USS Medea (AKA-31)

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USS Medea (AKA-31)
History
Laid down:	9 August 1944
Launched:	30 November 1944
Commissioned:	10 January 1945
Decommissioned:	24 April 1946
Struck:	15 October 1946
Fate:	Unknown
General Characteristics
Builder:	Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc.
Hull type:	S4-SE2-BE1
Displacement:	4,087 tons light, 7,080 tons loaded
Length:	426 ft (129.8 m)
Beam:	58 ft (17.7 m)
Draft:	16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion:	Steam turbo-electric drive; two boilers, two propellers, 6,000 shp (4.5 MW)
Speed:	16.9 knots (31.3 km/h)
Complement:	321 (20 officers, 301 men), plus 255 embarked troops
Armament:	1 × 5"/38 caliber DP gun, 4 × twin 40 mm AA guns, 16 × 20 mm AA guns
Boats:	14 LCVP, 8 LCM

USS Medea (AKA-31) was an Artemis class attack cargo ship named after the minor planet 212 Medea, which in turn was named for a mythical enchantress who helped Jason win the Golden Fleece. USS Medea served as a commissioned ship for 15 months, and received one battle star for World War II service.

History[edit]

Medea (AKA-31) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract 5 August 1944, by Walsh–Kaiser Co., Inc., Providence, RI; launched 30 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Clarke; and commissioned 10 January 1945, LCDR Wesley A. Sherberth in command.

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Medea loaded cargo at Hampton Roads, and steamed to Hawaii, arriving Pearl Harbor 3 March 1945. Departing Honolulu 6 April, she operated in the Northern Mariana Islands for the next 2 months, before embarking troops for Okinawa. She arrived off the Hagushi beaches, Okinawa 10 June, and spent the next 9 days discharging troops and cargo. After the cessation of hostilities on 15 August, she carried occupation troops from the Philippines to Japan until November, when she reported for duty with the "Magic Carpet" fleet.

Medea decommissioned in the 8th Naval District, headquartered at New Orleans, Louisiana, 24 April 1946. She was struck from the Naval Register 15 October, and transferred to the War Shipping Administration 29 October.

References[edit]

• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (Primary source for this article)