- USS Teton (AGC-14)
USS "Teton" (AGC-14) was a "Mount McKinley"-class amphibious force command ship in the
United States Navy .Commissioning and 1944
"Teton" was laid down under
Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1363) as "Water Witch" on9 November 1943 by theNorth Carolina Shipbuilding Company inWilmington, North Carolina ; launched on5 February 1944 , sponsored by Mrs. C. E. Shimp; renamed "Teton" on7 February 1944 ; acquired by the Navy on18 October 1944 ; and commissioned the same day atBrooklyn, New York , with CaptainDonald Rex Tallman in command.Following
shakedown in theChesapeake Bay , the amphibious force flagship, escorted by USS "Barr" (APD-39), steamed south; transited thePanama Canal ; proceeded, via theMare Island Navy Yard , toHawaii ; and arrived atPearl Harbor on19 January 1945 . Four days later,Rear Admiral John L. Hall , Commander,Amphibious Group 12 , Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, hoisted his flag as his staff came on board.1945-1946
"Teton" was attached to a
convoy that got underway for thePhilippines on28 January . After stops atEniwetok ,Ulithi , and thePalaus , the force reached Leyte on21 February . "Teton" next began rehearsals asflagship ofTask Force 44 for the forthcoming assault against theRyukyus . CommodoreClifford Greer Richardson , commandingTransport Squadron 14 , andMajor General John R. Hodge , commanding the XXIV Army Corps, embarked with their staffs. On27 March , "Teton" got underway as flagship of Task Unit 51.13.1 and arrived offOkinawa on1 April , the day the assault began. She remained there for 72 days controlling the landing operations on theHagushi beaches and then providing standby control of offensive and defensive air operations. On11 June , the ship got underway in a convoy bound for thePhilippines ."Teton" arrived at
Subic Bay on15 June and remained there until17 August . When news of Japan's surrender arrived, Admiral Hall and his staff left the ship to transfer to USS "Hansford" (APA-106). "Teton" embarked Army forces for theoccupation of Japan and proceeded toHonshū , arriving inTokyo Bay on29 August ."Teton" stood out of
Tokyo Bay on25 September and headed forGuam to embark approximately 750 passengers for transportation to theUnited States . The ship reachedSan Francisco on16 October ; disembarked her passengers; and steamed west again three days later.Decommissioning
"Teton" continued duty with the "Magic-Carpet" Fleet, returning servicemen from
Pacific bases to the United States until early 1946. She began inactivation atSan Diego in March 1946 and was decommissioned there on30 August 1946 . "Teton" was struck from theNavy list on1 June 1961 and sold for scrap in March 1962 toUnion Minerals and Alloys Corporation ,New York, New York "Teton" received one
battle star forWorld War II service.References
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