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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Tappahannock (AO-43)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Xray - Juliet NIXJ

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 7 April 1943)
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia or Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Korea, Oct.66) - Vietnam Service Medal (7) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Mattaponi Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, 24 December 1941, for Keystone Tankship Corp. as SS Jorkay, a Maritime Commission type (T2-A) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract, (MC hull 157) at Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA.

Launched, 18 April 1942

Delivered to Maritime Commission, 29 May 1942

Commissioned USS Tappahannock (AO-43), 22 June 1942, at Norfolk, VA., CDR.. Alf O. R. Bergensen in command

During World War II USS Tappahannock was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Consolidation of Solomon Islands Consolidation of southern Solomon Islands, 7 April 1943	Western Caroline Islands operation Raids on Volcano-Bonin Islands and Yap Island, 31 August to 8 September 1944 Occupation and capture of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944 Assaults on the Philippine Islands, 9 to 24 September 1944
Gilbert Islands operation, 24 November to 1 December 1943	Leyte operation Northern Luzon and Formosa attacks, 11 to 14 October 1944 Luzon attacks, 15 October and 18 to 19 October 1944
Marshall Islands operation Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 29 January to 8 February 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation 5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operation, 23 March to 11 June 1945 Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 12 to 25 June 1945
Marianas operation Neutralization of Japanese Bases in the Bonins, Marianas and Western Pacific, 19 to 20 June 1944 Capture and occupation of Guam, 12 July to 15 August 1944	3d Fleet operations against Japan, 17 July to 14 August 1945
Tinian capture and occupation, 20 July to 10 August 1944

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

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
2 September to 12 December 1945	18 December 1945 to 26 April 1946
17 to 19 September 1946	7 June to 3 August 1946
2 to 15 October 1946	22 to 28 September 1946
9 to 17 May 1947	18 May to 13 July 1947
3 to 10 September 1947	3 to 5 March 1949
11 to 14 September 1949
2 to 26 March 1951

USS Tappahannock was assigned to the Naval Transportation Service (NTS), 1 July 1947

USS Tappahannock was next assigned to Occupation Service in Europe from 2 to 25 May 1949

Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) October 1949

Decommissioned, 3 February 1950 at San Diego, CA. and laid up in the Reserve Fleet

Recommissioned, in December 1950 at San Francisco, CA. and assigned to MSTS

Decommissioned, January 1953, at San Diego, CA.

Recommissioned, 12 December 1956, Todd Shipbuilding. San Pedro, CA.

Decommissioned, 18 November 1957, at Orange, TX.

Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX., 3 December 1957

Withdrawn from the National Defense Reserve Fleet, 20 August 1965, towed to Naval Support Activity Algiers, LA, arriving 23 August 1965

Recommissioned, 31 May 1966, at Naval Support Activity, Algiers, LA., CAPT. Erman O. Proctor USN, in command

During the Vietnam War USS Tappahannock (AO-43) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 25 December 1966 to 31 May 1967	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 5 to 13 July 1968 17 to 24 July 1968 29 July to 6 August 1968 23 August to 2 September 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 1 to 17 June 1967	Tet/69 Counteroffensive 20 to 31 May 1969 5 to 8 June 1969
Tet Counteroffensive 24 March to 1 April 1968	Vietnam Summer-FAll 1969 9 to 14 June 1969 and 18 to 24 June 1969 6 to 15 July 1969 27 July to 3 August 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 2 to 5 April and 11 to 23 April 1968 29 April to 9 May 1968 22 to 30 June 1968

Decommissioned, 6 March 1970, at San Diego, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 15 July 1976

USS Tappahannock earned nine battle stars for World War II service and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 16 October 1970, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 16 September 1987

Specifications:
Displacement 7,004 t.(lt) 22,325 t.(fl)
Length 520'
Beam 68'
Draft 30' 6"
Speed 18 kts. (trial)

Complement

Officers 18

Enlisted 214

Largest Boom Capacity 10 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 Capacity15,300 DWT

Oil 117,400 Bbls

Gasoline 595,000 Gals

Fuel Capacity NSFO 9,800 Bbls

Propulsion

one Westinghouse geared turbine, turbo-electric drive

two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 450psi 742°

double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears
Ship's Service Generators
two turbo-drive 400Kw 230V A.C.
one turbo-drive 50Kw 230V A.C.

single propeller, 12,800shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
US Maritime Commission
091904315	155k	First keel segment laid down for the Keystone Tankship Corp., tanker SS Jorkay at the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Yard, Chester, PA., 24 December 1941. Auk Visser's Famous T-Tankers Pages - Sun Shipbuilding photo.	Robert Hurst
USS Rappahannock (AO-43)
091904310	120k	*Namesake* Tappahannock - The only U.S. Navy ship named with the cognate name for the Rappahannock River in eastern Virginia. The river is approximately 195 miles in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west where it rises, across the Piedmont to the Fall Line, and onward through the coastal plain to flow into the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River. *Photo* - The Rappahannock River in Virginia *Map* - Rappahannock River drainage basin©Kmusser	Tommy Trampp
091904309	239k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43)** alongside Pier Two, Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia. PA., 15 July 1942. At the near side of the pier is the parts hulk x-destroyer Taylor (DD-94). US National Archives photo # 80-G-11032.	John Chiquoine
NS0307813	352k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43) refueling USS Savo Island (CVE-78)** operating in TG50.8 off Okinawa, 15 April 1945.	David Buell and John Chiquoine
	87k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43) refueling USS Bonhomme Richard (CVA-31) and USS Missouri (BB-63)**, July 1945 US Navy photo
091904312	293k	The shadow of the Golden Gates the Marin Country coast with *USS Tappahannock* (AO-43)** heading out to sea on trails after reactivation, circa January 1951. Note that her launches are still in protective boxes as well as her after gun mount. U.S. Navy photo from the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum	Darryl Baker
	141k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43)** under way during sea trials on the Mississippi River out of Avondale Ship yards circa May 1966. US Navy photo from All Hands magazine, November 1966.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	47k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43)** under way off Vietnam in 1967.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
091904311	180k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43) conducting an underway replenishment (UNREP) of USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the South China Sea, 12 January 1967. Coral Sea*, with assigned Attack Carrier Air Wing 2* (CVW-2), was deployed to the Western Pacific and Vietnam from 29 July 1966 to 23 February 1967. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # L45-274.01.01.	Robert Hurst
091904313	107k	The Guided Missile Destroyer *HMAS Hobart* (D39) in an underway replenishment with USS Tappahannock (AO-43)** during Operation Sea Dragon (Task Unit 77.1.1) in the Tonkin Gulf, 19 May 1967. An ammunition party is returning empty brass shells by highline transfer. At the same time, the tanker is pumping fuel to HMAS Hobart. The Frank Knox class destroyer *USS Fechteler* (DD-870)** is astern on rescue stations in case of a mishap. Photo courtesy of Bevin Royce Stringer This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication	Robert Hurst
	66k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43) refueling anti-submarine warfare aircraft carrier USS Bennington (CVS-20) and the destroyer USS McKean (DD-784)** in 1968, location unknown. US Navy photo.	Robert Hurst
	117k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43) in the South China Sea, 1 August 1969. She is preparing to refuel the aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge (CVS-33)*. US Naval History and Heritage Command, photo # USN 1141717*, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
	25k	*USS Tappahannock* (AO-43)** drydocked at Subic Bay Ship Repair Facility in Artisan (AFDB-1) in 1969.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	133k	Seventh Fleet ships replenishing in the South China Sea, May 1969. Ships present are (from front to back): *USS Wiltsie* (DD-716), USS Tappahannock (AO-43), USS Oriskany (CVA-34), USS Mars (AFS-1), and USS Perkins (DD-877)*. US National Archives photo # USN 1139357*, by PH1 Long USN. a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives	US Naval History and Heritage Command

USS Tappahannock (AO-43)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Bergensen, Alf Ole Ruh, USN (USNA 1919)	22 June 1942 - 23 September 1943
02	CDR. Swafford, Charles Arthur, USN (USNA 1919)	23 September 1943 - 3 January 1945
03	CDR. Corman, Harry USN Ret. (USNA 1919)	3 January 1945 - ?
04	CDR. McKnight Jr., John Rowland, USN (USNA 1930) :RADM	1948
	Decommissioned	3 February 1950 - December 1950
05	CDR/CAPT. McGoldrick, Joseph Aloysius, USN (USNA 1932) :RADM	December 1950 - September 1951
06	CAPT. Hasse, Lawrence John, USNR	September 1951 - August 1952
07	CDR. Dusinberre, Henry Warren, USN	August 1952 - January 1953
	Decommissioned	January 1953 - 12 December 1956
08	CDR. Liebschner, Orville Owen (Ollie), USN (USNA 1939)	12 December 1956 - 18 November 1957
	Decommissioned	18 November 1957 - 31 May 1966
09	CAPT. Proctor, Erman Oran, USN	31 May 1966 - 26 August 1967
10	CAPT. Christiansen, John Saabye (Jack), USNR :RADM	26 August 1967 - 2 October 1968
11	CAPT. Dickey Jr., George Leon, USN (USNA 1946)	2 October 1968 - January 1970
12	LCDR. Lockeman Jr., George Franklin, USNR	January 1970 - 6 March 1970


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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Last Updated 9 August 2024