- USS Turandot (AKA-47)
USS "Turandot" (AKA-47) was an "Artemis" class
attack cargo ship named after the minor planet "530 Turandot ," discovered by Max Wolf in 1904 and named by him after the title character in the Puccini opera of the same name."Turandot" (AKA-47) was laid down under
Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1908) on29 March 1945 by theWalsh-Kaiser Co., Inc. ,Providence, R.I. ; launched on20 May 1945 ; sponsored by Mrs. Charles H. MacLeod; and commissioned on18 June 1945 , Lt. Comdr. Francklyn W. C. Zwicker, USNR, in command.Following fitting out and conversion at the
Boston Navy Yard , "Turandot" made her shakedown cruise in theChesapeake Bay in July 1945. After undergoing availability at Norfolk, the new attack cargo ship took on passengers and cargo; then departedHampton Roads on24 July , bound for the Canal Zone. She transited thePanama Canal on30 July and, early the next day, rendezvoused with USS "Barbero" (SS-317) for exercises en route to theHawaiian Islands . On10 August , she parted company with the submarine and made her way independently toOahu , arriving atPearl Harbor on14 August 1945 .After discharging her cargo, she embarked 172 Army troops and departed the Hawaiian Islands on
7 September , setting her course for theNew Hebrides . She arrived atEspiritu Santo on the 17th, discharged her passengers, loaded cargo, and embarked elements of the 85th Construction Battalion.On
22 September , she got underway for the Marshalls. After fueling atEniwetok , she continued on and arrived atWake Island on6 October . The following day, she discharged her cargo and passengers and returned to Eniwetok to begin "Magic-Carpet" duties, carrying troops back to the United States. She embarked more than 600 veterans, then got underway on13 October and steamed via agreat circle route toCalifornia . On Friday,26 October , she entered San Pedro Harbor and disembarked her happy passengers. After voyage repairs atTerminal Island , she again got underway on3 November , steaming for theMarianas . On the 19th, "Turandot" arrived atSaipan . This time, she was to serve as a magic carpet for more than a thousand returning troops. She departed Saipan on the 27th and completed the crossing at San Pedro on12 December .Voyage repairs occupied most of the remainder of the month. "Turandot" opened the new year with a voyage to
San Diego ; then, on the 24th, continued southward and steamed, via the Panama Canal, to theAtlantic . On5 February , she arrived atHampton Roads and was delivered on25 June 1946 to the Maritime Commission for custody pending disposal. She decommissioned on21 March 1946 and was struck from the Navy list on17 April 1947 .On
4 November 1954 , the former attack cargo ship was reacquired by the Navy; reclassified a cable repair ship, redesignated ARC-3, and renamed "Aeolus". Her conversion was completed on15 May 1955 atBaltimore by the Key Highway Plant of the Bethlehem Steel Co. The ship was accepted for limited service and re-commissioned later that month.ee also
See
USS Aeolus (ARC-3) for the continued history of this ship.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t9/turandot.htm Naval Historical Center: USS "Turandot"]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a3/aeolus-ii.htm Naval Historical Center: USS "Aeolus"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/02047.htm NavSource Online: AKA-47 Turandot, ARC-3 Aeolus]
* [http://www.nandc.com/aeolus/ USS "Turandot" / USS "Aeolus" web site]
* [http://ussrankin.org/id352.htm 51 Years of AKAs]
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