Cacapon (AO 52) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 5 text:

I USS CACAPON Won the Pacific Fleet E for Excellence for Fleet Oilers, and the Engineering Department Won the Engineering E as the Outstanding Engineering Ship in the Service Force Pacific Fleet. For the Second Consecutive Year CACAPON has shown that she is the finest oiler in the fleet, in her class.

Page 4 text:

Ship' istory U55 CACAPON, named after a river .in West Virginia, was built in Baltimore, Maryland and was commissioned by the United States Navy in September, 1943. After her initial trial cruise CACAPON was sent to ivin the P3CfffC Fleet at Pearl Harbor. During World War II, she saw extensive action in the island-hopping campaign all the way from the Marshall Islands t0 the final surrender of the Japanese forces in Tokyo Bay, August 1945. After the war CACAPON was sent on various missions including a tour around the world and a winter in the Antarctic, but her normal duties involved operations with the SEVENTH Fleet. During the Korean Conflict CACAPON participated in the successful landing at lnchon, Korea and received the Navy Unit Commendation for her action there. Since 1963, CACAPON has assisted in operations varying from emergency evacuation of the Tachen Islandsto patrol duty in the Taiwan Straits. CACAPON normally spends five months out of the year in the Eastern Pacific under the Operational control of Commander FIRST Fleet, the remainder of the year she operates as an integral part ,of the powerful SEVENTH Fleet in WESTPAC, as- sisting in maintaining freedom of the seas and demonstrating a READY POWER FOR PEACE. CACAPON is a twin screw tanker with 13,500 horsepower and a designed speed of 18 knots. Her profile shows the conventional tanker arrangement of forecastle, bridge, and poop, with a raked stem, a cruiser stern, and the engi- neering spaces located aft, abaft the cargo tanks. CACAPON is 553 feet long, 75 feet wide, and when fully loaded with a displacement of 25,000 tons, has a draft of 32 feet 4 inches. CACAPON carries in her cargo tanks a combined total of 115,000 barrels of jet fuel, aviation gasoline and black fuel oil, or approxi- mately 5,000,000 gallons of fuel.

Page 6 text:

Captain H. E. Robisji Commanding Officer Captain Robisch began his naval carter as an Ensign in a Naval Reserve Unit in 1950. He then received orders to sea aboard the USS GREENFISH ISS-3512 where he served until 1954. During his tour aboard the GREENFISH, he was commissioned in the regular Navy. In 1954, Captain Robisch reported aboard the USS PICKEREL KSS-5241 for another tw-o years of submarine duty, operating with the Pacific Fleet. After his tour of sea duty, Capt. Robisch spent a year at the United States Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif. Upon completion of Post Graduate School, he reported for staff duty with the Commander of Submarine Squadron 12, serving as Communications Officer. In July 1958, he was at ,sea again on the USS SABALO fSS-302j Where his billets included Executive Officer, Operations Officer and Navigator. Once again after a tour of sea duty, he was assigned staff duty with the Commander of the Submarine Forces Pacific. Here he served as Force Communi- cations Officer. In 1963, Capt., Robisch assumed command of the USS BLUEGILL ISS-2422. Here he served as Commanding Officer until 1965. From 1965 until 1967, he carried out his duties Working for the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations. Capt. Robisch became a Staff Officer once again with Anti-Submarine War- fare Group One from 1967 until 1969. Here he was Sub-surface Operations Officer and Plans Officer, embarked in the USS YORKTOWN fCVS-102 and the USS KEARSARGE I-CVS-331. Before coming to the CACAPON, Capt. Robisch served with the Defense gogimunications Agency as Deputy Chief of the Plans Division, in Washington, In September, Capt. Robisch relieved Capt. R, P, McKenzie as Commanding Officer of the USS CACAPON KAO-521.