- USS Pleiades (AK-46)
USS "Pleiades" (AK-46) was commissioned by the
U.S. Navy for service inWorld War II . She was responsible for delivering military personnel and equipment to ships and stations in the war zone.Built in 1939 as MS Mangalia for the Romanian State Maritime Service by Cantieri Navali Riuniti,
Palermo, Italy , was taken over while lying idle atNew York ,25 June 1941 , by the U.S.Maritime Commission under the authority of Public Law 101 (77th Congress) and Executive Order 8771; acquired by the Navy on a bareboat charter from WSA,11 August 1941 ; renamed "Pleiades" (AK-46),3 September 1941 ; and commissioned25 October 1941 , LCDR Drayton Harrison in command.World War II North Atlantic operations
Following an abbreviated shakedown, "Pleiades" loaded cargo at
Quonset Point, Rhode Island , and on22 November , got underway on her firstconvoy run through theU-boat infested waters of the NorthAtlantic Ocean toIceland . Returning to New York the day after theUnited States entered World War II, "Pleiades" completed ten more convoy runs, six to Iceland and four to theUnited Kingdom by July 1943.A very dangerous convoy run
Of those convoys, SC–107, which departed New York
24 October 1942 , was the most hazardous. On1 November , with five ships in each column, the 9 column convoy took departure fromCanada for Iceland, and the United Kingdom. Shortly before 2000, awolfpack closed the convoy, and, for almost 70 hours, struck at the columns, repeatedly scoring hits. At 1837,4 November , they sank their last ship and departed, having sunk 15, and damaged one other.Converted to general stores
Steaming south,
25 July 1943 , "Pleiades" spent August, September, and October on aBrazil ian run, then, in mid-November returned to the North Atlantic to ply those waters again until June 1944. Converted to a general stores issue vessel, she joined Service Force, Atlantic, 3 July, and three weeks later departedLynnhaven Roads for theMediterranean .Supporting the invasion of Southern France
She anchored at
Naples, Italy ,17 August ; discharged cargo there until2 September ; then, acting asflagship for a convoy of LCIs, got underway for southernFrance . Encountering amistral en route, she delivered her charges toSaint-Tropez ,4 September . From the 5th through the 23rd, she distributed supplies toU.S. 8th Fleet units at St. Tropez, San Raphael, andMarseilles , then sailed toBizerte , whence she returned to the United States, mooring atBoston, Massachusetts ,29 October .Tropical South Atlantic runs
Following alterations, "Pleiades" steamed to
Bayonne, New Jersey , to load cargo forBrazil . She completed thatBelém -Recife -Bahia run at New York,12 January 1945 ; underwent repairs; and then commenced a series of sugar runs to theCaribbean which continued until after the end of World War II. On4 November , she arrived at New York to complete her last cargo run as a U.S. Navy ship.Post-war decommissioning
Decommissioned
21 November , she was returned, the same day, to the Maritime Commission, under which she resumed merchant service with the name SS|Scepter.Military awards and honors
"Pleiades" (AK-46) earned two
battle star s for World War II service. Her crew members were eligible for the following medals:
* Combat Action Ribbon (Convoy SC-107, 1-4 November 1943)
* American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp)
* American Campaign Medal
* Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2)
* World War II Victory MedalReferences
See also
*
List of United States Navy ships External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/13/130046.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AK-46 Pleiades]
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