- USS Tangier (AV-8)
The second USS "Tangier" (AV-8) was a cargo ship, converted to a
seaplane tender in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II ."Tangier" laid down under a
Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 51) as "Sea Arrow" on 18 March 1939 atOakland, California , byMoore Dry Dock Company ; launched on 15 September 1939; sponsored by Mrs.Joseph R. Sheehan ; renamed "Tangier" (AV-8) on 3 June 1940; acquired by the Navy on 8 July 1940; and commissioned in ordinary on that same day, CommanderClifton A. F. Sprague in command."Tangier" remained at Oakland for over a year, undergoing conversion to a seaplane tender. Finally, on 25 August 1941, she went into full commission and put to sea on her shakedown cruise. At the completion of shakedown training, she was assigned as tender to Patrol Wing (PatWing) 2, based in
Hawaii . She arrived atPearl Harbor on 3 November and moored abaft the former battleship USS "Utah" now serving as an antiaircraft training ship, AG-16. There, the seaplane tender spent the last month of peacetime caring for her brood of flying boats.At 0755 on the morning of 7 December 1941, the first of two waves of Japanese carrier-based planes swooped in on the
U.S. Pacific Fleet , moored at Pearl Harbor. "Tangier", still abaft "Utah", was in the fight from the beginning. Her klaxon sounded general quarters three minutes later; and, by 0800, her antiaircraft batteries opened up on the swarm of "meatball"-emblazoned planes. During the ensuing melee, "Tangier's" gunners claimed three enemy planes and hits on a midget submarine which had penetrated the harbor's defenses. She and her sister seaplane tender, USS "Curtiss" (AV-4), shelled the submarine, but destroyer "Monaghan" (DD-354) finished it off with a two-pronged attack, subjecting it to a ramming and following up with a cascade of depth charges. By 0920, the skies were clear of planes, and only the smoke from the burning ships and shore installations remained. "Tangier" began rescuing survivors from capsized "Utah".During the next few days, it became apparent that the Japanese would soon attempt a landing on
Wake Island , a desolate speck in the ocean but a strategic American outpost located almost astride the 20th parallel, some two-thirds of the way fromOahu toGuam and almost due north of theMarshall Islands . By mid-December, the seaplane tender was loaded with supplies, ammunition, and equipment for the desperate but thus far victorious defenders of Wake Island. Then, she rode idly at anchor for two days while USS "Saratoga" (CV-3), the carrier around which the Wake relief force was to be built, steamed to Pearl fromSan Diego . "Sara" entered Pearl Harbor on 15 December, and Tangier departed the same afternoon in company with USS "Neches" (AO-5) and a destroyer division while the carrier refueled. "Saratoga" caught up to the slow-moving little convoy on the 17th, and the task force advanced on Wake.At this point, Admiral Kimmel was replaced by Admiral Nimitz as Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet. It was an unfortunate time to make such a change for, in the space of time it took Nimitz to make it from
Washington to Pearl Harbor, confusion and indecision reigned in the Pacific. The immediate result was a failure to press home the relief expedition, and this unfortunate combination of circumstances caused the loss of Wake Island and its gallant garrison. On 23 December, after a three-day struggle against overwhelming odds, the defenders succumbed. The relief expedition was ordered back to Oahu. "Tangier" sailed viaMidway Island , where she disembarked the men and equipment of Marine Fighting Squadron 221 to bolster that island's defenses and embarked civilian evacuees. The seaplane tender returned to Pearl Harbor on the last day of 1941.On 11 February 1942, "Tangier" put to sea again and headed, via
Pago Pago andSuva , toNew Caledonia . She arrived inNoumea on 3 March and relieved "Curtiss" as tender for six flying boats. For the next three and one-half months, she performed routine tender services for PBY's flying long-range searches to the north of New Caledonia, almost as far as the lower Solomons. Between late April and early May, her brood of seaplanes was increased to 12 in anticipation of a fleet action in theCoral Sea . When the battle came to pass, however, her amphibians had to content themselves with rescuing survivors of USS "Sims" (DD-409) and USS "Neosho" (AO-23), sunk on 7 May by the Japanese who mistook them for a cruiser and carrier, respectively, and of the torpedoed Greek freighter SS "Chloe". The search continued until 13 May, days after the end of the crucial battle. Coral Sea was a tactical victory for the Japanese—the U.S. Navy lost more tonnage— but a strategic victory for the United States. It stopped the southward advance of the "Rising Sun" and set the stage for the American victory in theBattle of Midway by temporarily robbing the Japanese of two of their newest fleet carriers, "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku". "Shōkaku" was incapacitated by battle damage, and Zuikaku lost a high percentage of her veteran aviators.After their rescue operations for survivors of Allied ships lost in the Coral Sea action, "Tangier's" planes resumed normal search operations. On 30 May, two of her seaplanes were forced down at sea by fuel shortage, and a third crashed near
Mare Island in the Loyalty group. Destroyer USS "Meredith" (DD-434) went out to aid the two planes. One was refueled and returned safely, but the other could not take off and had to be sunk. The crew of the third plane reached safety at Mare Island. On 20 June, "Tangier" was relieved by "Curtiss " and, the following day, got underway for the west coast. She reached Pearl Harbor on Independence Day 1942 and stood out again three days later. On the 15th, she arrived inSan Francisco and immediately began overhaul.Tangier completed overhaul in September and, after loading aviation equipment at the
Alameda Naval Air Station , departed San Francisco for Pearl Harbor, Suva, and ultimatelyEspiritu Santo , where she arrived on 29 February 1943. There, she unloaded her stores and commenced tending seaplanes. She continued routine operations until 12 August, when she got underway for Pearl Harbor. "Tangier" made Oahu on the 28th. During September and October, she made two voyages from Pearl Harbor toAmerican Samoa and one to San Diego, before returning to Espiritu Santo on 6 November with a load of aviation cargo. On the 14th, she headed back to the United States, arriving in San Diego on 3 December for another yard overhaul.On 21 February 1944, the seaplane tender headed west again. She reached Espiritu Santo on 8 March and, after a four-day layover, continued on to
Brisbane ,Australia , where she became the flagship of the Commander, Aircraft, 7th Fleet, on 21 March. Two days later, she headed north to support General MacArthur's advance up the back of theNew Guinea "bird." After stops atMilne Bay andLangemak Bay , she dropped anchor inSeeadler Harbor , Manus, on 31 March. She remained there for three months, tending her Catalinas as they supported the landings atWakde ,Noemfoor , andBiak and generally supported the 7th Fleet's advance. On 31 July, she moved toWoendi Anchorage located just off Biak, at the head of the New Guinea "bird." "Tangier" conducted seaplane operations from there until 19 September, when she got underway forMorotai . The tender arrived off Morotai on the 21st and supported the invasion, undergoing intermittent air attacks, until 1 December, when she headed back to Manus. She anchored in Seeadler Harbor again on 5 December."Tangier" visited Woendi again on 22 and 23 December; then sailed for the
Philippines . She enteredKossol Roads , in thePalaus , on Christmas Day and departed again the following day. On 29 December, she arrived in San Pedro Bay,Leyte Gulf , and began operating her seaplanes from there. For almost a month, her charges supported various operations in the Philippines. These included the Lingayen invasion and air strikes on the numerous smaller islands of the archipelago. In fact, their primary mission appears to have been air-sea rescue work in support of the air strikes.On 24 January 1945, "Tangier" departed Leyte and headed for
Lingayen Gulf , arriving three days later. Her Catalinas and Mariners conducted night barrier patrols ofLuzon Strait and theSouth China Sea along with night searches and antishipping flights along the China coast in the vicinity of Formosa. On 12 February, the seaplane tender moved toMangarin Bay ,Mindoro , to run day searches over the South China Sea as far north as the coast ofFrench Indochina andHainan Island . She concluded operations from Mangarin Bay on 7 March and headed forSubic Bay ,Luzon . She arrived there on the following day and departed on the llth. "Tangier" anchored inCabalitian Bay , offCabalitian Island , on the 12th and commenced seaplane operations. For the next three months, her planes flew searches and antishipping missions over the South China Sea in the direction ofHong Kong , Swatow, and Formosa.The seaplane tender exited Cabalitian Bay on 17 June and arrived in Subic Bay the following day. Soon thereafter, she moved to
Manila Bay , departing there on 25 June. On the 27th, she stopped at San Pedro Bay; then continued east toward the United States. She reached Pearl Harbor on 10 July and San Francisco on 20 July. She was overhauled at the Moore Dry Dock Co. and then ordered back to the Far East for occupation duty. On 24 September, she exited San Francisco and headed back across the broad Pacific. Sailing via Adak,Alaska , she reached the vicinity ofYokosuka during the second week in October. After two months of occupation duty in Japan, "Tangier" moved toKowloon Bay ,China , in December for air-sea rescue, patrol, and courier duty. In January 1946, she returned to Japan for another brief tour of duty with the occupation forces. Late in February, she moved from Sasebo toOkinawa , where she remained until late March.On the 22d, "Tangier" set sail for the United States. She made a brief visit to Pearl Harbor in early April and transited the
Panama Canal in mid-month. She reached Norfolk, Va., on the 29th and Philadelphia, Pa., on 1 May. Following a short voyage back to Norfolk and to Yorktown, Va., the seaplane tender returned to Philadelphia on 11 May to prepare for in-activation. By January 1947, "Tangier" was out of commission, berthed with the Reserve Fleet atPhiladelphia . On 1 June 1961, her name was struck from the Navy list; and, on 17 November 1961, she was sold to the Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. for scrapping."Tangier" earned three
battle star s duringWorld War II .See USS "Tangier" for other ships of the same name.
References
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