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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Schuylkill (T-AOT-76)
ex
 USS Schuylkill (T-AO-76) (1949 - ?)
USS Schuylkill (AO-76) (1943 - 1949)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Oscar - Sierra
 NKOS
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (7) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal - United Nations Service Medal
Fourth Row - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2) - Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Suamico Class Fleet Oiler:
  • Authorized by the Maritime Commission as Louisburg, a Maritime Commission type (T2-SE-A1) tanker hull
  • Laid down, 24 September 1942, as Schuylkill, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 306) at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock, Chester, PA.
  • Launched, 16 February 1943
  • Acquired by the Navy, 27 February 1943
  • Commissioned USS Schuylkill (AO-76), 9 April 1943, at Baltimore, MD., CAPT. Fred A. Hardesty USNR in command
  • During World War II USS Schuylkill was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Gilbert Islands operation, 30 November to 7 December 1943 Leyte operation
    Luzon Attacks, 18 to 19 October 1944
    Marianas operation
    11 June to 10 August 1944 Capture and occupation of Saipan, 11 June to 10 August 1944
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 12 July to 15 August 1944     		Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 11 January and 15 to 18 January 1945
    Tinian capture and occupation, 20 July to 10 August 1944 Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 18 February to 2 March 1945
    Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944
    Assaults on the Philippine Islands, 9 to 24 September 1944     		 

  • Following World War II USS Schuylkill was assigned to Occupation duty in the Far East from 3 to 17 September 1945
  • Decommissioned, 15 February 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 26 February 1946
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 30 June 1946 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • Reacquired by the Navy, 30 January 1948
  • Placed in service by the Naval Transportation Service (NTS) as Schuylkill (AO-76)
  • Control shifted to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 1 October 1949, redesignated USNS Schuylkill (T-AO-76)
  • Reclassified Transport Oiler (AOT-76), date unknown
  • Transferred to the Maritime Administration, 8 September 1975 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 31 March 1986
  • USS Schuylkill earned seven battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in Taiwan to C.J.W. Shipping & Trading Co, 4 March 1988, MARAD contract MA-12256
    Specifications:
    Displacement 5,730 t.(lt) 22,380 t.(fl)
    Length 523' 6"
    Beam 68'
    Draft 30' 10"
    Speed 15.1 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 23
    Enlisted 230
    Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount
    four single 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Cargo Capacity 15,300 DWT
    Oil 120,400 Bbls
    Gasoline 575,000 Gals
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 9,235 Bbls,
    Propulsion
    one General Electric turbo-electric engine
    two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boiler, 450psi 730°
    Ship's Service Generators
     two turbo-drive 400Kw 450V A.C.
     two turbo-drive 85Kw 120V D.C.
     two turbo-drive 55Kw 120V D.C.
     one turbo-drive 50Kw 450V A.C.
    single propeller, 6,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Schuylkill (AO-76)
    Schuylkill
    USNH&HC # NH 92247    		 131k SS Schuylkill in Chesapeake Bay off Fairfield, Maryland, 3 March 1943, just before being converted for Navy service. She is still in merchant T2-SE-A1 configuration.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photos # NH 92247. Courtesy of A.D. Baker III    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Schuylkill
    USNH&HC # NH 92248    		 145k USS Schuylkill (AO-76) under way off Hampton Roads, Virginia, 17 April 1943, following her conversion for naval service. Note her non-standard rig, an attempt to camouflage her to resemble a cargo ship rather than a tanker also including the false stack amidships. Her real stack (aft) is disguised as a cowl vent.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photos #'s NH 92248, NH 92249 and NH 92250. Courtesy of A.D. Baker III    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Schuylkill
    USNH&HC # NH 92249    		 130k
    Schuylkill
    USNH&HC # NH 92250    		 130k
    Schuylkill
    USNH&HC # NH 92252    		 109k USS Schuylkill (AO-76) near the Norfolk Navy Yard, 24 April 1943. In this ship, as an experiment, the smokestack aft was replaced with a small exhaust pipe and a dummy smokestack was installed amidships over the bridge. The purpose was to persuade a U-boat skipper that the ship was a freighter rather than a more valuable tanker. The experiment does not appear to have been repeated.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photos # NH 92252, US National Archives, RG-10-LCM, courtesy Shipscribe.com and US Naval History and Heritage Command photos # NH 92253. courtesy of A.D. Baker III.    		 Mike Green
    Schuylkill
    NA RG-10-LCM    		 122k
    Schuylkill
    USNH&HC NH 92253    		 164k
    Schuylkill 72k USS Schuylkill (AO-76) under way, circa 1944, location unknown.  
    Schuylkill 90k USS Schuylkill (AO-76) at anchor, date and location unknown. Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick, RT3/c USS Blue Ridge 1943 to 1945.
    Denver 147k USS Schuylkill (AO-76) on the right conducting a replenishment at sea with the light cruiser USS Denver (CL-58), on the left. Seen from the camera's vantage point on Denver's starboard catapult, 12 January 1945, in the South China Sea operating with TG77.3. The destroyer pulling away is USS Taylor (DD-468).
    US Navy photo.    		 Photo from Thomas Moffatt
    Caption by John Chiquoine and Dave Schroeder
    Schuylkill 116k USS Schuylkill (AO-76) is seen from USS Russell (DD-414) after re-fueling, 3 January 1945. The other destroyer in the group is USS La Vallette (DD-448). They were part of the amphibious force heading through the Philippines towards Lingayen Gulf.
    Photos by LT. Edwin Klump, USS Russell.     		John Chiquoine
    Schuylkill 223k
    Schuylkill 275k
    USNS Schuylkill (T-AO-76)
    Schuylkill 68k USNS Schuylkill (T-AO-76) under way, date and location unknown
    US Navy photo from "Jane Fighting Ships, 1971-72"    		 Robert Hurst
    USNS Schuylkill (T-AOT-76)
    Schuylkill 540k A crew member aboard USS Chipola (AO-63) heaves a shot line across to USNS Schuylkill (T-AOT-76), 18 May 1972, location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Pieter Bakels
    Schuylkill 211k A crew member aboard USS Chipola (AO-63) signals to USNS Schuylkill (T-AOT-76) to begin oil consolidation, 18 May 1972. The ability to consolidate cargo at sea allowed the Navy to operate with fewer tankers.
    US Navy photo.    		 Tommy Trampp
    USS Schuylkill (AO-76)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Hardesty, Fred Archibald9 April 1943 - 3 November 1944
    02CDR. McVey, James Bertrand, USN (USNA 1922)3 November 1944 - 15 February 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    Fleet Tankers Association
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 12 July 2019