Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Left Patch - Designed and Contributed by Wanda Winne

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Castor (AKS-1)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Xray - Lima NIXL

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Defense Service Medal (with bronze star in lieu of Fleet clasp) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2 Taiwan Straits, 32 Quemoy-Matsu, 11 Vietnam) Vietnam Service Medal (6)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Castor Class General Stores Issue Ship:

Laid down, as SS Challenger, a Maritime Commission type (C2-Cargo) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC 14) at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.

Launched, 20 May 1939

Acquired by the Navy, 30 October 1940

Commissioned USS Castor (AKS-1), 12 March 1941, CDR. Felix L. Johnson in command

During World War II USS Castor (AKS-1) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 30 June 1945
Gilbert Islands operation Tarawa, 17 November to 8 December 1943

Following World War II and beyond USS Castor performed occupation duty in the Far East which included China service for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal

China Service Medal (extended)


15 February to 14 June 1946	15 February to 14 June 1946
10 September to 8 November 1946	10 September to 8 November 1946
1 January to 8 February 1947	1 January to 8 February 1947

Decommissioned, 30 June 1947, at San Francisco, CA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Francisco Group

Recommissioned, 24 November 1950

During the Korean War USS Castor (AKS-1) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
Communist China Spring Offensive 27 May to 1 June 1951	UN Summer-Fall Offensive 12 August 1951

During the Vietnam War USS Castor (AKS-1) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnam Defense 14 to 19 July 1965 8 to 20 September 1965 5 to 11 October 1965 17 to 23 October 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 7 to 21 July 1967 3 to 9 August 1967 20 September to 7 October 1967 14 to 22 October 1967 4 to 18 December 1967 27 December 1967 to 2 January 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 22 April to 5 May 1966 15 to 25 May 1966	Tet Counteroffensive 2 to 16 February 1968 23 February to 11 March 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 11 July to 10 August 1966 25 September to 15 October 1966 23 to 25 November 1966 3 to 16 December 1966 12 to 23 February 1967 28 April to 29 May 1967	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 7 to 22 May 1968

Decommissioned, 31 October 1968, at Sasebo, Japan

Custody transferred to Commander Fleet Activities, Sasebo, Japan

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1968

USS Castor earned three battle stars for World War II service, two for Korean War service and six campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Title transfer to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 2 September 1969

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 25 July 1969 to Mitsui and Co., Japan

Specifications:
Displacement 7,350 t.(lt) 14,440 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 26' 5"
Speed 16.5 kts.

Complement

Officers 17

Enlisted 190

Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.

Cargo Capacity 4,660 DWT

refrigerated 452,537 Cu ft.

non-refrigerated none

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 9,040 Bbls

Diesel Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

two Foster-Wheeler "D" type boilers, 465psi 765°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears
Ship's Service Generators
two turbo-drive 250Kw 120V/240V D.C.
two Diesel-drive 250Kw 120V/240V D.C.

single propeller, 6,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 4078-43, 6/1/43	72k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** off Oakland, CA., 1 June 1943. Circled items are alterations made during a just completed yard period. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 4078-43, 6/1/43, and US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo #19-N-52290, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Darryl Baker/Mike Green
US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo #19-N-52290	97k		Darryl Baker/Mike Green
	176k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** (aft plan view) at Oakland, CA., 1 June 1943. Circled items are alterations made during a just completed yard period. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 4080-43, 6/1/43.	Darryl Baker
	91k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** (plan view looking to port) at Oakland, CA., 1 June 1943. View of Radar mast and Signal yard. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 4079-43, 6/1/43.	Darryl Baker
	76k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** underway in harbor, circa mid-1944. US National Archives Photo # 19-N-70668, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
09160117	896k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** underway in San Francisco Bay, circa 1945-47. US Navy photo from the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum	Darryl Baker
	81k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** moored pierside at NSC Oakland, CA. Note the tents over the open holds to keep the rain out as the ship loads supplies. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, June 1951 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	239k	USS Castor (AKS-1) during an UNREP with Hornet (CVA-12) and an unidentified destroyer, circa 1957.	David Buell
	94k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, August 1961 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	155k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** underway, 14 November 1963, location unknown. US Navy photo # KN-7216	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	113k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** underway in 1966 off Vietnam.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
09160116	149k	A U.S. Navy Kaman UH-2A Seasprite (BuNo 149759) from Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 1 (HC-1) Det.B "Pacific Fleet Angels" lifting supplies from *USS Castor* (AKS-1) to the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14), circa 1967. Ticonderoga*, with assigned Carrier Air Wing 5* (CVW-5), was deployed to Vietnam from 19 October 1966 to 29 May 1967. U.S. Navy All Hands magazine May 1967, p. 67>	Robert Hurst
	91k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1) conducting an underway replenishment with USS Bausell (DD-845) and not in view USS Intrepid (CVS-11)** , summer 1967.	Photo by Larry Backus USS Bausell
	94k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1) conducting an underway replenishment off the coast of Vietnam with USS Hancock (CVA-19)**, circa 1967.	Photo by Charles "Bud" Dehnert
	170k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1) conducting an underway replenishment off the coast of Vietnam with USS Hancock (CVA-19)**, circa 1967.	Photo by Charles "Bud" Dehnert
	81k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** moored pierside at Naval Base Sasebo, Japan, circa 15 - 18 April 1967. US Navy photo by Kelly Brown.	Robert Hurst
	40k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1) and USS Pollux (AKS-4)** moored pierside, date unknown and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, September 1968 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	38k	*USS Castor* (AKS-1)** in port Sasebo, Japan, 1968	Ramon Jackson

USS Castor Additional Ships Patches Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Castor (AKS-1)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Johnson, Felix Leslie, USN :VADM	12 March 1941 - 15 July 1941
02	CDR. Wright, Harold James, USN	15 July 1941 - 30 August 1942
03	CDR. Herty, Harold Burton, USN	30 August 1942 - 10 April 1944
04	CAPT. Huntoon, Franklin Campbell, USNR (USNA 1915)	10 April 1944 - 20 November 1945
05	CDR. Newton, Roy Arthur, USN (USNA 1930)	20 November 1945 - 30 June 1947
	Decommissioned	30 June 1947 - 24 November 1950
06	CAPT. Willis Ashford (Philly), USN (USNA 1925)	24 November 1950 - November 1951
07	CDR. Card, Paul Wentworth, USN (USNA 1927)	November 1950 - 1952
08	CDR. Brown, Ralph, USN	1952 - May 1954
09	LCDR. Bowman, Clingmon Estes, USN (acting)	May 1954 - May 1954
10	CDR. Brown, Ralph, USN	May 1954 - August 1954
11	CDR. Rye, Edward Falka, USN (USNA 1939)	August 1954 - 1955
12	CDR. Miller, Edwin Claud, USN	1955 - 1 July 1956
13	CAPT. Germershausen Jr. William Joseph, USN	1 July 1956 - 8 November 1957
14	CAPT. Stiesberg, Frederick Max, USN (USNA 1935)	8 November 1957 - 9 November 1958
15	CAPT. Dry, Melvin Hulquist, USN (USNA 1934)	9 November 1958 -1 December 1959
16	CAPT. Ogle, Elvin Clinton, USN (USNA 1938)	1 December 1959 - 26 November 1960
17	CAPT. Brooks, Frederic Wilder, USN (USNA 1935)	26 November 1960 - 16 May 1962
18	CAPT. Dozier Jr., William Creagh, USN (USNA 1942)	16 May 1962 - 21 July 1963
19	CAPT. Hoppe, William Everett, USN	21 July 1963 - 5 August 1964
20	CAPT. Carpenter, William Milner, USN (USNA 1940)	5 August 1964 - 14 August 1965
21	CAPT. Fretwell, Uncas Laniere, USN	14 August 1965 - 14 September 1966
22	CAPT. Lupia, Archy Louis, USN	14 September 1966 - 22 June 1968
23	CAPT. Camp, Herbert Ernest, USN (USNA 1946)	22 June 1968 - 31 October 1968


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
Pearl Harbor Action Report
MARAD Vessel History Data Base

Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page

Back To the Service Force Ship Type Index

Back To The General Stores Issue Ship (AKS) Photo Index

Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.

This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 17 July 2024