USS Beltrami (AK-162)

USS Beltrami (AK-162) was an "Alamosa"-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

"Beltrami" (AK-162) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2107) on 18 July 1944 by Kaiser Cargo, at Richmond, California; launched on 26 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Marvin A. Thrash; and acquired by the Navy and commissioned on 4 January 1945, Lt. Gerald W. Rahill, USNR, in command.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

After fitting out at San Francisco, California, "Beltrami" got underway on 21 January for shakedown operations out of San Pedro, California. There, her crew members practiced loading and unloading cargo and familiarized themselves with the cargo ship's diesel engines. On 8 February, she loaded frozen food and steamed north to Longview, Washington. There, the cargo ship received a load of lumber from the Weyerhauser Co. before sailing west to Hawaii, arriving in Pearl Harbor on 1 March. Over the next two weeks, the crew unloaded lumber at Port Allen, Kauai, and Nawiliwili Bay, Kauai, before returning to Pearl Harbor.

Supplying South Pacific bases

Assigned to the Service Force, Pacific Fleet, "Beltrami" sailed for the Solomon Islands on 21 March. Arriving at Guadalcanal on 3 April, the cargo ship discharged her supplies and immediately began loading for a supply run to the Admiralty Islands. Underway from the Solomons on the 8th, she arrived at Manus Island on 12 April. After unloading her cargo -- Manus was a support base for the ongoing operations in the Philippines and the Ryukyus -- "Beltrami" sailed to Ulithi, Caroline Islands, on the 25th, anchoring there four days later.

Supporting troops in the Philippines

Tasked with supporting the Okinawa campaign, "Beltrami" proceeded to the Philippines on 20 May, arriving in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, on 25 May. She then spent the next month discharging and loading fleet freight before sailing for the Mariana Islands on 22 June. "Beltrami" operated at Apra Harbor, Guam, for the next four weeks before heading to Ulithi on 21 July. She remained in reserve at that atoll through the end of the war on 15 August.

End-of-war activity

"Beltrami" sailed to the Philippines late in August and spent nine weeks operating in the Leyte area, providing passenger and cargo service to the forces ashore. On 8 November, tasked with supporting American occupation forces in China, the cargo ship departed San Pedro Bay for Shanghai, arriving there on 16 November. She remained there until leaving for California on 27 January 1946, mooring in San Francisco harbor on 23 February.

Assigned to the East Coast

Ordered to the U.S. East Coast, "Beltrami" got underway on 15 March, passed through the Panama Canal on the 28th, and arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, on 8 April.

Preparations for Operation Nanook

While at that base, the ship received orders to prepare for Operation Nanook -- a project to set up a system of weather stations in the Arctic regions of the Western Hemisphere. She first made brief stops at Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in mid-April, both to obtain cold weather gear and to receive equipment modifications for extended sub-zero operations. The cargo ship then sailed to New York, embarking LCVPs and picket boats in early May, before moving on to Boston, Massachusetts, to load a detachment of U.S. Marines. "Beltrami" sailed independently on 15 July, heading north toward the Strait of Belle Isle, Newfoundland.

Above the Arctic Circle

On 25 July, after passing through the Labrador Sea and the Davis Strait, the cargo ship rendezvoused with the icebreaker "Northwind" (WAG-282) in Lancaster Sound, well above the Arctic Circle. Two days later, the ships entered Dundas Harbor, Devon Island, to disembark the marine detachment. Upon entering the harbor, "Northwind" grounded on an uncharted pinnacle but was refloated about ten hours later without serious damage. Meanwhile, the marine detachment went ashore and set up a temporary camp at the base of an inactive glacier.

Greenland operations

"Beltrami" then proceeded to Thule, Greenland, where she joined the seaplane tender "Norton Sound" (AV-11), net-laying ship "Whitewood" (AN-63), and cargo ship "Alcona" (AK-157) in Task Force (TF) 68. Her crew unloaded the cargo and heavy equipment needed to construct a weather station and an emergency airstrip, before the ship returned to Dundas Harbor on 20 August and reembarked the marines after their three-week field expedition. Returning to Thule on the 22d, she sailed for home two days later and arrived in Boston on 3 September.

Cargo operations along the East Coast

Over the next two years, "Beltrami" plied the Atlantic coastal waters of North America, delivering general cargo from Bayonne, New Jersey, and Norfolk to naval stations as far south as the Panama Canal Zone and as far north as Argentia, Newfoundland. She also made regular visits to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; St. George, Bermuda; and Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.

Service with the Sixth Fleet

On 11 February 1949, following the permanent establishment of the U.S. 6th Fleet the previous year, the cargo ship began the first of three voyages to the Mediterranean Sea. She visited Casablanca, Morocco; Athens, Greece; and Haifa, Israel; before coming back to Norfolk on 15 April. Beltrami returned to the Mediterranean between 8 October and 2 December of that year and again between 15 June and 7 August of 1951. In between these cruises, she also made one voyage to British ports, visiting Gibraltar, Plymouth, and Londonderry between 20 July and 8 September 1950.

Final operations

For the remainder of her service, "Beltrami" operated out of Earle, New Jersey, and Norfolk, primarily servicing ports and installations in the West Indies. Her most common duty was the shuttling of passengers and cargo between Guantánamo Bay, Roosevelt Roads, and Trinidad. Made obsolete by larger and faster cargo ships, "Beltrami" sailed from Norfolk to Charleston, South Carolina, in late July 1955, arriving at the navy yard there on the 29th.

Final decommissioning

Placed in commission, in reserve, on 1 August 1955, she was towed to Savannah, Georgia, on 28 August, and was decommissioned on 10 November 1955. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 April 1960, and she was transferred to the Maritime Administration on 21 June 1960. She was sold for scrap to Hugo Neu Steel Products on 29 August 1960.

Military awards and honors

The record does not indicate battle stars for "Beltrami". However, her crew was eligible for the following medals and campaign ribbons:
* China Service Medal (extended)
* American Campaign Medal
* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
* World War II Victory Medal
* National Defense Service Medal

References

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/09/13/130162.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AK-162 Beltrami]