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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Diphda (AKA-59)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Foxtrot - Zulu
NHFZ

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal (6)
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Philippines Liberation Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Andromeda Class Amphibious Cargo Ship:

Laid down, date unknown, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 211) at Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock, Kearny, N.J.

Launched, 11 May 1944

Acquired by the US Navy, 7 July 1944

Commissioned USS Diphda (AKA-59), 8 July 1944, LCDR. Robert C. Willson, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Diphda was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
TransRon Fourteen, COMO. D. L. Ryan USN (16);
TransDiv Forty-One, CAPT. H.J. Wright USN and participated in the following campaign:

Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 10 April 1945

Following World War II USS Diphda was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
25 October to 15 November 1945
1 to 13 April 1946	1 to 13 April 1946
28 January to 24 February 1947	28 January to 24 February 1947

During the Korean War USS Diphda (AKA-54) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
North Korean Aggression 20 to 28 August 1950	Communist China Spring Offensive 22 April 19 5 to 12 and 21 to 30 June 1951
Communist China Aggression 28 November 1950 to 24 January 1951	US Summer-Fall Offensive 14 July to 8 August 1951 16 to 18 August 1951 30 August to 8 September 1951 26 September to 8 October 1951
First UN Counter Offensive 25 January to 13 March 1951 17 to 21 April 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 16 to 23 May 1952

Decommissioned, 11 May 1956, at San Diego. CA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

USS Diphda earned one battle star for World War II service and six battle stars for Korean war service

Returned to the Maritime Administration, 29 November 1960, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Permanent transfer to the Maritime Administration, 1 October 1962

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 16 March 1970, to Nicolai Joffe Corp., delivered, 13 April 1976

Specifications:
Displacement 6,556 t.(lt) 14,200 t.(lt)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 26' 4" (lim)
Speed 16.5 kts (trial)

Complement

Officers 48

Enlisted 338

Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.

Cargo Capacity 4,900 DWT

Non-refrigerated - 444,000 Cu ft.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Boats

eight LCMs

one LCP(L)

fifteen LCVPs

Fuel Capacity

NSFO - 1,990 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

two Foster Wheeler "D"-type boilers, 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

three turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

single propeller, 6,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
100205906 BUSHIPS 19-N-69818	669k	*USS Diphda* (AKA-59)** underway outside New York harbor, circa late July-early August 1944. Her Camouflage scheme is measure 32/8T. U.S. Navy photos 19-N-69818 and 19-N-69820 by aircraft assigned to Naval Air Station New York	Nicholas Tiberio
100205907 BUSHIPS 19-N-69820	605k		Nicholas Tiberio
	175k	*USS Diphda* (AKA-59)** officers and crew, 19 June 1948. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo #UA 571.35	US Naval History and Heritage Command
	100k	*USS Diphda* (AKA-59)** at anchor, circa 1951, location unknown.	D.C. King PN3 USS Diphda 1950-53
	35k	USS Diphda (AKA-59) under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	US Naval Historical Center DANFS
	38k	USS Diphda (AKA-59) moored pierside at Yokosuka, Japan in 1951.	Derrick Hartshorn
	151k	*USS Diphda* (AKA-59)** arrives at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, 3 July 1952, with a cargo of 5,000 tons of emergency food supplies for the islands residents. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo #NH 61555	US Naval History and Heritage Command

USS Diphda (AKA-59)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LCDR. Willson, Robert Charles USNR	8 July 1944 - 20 May 1946
02	CAPT. Davison, Thurlow Weed USN (USNA 1929)	20 May 1946 - 21 August 1947
03	CDR. Miller, Albert Stanley USN (USNA 1930)	21 August 1947 - 1950
04	CDR. Truxall, Charles Wible USN (USNA 1925)	1950 - August 1951
05	CAPT. Wulff, John Thayer USN (USNA 1931) :RADM	August 1951 - June 1952
06	CAPT. Catlett, Jr., William Jackson USN (USNA 1932)	June 1952 - 1953
07	LCDR. Hermanson, Elof Walter USN	1953 - ?
08	CDR. Kaufman, William Metcalfe, USN (USNA 1936)	1955 - 11 May 1956


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Database

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 2 June 2023