that bitterly contested island and escaped damage despite frequent Japanese air attacks. Okinawa was declared secure on21 June , and "Auburn" got underway for Pearl Harbor on1 July .Post-War
Shortly after her arrival at Pearl Harbor, "Auburn" entered a
drydock to undergo repairs. While the work was in progress,Japan capitulated on15 August . Four days later, the ship left Hawaii and steamed toward thePhilippines . After reachingLuzon , she remained in port atManila for approximately one month. She departed that port on14 September and set a course for Japan viaEniwetok andBuckner Bay , Okinawa. The ship dropped anchor at Sasebo,Japan , on20 September . Three days later, "Auburn" got underway for Nagasaki. While there, the vessel played an important part in establishing ship-to-shore communications and arranging facilities for occupation troops. On25 September , the ship arrived atWakayama and began assisting forces in the occupation ofOsaka ,Kyoto , and other large cities to the north. In early October, she moved to Yokohama. Her occupation duty ended on12 October , when she left Japanese waters and headed back to the United States. "Auburn" reached Pearl Harbor on21 October and remained there a few days before continuing on eastward. She enteredSan Francisco Bay on31 October . The ship reversed her course on5 November and headed back to Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on14 November and picked up several hundred military passengers for transportation to Norfolk,Virginia . The ship left Pearl Harbor that same day and set a course for thePanama Canal Zone . After retransiting the canal on29 November , "Auburn" finally reached Norfolk on7 December . Three days after her arrival at Norfolk, "Auburn" became the flagship for Commander, Training Command, Atlantic Fleet. This assignment continued until January 1947, when the vessel was assigned to theAtlantic Reserve Fleet . She underwent inactivation preparations at theNorfolk Naval Shipyard ,Portsmouth, Virginia . "Auburn" was placed out of commission, in reserve, on7 May 1947 .Her name was struck from the
Naval Register on1 July 1960 , and she was transferred in November 1960 to theMaritime Administration for disposal. The ship was sold in 1961 and scrapped.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a14/auburn-ii.htm
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/01/0110.htm navsource.org: USS "Auburn"]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.