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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Mattaponi (AO-41)
ex
 USS Mattaponi (T-AO-41) (1950 - 1954)
 USS Mattaponi (AO-41) (1942 - 1950)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Tango - Papa
 NITP
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Admiral (J)uliet - Section 6A of JANAP 119(F) 1968
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia and Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Vietnam, 1-Korea) - United Nations Service Medal
Fifth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (6) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korean War Service Medal (retroactive)
Mattaponi Class Fleet Oiler
  • Laid down for Keystone Tankship Corp. as SS Kalkay, a Maritime Commission type (T2-A-MC-K) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract, (MC hull 149) at Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA.
  • Launched, 17 January 1942
  • Commissioned USS Mattaponi (AO-41), 11 May 1942, CDR. Martin J. Gillan, Jr., in command
  • During World War II USS Mattaponi was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater
  • Following World War II USS Mattaponi was assigned to Occupation service and China service during the following periods;

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    Asia 19 September to 11 December 1945 
    Asia 1 to 14 January 1946 
    Asia 13 March to 9 June 194613 March to 9 June 1946
    Asia 20 July to 24 August 194620 July to 24 August 1946
    Europe 29 January to 3 February 194828 to 30 June 1948
    Asia 6 to 19 March 19485 to 7 March 1949
    Asia 3 to 20 May 194830 March to 1 April 1949
    Asia 4 to 8 July 19482 to 4 May 1949
    Asia 11 to 25 March 1949 
    Asia 8 to 11 May 1949 
    Asia 15 to 30 July 1949 

  • Decommissioned, 17 April 1950, at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group
  • Recommissioned, 28 December 1950, designated (T-AO-41), CDR. Ernest B. Ellsworth Jr. in command
  • Decommissioned, 12 October 1954, at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group
  • Recommissioned, 12 December 1956
  • Decommissioned, 11 November 1957, at New Orleans
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 February 1959
  • Reinstated on the Naval Register, 1 September 1961
  • Recommissioned, 30 November 1961, at Mobile, AL.
  • During the Vietnam War USS Mattaponi participated in the following campaigns:

    Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Advisory Campaign
    3 to 5 November 1963
    10 to 15 and 20 to 24 February 1965
    12 to 22 March 1965
    30 March to 2 April 1965
    7 to 17 April 1965
    29 April to 13 May 1965     		Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    2 to 12 and 19 to 25 March 1969
    31 March to 3 April 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    30 September to 7 October 1966
    12 to 24 October 1966
    30 October to 8 November 1966
    25 November to 6 December 1966
    13 to 22 January 1967
    27 January to 2 February 1967
    11 to 23 February 1967
    5 to 12 March 1967     		Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970
    22 February to 3 March 1970
    12 to 20 March 1970
    4 to 11 and 29 to 30 April 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    2 to 10 and 18 to 24 November 1968
    30 November to 9 December 1968
    13 to 21 December 1968
    29 December 1968 to 7 January 1969
    24 January to 2 February 1969
    5 to 7 and 13 to 21 February 1969     		Sanctuary Counteroffensive
    1 to 8 May 1970
    8 to 15 and 21 to 27 June 1970
    Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    2 to 12 and 19 to 25 March 1969
    31 March to 3 April 1969

  • Decommissioned, 15 October 1970
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 October 1970
  • USS Mattaponi earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service medal with six campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Transferred to the Maritime Administration, 22 January 1971, for disposal
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 15 December 1973, to Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation, New York City, for $50,184.50 and subsequently scrapped
    Specifications:
    Displacement 6,809 t.(lt) 21,450 t.(fl)
    Length 520'
    Beam 68'
    Draft 30' 9"
    Speed 17.5 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 21
    Enlisted 221
    Largest Boom Capacity 8 t.
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Cargo Capacity 7,500 DWT
    Oil 117,000 Bbls
    Gasoline 595,000 Gals
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 9,800 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one Westinghouse geared turbine
    two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 430psi 742°
    double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears
    Ship's Service Generators
     two turbo-drive 300Kw 240V D.C.
     one turbo-drive 50Kw 240V D.C.
    single propeller, 12,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Mattaponi
    091904125    		 215k
    Namesake
    Mattaponi - The Mattaponi River is a 103-mile-long tributary of the York River estuary in eastern Virginia
    Photo - The Mattaponi River, upstream of its confluence with the South River, within Mattaponi Wildlife Management Area in Virginia, February 2017. © Antepenultimate (real name unknown)
    Map - York River Watershed ©I, Karl Musser.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Mattaponi 65k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) departing Norfolk Navy Yard, 23 November 1942.
    US National Archives photo from "Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy 1912-1992", by Thomas Wildenburg    		 Robert Hurst
    Mattaponi 127k Convoy UGF6 escorts USS Nicholson (DD-442), USS Woolsey (DD-437 and USS Edison (DD-439) refueling from USS Mattaponi (AO-41), 8 March 1943. The convoy is three days out of New York and Hampton Roads and headed for Casablanca.
    Photos by Dmitri Kessel, "Life Magazine", used for educational and non-commercial purpose.    		 John Chiquoine
    Mattaponi 227k
    Mattaponi 121k
    Mattaponi 174k
    Mattaponi 224k
    Mattaponi 269k
    Mattaponi
    091904122    		 94k Close-up of Convoy UFG-6 escort USS Woolsey (DD-437 refueling from USS Mattaponi (AO-41) in March 1943, as seen from USS Nicholson (DD-442) while enroute to Casablanca.
    LIFE Magazine Archives - Dmitri Kessel Photographer, shared by Peter DeForest    		 Mike Green
    Mattaponi 100k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) off Norfolk Navy Yard, 5 May 1943. She was headed for Europe with deck cargo that included two PT boats.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo # unknown, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Mike Green
    Mattaponi 44k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) under way, circa 1942-1944, location unknown.
    		 Marcia Alexander
    Mattaponi 45k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) moored to a buoy, circa 1942-1944, location unknown.
    		 Marcia Alexander
    Mattaponi 57k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) at anchor, circa 1942-1944, location unknown.
    		 Marcia Alexander
    Mattaponi 90k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) C & R Division, date and location unknown.
    		 Marcia Alexander
    Mattaponi
    091904123    		 239k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) moored pierside at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, T.H., pier H3/4, circa 15-21 March 1946. Note the hospital ship in the background. David Wright
    Mattaponi
    091904124    		 193k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) moored pierside at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, T.H., pier H3/4, circa 15-21 March 1946. Photo taken from USS General M. B. Stewart (AP-140). John Chiquoine
    Mattaponi 90k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) and USS Kennebec (AO-36) moored pierside while being prepared for recommissioning at San Diego in 1956.
    US Navy photo.    		 Richard Miller BMCS USNR (Ret)
    Mattaponi 143k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) refueling USS Bonhomme Richard (CV-31) and escorting destroyers, location unknown. circa December 1961 to November 1962. Tommy Trampp
    Mattaponi
    091904126    		 101k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) refueling USS Essex (CVS-9) circa 1963. Essex, with assigned Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 60 (CVSG-60), was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean from 1 October to 20 December 1963.
    U.S. Navy photo [from the USS Essex (CVS-9) 1963 cruise book    		 Robert Hurst
    Mattaponi
    091904128    		 207k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) refueling USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), 2 October 1963.
    U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.038.045.    		 Robert Hurst
    Mattaponi
    091904129    		 216k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) refueling USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) and USS Hopewell (DD-681), 2 October 1963.
    U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.038.044.    		 Robert Hurst
    Mattaponi 72k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) refueling USS Rowan (DD-782) to starboard, USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) to port, circa 1964-65.
    US Navy photo    		  
    Mattaponi
    091904121    		 404k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) steams alongside HMAS Perth (D-38) during an underway replenishment (UNREP) off the coast of Vietnam in 1967. The ship to starboard of Mattaponi is probably a Mount Hood Class AE.
    Photo by Bob Westthorp RAN 1964-1988.    		 Bob Canchola
    Mattaponi
    091904120    		 91k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) steams alongside HMAS Perth (D-38) during an underway replenishment (UNREP) off the coast of Vietnam in 1967-68.
    Photo by Bob Westthorp RAN 1964-1988.    		 Bob Canchola
    Mattaponi 82k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) at anchor, date and location unknown. Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Mattaponi 143k USS Mattaponi (AO-41) underway near USS Hornet (CVS-12) in the Gulf of Tonkin, 18 December 1968. Mattaponi is departing after refueling USS Parsons (DDG-33), visible in the background.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # USN 1135066 by PHCM W. Cox, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Mattaponi
    091904127     		239k Empty 5 in/38 shell casings brought aboard USS Mattaponi (AO-41) in the South China Sea for storage and return to the manufacturer, January 1969. Note the seaplane wrecking derrick YSD-42 loading empty shell casings onto Mataponi's deck.
    U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # USN 1137267, by PHC A.L. Smith.    		 Robert Hurst
    Mattaponi 196k Lindberg Line model of USS Mattaponi (AO-41) Tommy Trampp
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Gillan Jr., Martin Joseph, USN (USNA 1920)11 May 1942 - 1 March 1943
    02CDR. Barrett, Morgan Coit, USN (USNA 1921-A)1 March 1943 - 15 May 1944
    03LCDR. Banks, Vincent James, USNR15 May 1944 - 7 July 1945
    04LCDR. Castro, Joseph Mendoza, USNR7 July 1945 - 15 January 1946
    05CAPT. Jarrell, Henry Thompson, USN (USNA 1927)15 January 1946 - January 1948
    06CAPT. Wood, Robert Winthrop, USN (USNA 1928) :RADMJanuary 1948 - 17 April 1950
     Decommissioned17 April 1950 - 28 December 1950
    07CDR. Ellsworth Jr., Ernest Bradford, USN (USNA 1931) :RADM28 December 1950 - 16 January 1952
     Decommissioned12 October 1954 - 12 December 1956
    08CDR. Coker, Charles Walter, USN (USNA 1937)12 December 1956 - 30 September 1957
     Decommissioned11 November 1957 - 30 November 1961
    09CAPT. Norton Jr., Marvin Dowdy, USN (USNA 1939)30 November 1961 - 25 February 1963
    10CAPT. Ashley Jr., James Mumford, USN25 February 1963 - 19 February 1964
    11CAPT. McCuddin, Leo Bob, USN :RADM19 February 1964 - 11 February 1965
    12CAPT. Merrill, Ralph Frederick, USN (USNA 1944)11 February 1965 - 16 April 1966
    13CAPT. McInnis, Norman Kenneth, USN16 April 1966 - 6 September 1967
    14CAPT. Foster, William Lester, USN (USNA 1947)6 September 1967 - 13 December 1968
    15CAPT. Hathaway, Charles Edward, USN (USNA 1948-B)23 December 1968 - 10 March 1970
    16CAPT. Casserly, Christopher Joseph, USN10 March 1970 - 10 September 1970
    17LCDR. Alello, Robert Jack, USN10 September 1970 - 15 October 1970
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

    For more photos and information about USS Mattaponi, see:
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • MARAD Vessel History Database
  • Mattaponi Documents - Orders of the Day
  • On Station Yankee Team and Market Time
  • Ship's History 1 January to 31 December 1966
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    Last Updated 17 July 2024