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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Starr (AKA-67)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Golf - Oscar NHGO

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (9 April 1945, Okinawa) - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Personnel Awards

Purple Hearts (4-WIA, 9 April 1945 Okinawa, Fletcher, R.F. S1/c, Frazier, E.V. Cox, Moore, W.E. MoMM3/c, Norwicki, J.J. MoMM3/c)

Tolland Class Attack Cargo Ship:

Laid down, 13 June 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1392), at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. Wilmington, N.C.

Launched, 18 August 1944

Commissioned USS Starr (AKA-67), 21 October 1944, at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C., CDR. Frederick 0. Goldsmith in command

During WWII USS Starr was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
TransRon Seventeen, COMO. T.B. Brittan USN (20);
TransDiv Fifty, CAPT. R.W. Abbot USN (20) and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 5 March 1945	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 10 April 1945

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

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
22 to 27 September 1945	3 to 18 December 1945
20 to 29 October 1945
19 to 25 December 1945

Decommissioned, 31 May 1946, at Norfolk VA.

Returned to the Maritime Commission, 1 June 1946, National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946

USS Starr earned two battle stars for World War II service

Merchant Service

Dealt to Pacific Far East Lines, 3 December 1947, renamed SS India Bear

Sold in April 1957 to the Trans-Pacific Co.

Resold, 11 June 1959, to Derma Inc., renamed SS Lanakila

Resold, 7 February 1961, to Far East Lines, renamed SS India Bear

Final Disposition, sold, 9 September 1970, to Sing Cheng Yuen Steel Col Ltd., for scrapping in Taiwan

Specifications:
Displacement 8,635 t.(lt) 13,910 t.(fl), 14,160 (lim)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 26' 4"
Speed 16.5 kts.

Complement

Officers 62

Enlisted 333

Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

sixteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Boats

fourteen LCVPs

eight LCMs

Cargo Capacity 5,275DWT

non-refrigerated 380,000 Cu ft.

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 10,425 Bbls

Diesel 805 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric geared turbine

two Foster and Wheeler header-type boilers, 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gear

three Ship's Service Generators 300Kw, 120V/240V D.C.

single propeller, 6,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
USS Starr (AKA-67)
100206708	82k	Ex-*USS Starr* (AKA-67)** underway in the harbor at Charleston, S.C., 1 November 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 6AO. Photo from www.picryl.com by U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships	John Spivey
	52k	*USS Starr* (AKA-67)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	USS Starr web site
	25k	*USS Starr* (AKA-67)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission web site
	19k	*USS Starr* (AKA-67)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission web site
	138k	Aft plan view of *USS Starr* (AKA-67) at Mare Island Navy Yard, 7 February 1946. Starr was under repair at the shipyard from 26 January to 8 February 1946. USS Mizar (AF-12) is outboard of Starr and USS General G. M. Randall (AP 115) and USS General William Mitchell (AP 114) are aft of Starr**. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AKA 67 550-46, Navy Photo, 2/7/46	Darryl Baker
	128k	Forward plan view of *USS Starr* (AKA-67) at Mare Island Navy Yard, 7 February 1946. USS Mizar (AF-12) is outboard of Starr**. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # AKA 67 553-46, Navy Photo, 2/7/46	Darryl Baker
100206707	177k	Ex-*USS Starr* (AKA-67) drydocked at Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, ME. in 1947. Starr** departed the James River Reserve Fleet, 14 January 1947, for demilitarization at Bath Iron Works, Bath ME. prior to being sold to Pacific Far East Lines.	David Wright
Merchant Service Pacific Far East Lines
	120k	Ex-*USS Starr* (AKA-67)** in merchant service as the Pacific Far East Lines freighter SS India Bear moored pierside in a US west coast port, mid-1950s.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus

USS Starr (AKA-67)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Goldsmith, Frederick Oliver	21 October 1944 - 2 June 1945
02	LCDR. Moody Jr., Harold Abram, USNR (acting)	2 June 1945 - 28 February 1946
04	CDR. Gunn, Frederick Arthur, USN (USNA 1934)	18 May 1946 - 31 May 1946


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
USS Starr (AKA-67)
USS Starr (AKA-67) War Diary / History and Action Reports October 1944 to November 1945
MARAD Vessel History Database

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 20 December 2024