- USS Wright (AV-1)
The USS "Wright" (AZ-1/AV-1) was a one-of-a-kind auxiliary ship in the
United States Navy , named for aviation pioneerOrville Wright .Originally the unnamed "hull no. 680" was laid down at
Hog Island ,Pennsylvania by the American International Shipbuilding Corporation under aUnited States Shipping Board contract. Named "Wright" on20 April 1920 the ship was launched on28 April . A little over two months later, the Navy signed a contract with the Tietjen and Lang Dry Dock Company ofHoboken, New Jersey to convert the ship to a unique type of auxiliary vessel, a "lighter-than-air aircraft tender." On17 July 1920 , the ship received that classification and was designated AZ-1. "Wright" was commissioned at theNew York Navy Yard on16 December 1921 . Her first commanding officer was Captain (later Admiral) Alfred W. Johnson, who also discharged the collateral duties of Commander, Air Squadrons, Atlantic Fleet. Johnson was the first of a long line of commanding officers for the ship, some of whom later distinguished themselves; men such asJohn Rodgers ,Ernest J. King ,Aubrey W. Fitch ,Patrick N. L. Bellinger , andMarc A. Mitscher .From the New York Navy Yard, "Wright" sailed for the
Philadelphia Navy Yard and reached there on22 February 1922 . After installation of her armament, the lighter-than-air aircraft tender departedPhiladelphia on2 March , touching atHampton Roads, Virginia andCharleston, South Carolina en route to theFlorida coast. Arriving atKey West on the 11th, "Wright" reported for special duty with the first division of Scouting Squadron 1—a unit that included theseaplane NC-10 piloted by LieutenantClifton A. F. Sprague and a half-dozen F5L seaplanes. Three days later, the tender put to sea for operations with Scouting Division 1 out ofGuantanamo Bay, Cuba . There, she was later joined by the six planes of Division 2 and two planes of Division 3."Wright", fitted out with a unique "balloon well" built into the ship's hull, aft, to enable her to tend a kite balloon assigned to the ship for experimental operations, departed Guantanamo Bay on
10 April and (while en route back to Key West) conducted maneuvers to experiment with the kite observation balloon. A few weeks after "Wright" reached her destination, the NC-10 flying boat had her bottom sucked out while she attempted to take off and began to sink in seven feet of water. A rescue and repair party salvaged the hull and other parts of the seaplane and brought them on board the tender. Two days later, "Wright" sailed for the Philadelphia Navy Yard and, after brief stops at Norfolk and Charleston en route, arrived there on8 May . Following repairs and alterations at Philadelphia between8 May and21 June , "Wright" headed south and conducted tending operations from Norfolk toPensacola, Florida , and back. While in Hampton Roads on16 July , "Wright" sent up her kite balloon for the last time before transferring it ashore to be based at the Hampton Roads Naval Air Station (NAS).Later that summer, "Wright" visited New York City and then shifted to
Newport, Rhode Island , arriving there on7 August . The ship tended seaplanes in that vicinity, as they engaged in formation bombing exercises on stationary and towed targets. "Wright" and her brood subsequently operated offSolomons Island, Maryland where the seaplanes conducted battle practice and bombing rehearsals. From15 September to24 September , she tended the 13 F5L seaplanes from Scouting Squadron 1 as they conducted bombing practice on towed targets in theChesapeake Bay region. Later that autumn, "Wright" visitedBaltimore . Following her visit to that port, "Wright" cruised down the eastern seaboard for training operations out of Key West. On28 January 1923 , "Wright" departed Florida waters in company with the converted minesweepers USS|Sandpiper|AM-51 and USS|Teal|AM-23 and supported the 18 patrol planes of Scouting Squadron 1 in combined fleet tactics in waters ranging from Cuba andHonduras to thePanama Canal .Between
18 February and22 February , Wright's planes participated inFleet Problem I —a phase of which tested the defenses of the Panama Canal. Assigned to the "Blue" fleet, "Wright" and the two sister "Bird-boats" ("Sandpiper" and "Teal") tended the planes from Scouting Squadron 1 that assisted that force as well as Army coastal and air units in defending the Panama Canal against air attack. The attacking "Black" fleet used two battleships as substitutes for "aircraft carriers" which it did not possess. On21 February , one of those simulated flattops, "Oklahoma" (BB-37), launched a single plane to scout ahead of the "Black" fleet, and, the following morning, sent a single plane aloft. That aircraft—which took off from "Naranyas Cay"—represented a carrier air group, and made her approach to the canal undetected. It dropped 10 miniature bombs and theoretically "destroyed" the Gatun spillway.After returning to Key West on
11 April , "Wright" spent the next two years off the Eastern Seaboard of theUnited States , operating out of Hampton Roads and Newport in waters that ranged from theVirginia Capes to theVirgin Islands . "Wright" ultimately departed Hampton Roads on21 January 1925 as "flagship" for Capt.Harry E. Yarnell , Commander, Air Squadrons, Scouting Fleet, bound for the Pacific Ocean. After transiting thePanama Canal , the tender reachedPearl Harbor on25 February and operated in the Hawaiian area until8 June when she proceeded back to the East Coast of the United States, reaching Norfolk on18 July . Soon after "Wright's" return to the Eastern Seaboard, work began to convert the ship to a "heavier-than-air aircraft tender" and, by1 December , the work was complete. Reclassified AV-1, the tender continued to support the seaplanes of the Scouting Fleet, operating out of Hampton Roads and Newport, to ports of Florida, Cuba, and Panama. Asflagship for Commander, Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Force reclassified to Commander, Aircraft, Scouting Force in 1932, "Wright" usually spent four months of each winter in operations out of Guantanamo Bay in waters reaching from Panama to theVirgin Islands . For the remainder of the year, she worked in theNarragansett Bay andChesapeake Bay areas, operating, as before, out of Hampton Roads and Newport with periodic cruises to the warmer climes of Florida or port visits to New York City. "Wright's" tending duties along the Eastern Seaboard and into the Caribbean continued until3 February 1932 . Varying her duties as tender were several assignments for special service.When the Coast Guard destroyer "Paulding" rammed and sank the submarine USS "S-4" (SS-109) on the afternoon of
17 December 1927 offProvincetown, Mass. , "Wright" immediately loaded six salvage pontoons at theNorfolk Navy Yard and set out for the scene of the disaster. Although delayed by strong Atlanticgale s, "Wright" reached Provincetown, via Boston, on the afternoon of21 December . Meanwhile, on the day that "Wright" departed Norfolk, her commanding officer, specially detached, Capt. Ernest J. King, took the train from Norfolk to New York and proceeded thence by plane to Provincetown. Arriving on board USS|Falcon|AM-28 at 1315 on18 December , Capt. King became senior aide to Rear AdmiralFrank H. Brumby and took direct charge of the salvage operations. "S-4" was finally brought to the surface on St. Patrick's Day 1928 and subsequently taken to the Boston Navy Yard.Meanwhile, "Wright" had been detached from the operation two days after Christmas 1927 and returned to Norfolk. The following year, the ship's routine was broken by transporting building materials to the hurricane-devastated island of
St. Croix ; and, in 1929, she carried Marines to Cuba when trouble threatened inHaiti . "Wright" stood out of Hampton Roads on5 January 1932 and supported air patrol squadron tactical evolutions ranging from Cuba andJamaica toCoco Solo , Canal Zone. Arriving at the latter port on1 February , the tender transited the isthmian waterway two days later, accompanying and tending the planes from Patrol Squadrons (VP) 2 and 5. After tactical evolutions offAcapulco and atMagdalena Bay ,Mexico , "Wright" made port atNAS North Island ,San Diego , on20 February .From the time of her arrival at NAS North Island, on
20 February 1932 until10 September 1939 , "Wright" made 14 extended cruises in support of naval seaplane squadrons. The first of those began when she departed San Diego on1 May 1933 for an aviation transport run that included an inspection by Rear AdmiralJohn Halligan, Jr. , Commander, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Force, of the Fleet Air Base (FAB) at Pearl Harbor. After returning to San Diego on4 June , "Wright" operated along the West Coast, followed by a cruise to Panama and the Caribbean, between31 August and14 October , tending the planes fromVP-2F ,VP-5F ,VP-10 , and Utility Patrol Squadron 3. "Wright" sailed again for Hawaiian waters on5 January 1934 ; and—in operations that took her fromHilo Bay , Hawaii, toMidway Island andFrench Frigate Shoals —tended 32 seaplanes. She then returned to San Diego on30 May and departed again on18 July for her first voyage toAlaska n waters. Steaming by way ofSeattle, Wash. , the tender visitedKetchikan andJuneau in early August before she tended two squadrons of seaplanes in waters nearSeward andSitka , Alaska. Proceeding viaVancouver ,British Columbia , and San Francisco, "Wright" arrived back in San Diego on6 September 1934 and remained in nearby waters for the rest of the year.On
4 January 1935 , "Wright" departed San Diego for tender operations off Panama; Cartagena,Colombia ;Curaçao ,Netherlands West Indies ;Trinidad ,British West Indies ; and theDominican Republic and Haiti. Upon completion of those exercises, she returned to San Diego on1 March but soon sailed again for northern climes to operate betweenDutch Harbor and Sitka from29 April to28 May before resuming her local tending operations along the coast ofCalifornia . "Wright" departed San Diego on10 October and took up a plane guard station offLas Tres Marias , Mexico, soon thereafter, covering one leg of the flight of theConsolidated XP3Y which took off from Cristobal Harbor, Canal Zone, on14 October for a non-stop flight toAlameda, Calif . Commanded by Lt. Comdr. Knefler "Sock" McGinnis who was assisted by Lt. (jg.) J. K. Averill, Naval Aviation Pilot T. P. Wilkinson, and a crew of three—the plane passed abeam of "Wright" at 2210 on14 October . That XP3Y reached Alameda in 24 hours and 45 minutes—thus establishing a new world's record for Class C seaplanes of 3,281.383 miles airline distance and 3,443.225 miles broken-line distance.Returning to San Diego from her planeguard station on
17 October , Wright spent only a short period in port and sailed again four days later, for Palmyra Island. Reaching that point on the last day of October, "Wright" supported the planes photographing the island and served as "home" for the survey party sent ashore. Setting course for Pearl Harbor on2 November , she later embarked men ofVP-6F for transport to French Frigate Shoals. She then tended three squadrons of seaplanes off East Island while her diving party engaged in reef-blasting operations for the seaplane base being established there. Terminating that support duty on12 November , "Wright" headed for the West Coast, reaching San Diego on28 November . For the remainder of 1935, "Wright" operated locally. Her coastwise duties were interrupted between16 January and28 February 1936 by an aviation support cruise toPost Office Bay ,Galapagos Islands ;Santa Elena ,Ecuador ; and Balboa, Canal Zone. Wright then participated in fleet problems off Lower California and cruised toSitka Sound , Alaska, where she tended a utility plane wing (two squadrons) and a patrol wing of five squadrons, between22 August and28 September .After repairs at the
Mare Island Navy Yard ,Vallejo, Calif. , Wright departed San Diego on10 October 1936 for Pearl Harbor and thence sailed once more to French Frigate Shoals, reaching there on25 October . She then landed a camp detachment to establish a base on East Island, and tended seaplanes fromVP-1 ,VP-3 ,VP-4 , and VP-10 until6 November . After returning to the West Coast, "Wright" subsequently made a winter training cruise to the Caribbean between2 February and26 March 1937 and then, after her return to San Diego, departed the West Coast on18 April in company with UUS "Langley" (CV-1) for fleet problems that stretched to the Hawaiian Islands. Following her return to San Diego on3 June , "Wright" spent the next year in coastal operations that took her as far south asLower California . She made a cruise toKodiak and Sitka Sound between20 June and5 August 1938 . On20 October of that year, Commander, Aircraft, Scouting Force, was detached from the ship; and "Wright" became flagship for Commander, Patrol Wing (PatWing) 1, Aircraft, Scouting Fleet.The tender departed San Diego on
2 January 1939 to participate in winter maneuvers in the Caribbean with her aviation units and took part inFleet Problem XX . Reaching Norfolk from Puerto Rico on14 March , the seaplane tender returned to the West Coast soon thereafter, as part of the general movement of the fleet from Atlantic to Pacific. Back at San Diego on16 May , Wright operated out of that port until10 September , when she sailed for the Hawaiian Islands to become flagship for PatWing 2, based at Pearl Harbor. Arriving there on19 September (less than three weeks after the outbreak of war in Europe) "Wright" spent the next two years supporting the establishment of aviation bases on Midway, Canton, Johnston, Palmyra, and Wake Islands. She transported Marines and aviation personnel, as well as construction workers and contractors, between those valuable bases, time and again landing cargo that ranged from construction materials to gasoline and ordnance supplies and other advance base gear. In September 1941 "Wright" was selected as the flagship of PatWing 1, Aircraft, Scouting Force."Wright" departed Pearl Harbor on
20 November , bound forWake Island , arrived at that advanced base on the 28th, and landed Comdr.Winfleld S. Cunningham , who took command of the naval activities on the vulnerable isle. Other passengers who went ashore from the seaplane tender included asphalt technicians, other construction workers, and Marine Corps officers. The ship also delivered 63,000 gallons of gasoline to Wake's storage tanks before setting course for Midway. There, she delivered a cargo that included ammunition and disembarked passengers that included men reporting for duty at the NAS and with other Marine Corps ground units. Then, with military and civilian passengers embarked, "Wright" departed Midway on4 December and headed for Pearl Harbor. While en route, she received the electrifying news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor on the morning of7 December . Word of the attack arrived shortly after 0800 that day, and "Wright" cleared for action and manned her battle stations. Fortunately for her, she never crossed the path of the Japanese striking force. After reaching Pearl Harbor the day after the Japanese attack, "Wright" got underway on19 December to transport 126 Marines of the 4th Defense Battalion, with their gear, to Midway. She returned to Pearl Harbor on the day after Christmas with 205 civilians embarked. "Wright" then underwent voyage repairs, loaded stores and cargo, embarked passengers, and set sail for the South Seas.Departing Pearl Harbor on
2 April , "Wright" touched atTutuila ,Samoa ; theFiji Islands ;Espiritu Santo , in theNew Hebrides —where she debarked men ofVP-72 —andNoumea ,New Caledonia , before she reachedSydney ,Australia , on26 April . After visitingMelbourne and Fremantle, "Wright" headed for the Hawaiian Islands, retracing her course, and reached Pearl Harbor on16 June . For the next five and one-half months, "Wright" shuttled military passengers, arms, gasoline, and other equipment to Midway and other defense bases of theHawaiian Sea Frontier . LeavingOahu on1 December , "Wright" headed for the South Pacific carrying, as passengers, the officers and men of Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 233 (VMSB 233) andVMSB-234 , along with other passengers and logistic support cargo. The seaplane tender debarked the personnel from VMSB-233 at Espiritu Santo and those from VMSB-234 at Noumea before she returned to Pearl Harbor on17 January 1943 . She sailed thence to Midway, transporting a group of passengers that included 205 Marines, and from there shifted to the Fiji Islands where she disembarked the 7 officers and 254 enlisted men of FAB Unit 13 who were put ashore with their gear and logistic cargo.Departing the Fijis on
9 March , Wright sailed by way of Pearl Harbor, reachingOakland, California , for an overhaul at theMoore Dry Dock Co. Following repairs and alterations, the tender put to sea on20 July , bound for the Hawaiian Islands, and debarked the men of Marine Fighter Squadron 223 (VMF-223) at Pearl Harbor a week later. "Wright" sailed again for the Fijis at the end of July, arriving there on12 August ; and landed the 46 officers and 399 men ofVMF-222 andVMSB-236 . She next proceeded to Rendova harbor,Rendova Island , and tended the planes ofVP-14 until17 January 1944 . She then shifted toHawthorn Sound ,New Georgia , to tend that squadron along with those fromVP-71 until18 April .Upon arriving at Gavutu harbor, Florida Island, in the Solomons, on
20 April , "Wright" loaded aviation stores before she proceeded to Espiritu Santo for repairs that lasted through the end of May. Underway on1 June , Wright transported eight Navy officers and 256 Army passengers to Tulagi harbor before she steamed to Blanche harbor on5 June . A week later, eight planes (along with 26 officers and 52 men) fromVP-101 arrived and operated from "Wright" until17 June . Heading forSeeadler Harbor on that day, Wright embarked passengers and loaded bombs and 170 bundles of cots for transportation toNew Guinea . Reaching Humboldt Bay on23 June , the ship tended the planes and housed the 30 officers and 54 men ofVP-33 until16 July , when she put to sea forMios Woendi , in thePadiado Islands ,Dutch New Guinea , arriving on the 17th. She then based five planes fromVP-52 —and supported the 36 officers and 66 enlisted men attached to the squadron—and three patrol planes fromRoyal Australian Air Force No. 20 Squadron from19 July to26 July .Rear Admiral
Frank D. Wagner , Commander, Aircraft, 7th Fleet, broke his flag in "Wright" on27 July and used the tender as his temporary flagship. That same day,VP-11 arrived at Mios Woendi and operated from "Wright". VP-52 left for duty elsewhere on3 August , the same day that the tender stood out of the Mios Woendi anchorage that had been her "home" for over a month, bound viaEdema Island ,British New Guinea , for the Admiralties. Returning to Mios Woendi on27 August after safely delivering her cargo and passengers of Fleet Air Wing 17, "Wright" embarked the officers and men of Patrol Aircraft Service Unit 1-12 for transportation back to Seeadler Harbor, Manus, where she arrived on3 September . Departing Manus the following day, "Wright" sailed forMilne Bay ,New Guinea , where she debarked men from a construction battalion, and then proceeded with Pacific Service Force passengers, general cargo, and hospital patients toBrisbane , Australia. There, on26 October , "Wright" embarked Rear AdmiralRobert O. Glover , Commander, Service Force, 7th Fleet—along with his staff of 64 officers and 204 men—and became the flagship for Service Squadron 7, Service Force, Pacific Fleet. Reclassified as headquarters ship effective1 October 1944 , "Wright's" designation was changed from AV-1 to AG-79.Proceeding from Brisbane via New Guinea, "Wright" reached Seeadler Harbor on
5 January 1945 , for repairs that lasted until the 14th. She then proceeded via Humboldt Bay to San Pedro Bay, Leyte, reaching Philippine waters on3 February 1945 . During her passage, the ship was renamed "USS San Clemente" (AG-79) on1 February 1945 , to clear the name "Wright" for the light fleet carrier, CVL-49, then under construction. "San Clemente" remained as flagship for ServRon 7 and the nerve center of the Pacific Fleet Service Force, based on San Pedro, Subic, andManila Bay s, through the end of hostilities with Japan in mid-August 1945 and the formal Japanese surrender on2 September . She departedManila on3 January 1946 , bound for theChina coast; reachedShanghai soon thereafter; and became flagship for Service Division 101—Commodore E. E. Duval, commanding—on5 February . "San Clemente" remained at Shanghai in support of the Navy occupation forces there until7 April , when she was relieved by USS|Holland|ARG-18 as flagship of ServRon 101. With hundreds of veterans embarked as passengers, "San Clemente" departed Chinese waters on8 April , bound—viaYokosuka ,Japan , and Pearl Harbor—for home.Reaching San Francisco on
2 May , "San Clemente" got underway again eight days later and headed for the East Coast of the United States. Reaching the New York Naval Shipyard (the old New York Navy Yard) on29 May , she commenced inactivation proceedings and was decommissioned on21 June 1946 . Struck from theNaval Vessel Register on1 July 1946 the illustrious tender was transferred to theMaritime Commission for disposal on21 September 1946 . She was sold for scrap on19 August 1948 ."Wright" (AV-1) earned two
battle star s for herWorld War II service.References
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* cite web|title="Wright" AZ-1 / "Wright" AV-1 / "San Clemente" AG-79
work=Service Ship Photo Archive|url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/41/4101.htm|accessdate=March 6|accessyear=2007External links
* [http://mygeorgiamountains.com/usswright/ The U.S.S. "Wright" Alumni Association]
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