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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Patoka (AG-125)
ex
 USS Patoka (AV-6) (1939 - 1940)
 USS Patoka (AO-9) (1920 - 1939) (1940 - 1944)
 USS Patoka (Fleet Oiler No. 9) (1919 - 1920)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Uniform - Golf - November
NUGN
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia Clasp)
Patoka Class Fleet Oiler
  • Laid down, 17 December 1918, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Co., Newport News, VA.
  • Launched, 26 July 1919
  • Acquired from the United States Shipping Board (USSB), 3 September 1919
  • Commissioned USS Patoka (Fleet Oiler No. 9), 13 October 1919, CDR. Ernest F. Robinson USNRF, in command
  • Designated (AO-9), 17 July 1920
  • Decommissioned, 31 August 1933
  • Redesignated Seaplane Tender (AV-6),11 October 1939
  • Recommissioned USS Patoka (AV-6), 10 November 1939, CDR. C.A.F. Sprague in command
  • Reclassified (AO-9), 19 June 1940
  • During World War II USS Patoka was assigned to the American Theater and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • Converted for use as a mine craft tender and reclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary (AG-125), 15 August 1944
  • Following World War II USS Patoka (AG-125) was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 3 September 1945 to 11 March 1946
  • Decommissioned, 1 July 1946
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 31 July 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 15 March 1948 by the Maritime Commission to Dulien Steel Products, Co.
    Specifications:
    Displacement 5,400 t.(lt) 16,800 t.(fl), 17,820 t.(lim)
    Length 447' 10"
    Beam 60' 3"
    Draft 27' 8"(lim)
    Speed 11.2 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 29
    Enlisted 272
    Largest boom capacity 40 t.
    Cargo Capacity
    Navy Standard Fuel Oil 62,300 bbls
    Gasoline 309,000 gals
    Armament
    two single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity NSFO 4,780 bbls.
    Propulsion
    one Newport News vertical quadruple expansion engine
    two Yarrow boilers, 265psi Sat°
    Ship's Service Generators
     four turbo-drive 60Kw 120V D.C.
     one turbo-drive 75Kw 120V D.C.
     one Diesel-drive 100Kw 450V A.C.
    single propeller 2,800 shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    USS Patoka (AO-9)
    Patoka
    091900950    		 76k
    Namesake
    Patoka River is a 167-mile-long tributary of the Wabash River in southwestern Indiana. It drains a largely rural area of forested bottomland and agricultural lands among the hills north of Evansville.    		 Tommy Trampp
    ©Wikipedia map
    Patoka 108k USS Patoka (AO-9) alongside the Naval Coal Depot, Pearl Harbor, T.H., in 1920. The original image was printed on postcard 'AZO' stock. This card was sent to his wife by Patoka's first Commanding officer, CDR. Ernest F. Robinson, USNRF, with notes dated 19 December 1920 concerning countries visited by the ship during her first year of service.US Navy photo # NH 105114, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command , courtesy of Charles R. Haberlein Jr, 2007. Robert Hurst
    Patoka 107k USS Patoka (AO-9) officers, 9 July 1922. Photo courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Captain Nathan Sargent, USN. Donated by Helen L. Sargent, 1948.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo #: NH 98159    		 Robert Hurst
    Patoka 56k USS Patoka (AO-9) in port, date and location unknown. Edwin Kaukali
    Patoka 225k Aerial view of USS Patoka (AO-9) at anchor, 7 August 1924, location unknown.
    Library of Congress, Photo No. LC-F8-31728    		 Mike Green
    Patoka 185k USS Patoka (AO-9), with airship USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) secured to her mast, August 1924
    US National Archives photo# 80-G-452975, formerly as US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 US National Archive
    Patoka 59k USS Patoka (AO-9) with USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) secured to her mast, date and location unknown Submitted by Elaine C. Witty, Charpentier, photo from the collection of Gerald M. Charpentier
    Patoka 96k USS Patoka (AO-9) in a harbor, with the airship USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) overhead, circa 1924. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Harriet A. Harris, USN(NC)-Retired. Donated by Mrs. J.B. Redfield, 1961.
    US Navy photo # NH 98162, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 87k USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1924.
    US Navy photo # NH 57994, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 105k USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1924. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Harriet A. Harris, USN(NC)-Retired. Donated by Mrs. J.B. Redfield, 1961.
    US Navy photo # NH 98163, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 93k USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1924.
    Library of Congress photo # LC-F8- 31898    		 Mike Green
    Patoka 80k USS Patoka (AO-9) with USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) secured to her mast, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "Janes All the World's Fighting Ships, 1924".    		 Derick S. Hartshorn
    Patoka 352k USS Patoka (AO-9) at Bar Harbor, Maine, circa 2 to 5 July 1925, with USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) moored to her mast. The two ships in the background are USCGC Patterson (CG-16 and USCGC Cummings (CG-3).
    US Navy photo from the collection of Raymond Strout.    		 Jonathan Eno
    Patoka 382k USS Patoka (AO-9) mooring USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) at Bar Harbor, Maine, circa 3 to 4 July 1925. In the foreground, at left, is the steam yacht Lyndonia, later Southern Seas, commissioned USS Southern Seas (PY-32 during World War II and sunk at Buckner Bay, Okinawa during Typhoon Louise in 1945. Photo from the collection of Raymond Strout. Jonathan Eno
    Patoka 151k USS Patoka (AO-9) with airship mooring mast fitted on the after portion of the ship, 5 September 1926. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Captain John Lansing Callan, USN.
    US Navy photo # NH 83686, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 115k USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1924-1925. Collection of the Society of Sponsors of the United States Navy.
    US Navy photo # NH 98222, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 74k USS Patoka (AO-9) with USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) attached to her mooring mast, date and location unknown. Robert Hurst
    Patoka
    091900951
    NA 80-G-460652    		 446k USS Patoka (AO-9) in Chesapeake Bay, 16 January 1925, with USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) attached to her mooring mast. It was the first ship-mooring test for the rigid airship Los Angeles and lasted 55 minutes, being curtailed because of a storm warning.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-460652 from the National Museum of the US Navy and Smithsonian Institute    		 Bob Canchola
    Patoka
    091900911
    Smithsonian Institute    		 86k
    Patoka 86k
    USS Patoka (AO-9) In port, 1 June 1927, probably at Pensacola, FL.
    US Navy photo # NH 60284, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 116k Work being performed on the dirigible mooring mast of USS Patoka (AO-9) in April 1929, probably in the vicinity of Norfolk, VA.
    US Navy photo # NH 60283, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka
    091900956    		 63k USS Patoka (AO-9) undergoing maintenance at Boston Navy Yard, in August 1929.
    Photographer unknown. Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-08229 / CC-BY-SA 3.0. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license    		 Robert Hurst
    Patoka 243k USS Patoka (AO-9) in drydock at Boston Navy Yard, 7 March 1930. Courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.
    Patoka 102k The airship USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) flies over ships of the U.S.Fleet, circa 1930. Photographed from on board the airship, with two of her engine cars in the foreground. Ships below are USS Patoka (AO-9), closest to the camera, and the aircraft carriers USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3).
    US National Archives photo # 60-G-462136, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Robert Hurst
    Patoka 106k USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9) off Panama during Fleet Problem XII, February 1931.
    US Navy photo # NH 63069, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 88k USS Patoka (AO-9) at anchor in Panama Bay in January 1931. Photographed from the airship USS Los Angeles (ZR-3).
    US Navy photo # NH 60296, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 Robert Hurst
    Patoka 80k USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), off Panama during Fleet Problem XII, February 1931.
    US Navy photo # NH 65301, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 96k A modern day Bermuda postage stamp depicting USS Patoka (AO-9) with USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) attached to her mooring mast. Robert Hurst
    Patoka 87k USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9) off Panama during Fleet Problem XII, circa February 1931. USS Lexington (CV-2), at right, and a battleship are also present. Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command photo #: NH 65300. Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967. Robert Hurst
    Patoka 156k Starboard quarter view of USS Pakota (AO-9) in drydock at Boston Navy Yard, 1 March 1930.
    Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection    		 Mike Green
    Patoka 207k Stern view of USS Pakota (AO-9) in drydock at Boston Navy Yard, 16 May 1931.
    Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection    		 Mike Green
    Patoka 71k Airship USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1925-1932, location unknown. A passenger ship is passing by at left.
    US Navy photo # NH 76379, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 Robert Hurst
    Patoka 176k Airship USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1930s, location unknown.
    Photo by CWO4 Cecil Wood USMC.    		 Donald Wood for his father CWO4 Cecil Wood USMC.
    Patoka 110k
    Patoka 337k Airship USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) moored to USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1930s, location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 Jim Kurrasch
    Battleship Iowa Pacific Battleship Center
    Patoka 101k USS Patoka (AO-9) approaching the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA., in 1932. She is being assisted by one of the Yard's harbor tugs. Photographed by Callahan.
    US Navy photo # NH 91174, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 82k USS Patoka (AO-9) leaving the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA., 1932. Photographed by Callahan.
    US Navy photo # NH 91175, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 80k USS Patoka (AO-9) leaving the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA., 1932. Photographed by Callahan. Note the Lone Star Cement facility in the left background.
    US Navy photo # NH 91177, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 83k USS Patoka (AO-9) leaving the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA., 1932. Probably photographed by Callahan.
    US Navy photo # NH 91176, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 50k USS Akron (ZRS-4) ready to moor to USS Patoka (AO-9) in 1932, location unknown. Darryl Baker
    ZRS-4 Akron 194k USS Akron (ZRS-4) and USS Patoka (AO-9), circa 1931-1933. Photographed by Naval Air Station, Anacostia, Washington, D.C.
    US National Archives photo 80-G-458938, a US Navy photo, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)    		 National Archives and Records Administration
    Patoka
    091900953    		 88k USS Patoka (AO-9) with USS Akron (ZRS-4) moored in San Francisco Bay, 1932.
    Pinterest - NUMU New Museum Los Gatos "Giants in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of Airships", by Stacey M. Cartger    		 Tommy Trampp
    Patoka 96k USS Patoka (AO-9) crew members at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, circa 1930s.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Photo #: NH 98160, donation of Roscoe C. Stevens.    		 Robert Hurst
    Patoka
    091900954     		115k USS Patoka (AO-9) berthed with reserve fleet vessels at Bremerton, Washington, 31 October 1936. Identifiable in the nest are USS Pyro (AE-1), and USS Aroostook (CM-3).
    Tacoma Public Library collections. Used for educational and non-commercial purpose.    		 John Chiquione
    USS Patoka (AV-6)
    Patoka
    091900955     		142k USS Patoka (AV-6) drydocked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1939.
    Digital Temple Library, McDowell collection. Used for educational and non-commercial purpose    		 John Chiquione
    Patoka 89k USS Patoka (AV-6) off Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA., 16 January 1940. Note SOC floatplane amidships, with its wings folded.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-1017209, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 88k USS Patoka (AV-6) off Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA., 16 January 1940.
    US Navy photo # NH 98161, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka 85k USS Patoka (AV-6) at Balboa, Panama Canal Zone, 11 February 1940. She is dressed with flags in honor of George Washington's Birthday, and carries a pair of Curtiss SOC floatplanes on deck amidships.
    US Navy photo # NH 43586, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Patoka
    091900952    		 145k "Moose" at the helm of USS Patoka (AV-6) at Coco Solo 14 March 1940. David Wright
    Patoka 137k USS Patoka (AO-9) near Norfolk Navy Yard, 1 August 1943. Her dirigible mooring mast was removed in 1940 but she retains the special lattice boom on her mainmast.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM. Photo No. 19-N-52057, Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    USS Patoka (AO-9 / AV-6 / AG-125)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
     Master Kennedy, William Robert (Naval Auxiliary Service)1916
    01CDR. Robinson, Ernest Frederick, USNRF13 October 1919 - ?
    03CDR. Porterfield, Lewis Broughton, USN (USNA 1902) :RADM1 July 1923 - 15 June 1924
    04CDR. Meyers, George Julian USN (USNA 1902) :RADM15 June 1924 - 25 June 1926
    05CAPT. Early, Charles, William, USN (USNA 1902)25 June 1926 - 12 May 1928
    06CAPT. Claude, Abram, USN (USNA 1904)12 May 1928 - 1 August 1930
    07CDR. Wilson, Pierre Light, USN (USNA 1906)1 August 1930 - 29 May 1931
    08CDR. Horner, Ralph Burroughs, USN (USNA 1907)29 May 1931 - 31 August 1933
     Decommissioned31 August 1933 - 10 November 1939
    09CDR. Sprague, Clifton Albert Frederick, USN (USNA 1918) :VADM10 November 1939 - 15 June 1940
    10CDR. Thornton, William Nelson15 June 1940 - 23 January 1943
    11CDR. Atkeson, Clarence Lee, Conner, USN (USNA 1922) :RADM23 January 1943 - 24 May 1943
    12CDR. Kiefer, Eugene Willard (Dixie), USN (USNA 1919) :COMO24 May 1943 - December 1945
    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
    Selected images from Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection
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    Last Updated 29 November 2024