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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Venango (AKA-82)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Lima - Echo
 NHLE
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Tolland Class Attack Cargo Ship:
  • Laid down, 6 June 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1391), at North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp. Wilmington, N.C.
  • Launched, 9 August 1944
  • Delivered to the US Navy, 25 August 1944, at Wilmington, N.C. and towed to her conversion yard at Hoboken, N.J.
  • Commissioned USS Venango (AKA-82), 2 January 1945, at Bethlehem Steel Co. Hoboken, N.J., LCDR. Thurman A. Whitaker, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Venango was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Twenty-One, COMO. J.R. Palmer USN (13);
    TransDiv Sixty-Three, CAPT. F. M. O'Leary USN (20) and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 17 to 22 April 1945

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

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    13 to 19 September 19454 October to 26 November 1945

  • Decommissioned, 18 April 1946, at Norfolk, VA.
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 22 April 1946, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 May 1946
  • USS Venango earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Merchant Service
    Sold by the Maritime Commission for commercial service to the Waterman Steamship Corp., 11 February 1947
     Sold to Isbrandsten Co. Inc. in March 1952, renamed SS Flying Eagle
     Sold to American Export Lines Inc., 31 August 1962 (American Export Isbrandsten Line, Inc. 8 June 1964)
     Sold to Valmar Shipping Agency, Ltd., 21 November 1968, for $957,818.00, renamed SS Southern Star
     Sold to the (Greek) Polembros Group, renamed SS Anna, reflagged Panamanian, 17 February 1970
  • Final Disposition, scrapped at Bilbao, Spain in February 1971
    Specifications:
    Displacement 8,635 t.(lt) 14,160 t.(fl)
    Length 459' 2"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 26' 4"
    Speed 16.5 kts.
    Complement
    Officers - 24
    Enlisted - 223
    Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    sixteen single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Boats
    fourteen LCVPs
    eight LCMs
    Cargo Capacity 5,275 DWT
    non-refrigerated - 380,000 cu ft,
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO - 10,425 Bbls
    Diesel - 805 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one General Electric geared turbine
    two Foster Wheeler header-type boilers, 450psi 750°
    double General Electric Main Reduction Gears
    three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ships's Service Generators
    single propeller, 6,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Venango (AKA-82)
    Venango 162k USS Venango (AKA-82)] at anchor, off San Francisco, CA., circa 1945-46.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 77388, courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1973.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Merchant Service American Export-Isbrandtsen SS Corp.
    Venango 111k The American Export-Isbrandsten liner SS Flying Eagle [Ex-USS Venango (AKA-82)] in a US port being assisted by tugs, circa 1965. Gerhard Muller-Debus
    Venango 313k Ex-SS Flying Eagle [ex- USS Venango (AKA-82)] as the Panamanian flagged SS Anna at Bremerhaven in June 1970. Anna was on her way from Gdansk (Poland) to India with a full cargo of sulphur, when she encountered heavy weather in the North Sea. Her cargo shifted and she developed a list of about 45 degrees; the vessel flooded and was abandoned, 23 May 1970. Salvage tugs tow her into Bremerhaven, where the vessel was pumped out, her cargo discharged. The ship was uprighted and repaired and the cargo was re-loaded. Anna then continue her voyage to India. Photo by Gerhard Muller-Debus
    USS Venango (AKA-82)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Whitaker, Thurman Albert USNR2 January 1945 - 27 October 1945
    02LCDR. Reilinger, Joseph Andrew USNR27 October 1945 - 18 April 1946
    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
    USS Venango (AKA-82) War Diaries January 1944 to November 1945 and Action Report
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Amphibious Cargo Ship (AKA) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 15 March 2019