Jason (AR 8) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS JASON (ARS) ouintled wiih gum fore and ih. »iih pcnonnel at quancn After the Japanese surrender, JASON proceeded to Buckncr Bay. Okinawa and then to Jinsen, Korea with the first occupation troops. She assisted in the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Korea and China. For the next four years she continued to provide service to the Pacific Fleet, alternating between Japan and California and as the Communist menace grew bolder in Korea. JASON spent more and more time in Sascbo providing vital support in a conflict where naval power became increasingly important. Following the cessation of hostilities in Korea, one crisis after another flared up in the Far East. For a period of ten years J.ASON worked tirelessly with other support ships to keep the all-imp irtant Seventh Fleet in a state of maximum combat readiness. In the late fifties and early sixties, the Communists began switchmg lo Southeast Asia: the Vietnam War. of course the result During this pciod JASON ' s crew worked arduously repairing battle damage to such ships as LSS GOLDSBOROLGH and regunning others others such as L ' SS PROVIDENCE. In a conflict where gunfire support figured so prominently, such services were crucial in defending American lives. 12

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Launching the present USS JASON. April 3. 1943 at the Loi Angeies Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. The present USS JASON (AR8) was launched 3 April 1943 by Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, and was commissioned on 19 June 1944 with Captain A.O.R. Bergesen in command. She was built to serve as a hull repair ship, the first and only repair ship ever designed for this purpose. World War II was raging and JASON took her place on the line almost immediately sailing first to Pearl Harbor and then proceeding to Purvis Bay in the Solomon Islands to begin operations as a member of Service Squadron 10. From Purvis, JASON moved to Ulithi for seven months and then to Leyte for the duration of the war. During this period, JASON worked around the clock restoring ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The heavy work load, coupled with the need to spend long hours at General Quarters, severely taxed those who served aboard her, but JASON ' s performance together with the other units of Squadron 10 prompted Admiral Halsey to commend the Squadron Commander for a job well done. In Ulithi, three separate air attacks were survived. JASON repaired damages sustained by the USS MAZAWA, a fleet ammunition ship, and by the USS RANDOLPH, a heavy aircraft carrier. JASON supplied needed bulkheads for the repair of a number of ships, including the USS LEXINGTON and the USS CABOT. While in Leyte JASON regunned the USS MOBILE and effected repairs to USS IDAHO, USS MISSISSIPPI, USS NT. OLYMPUS, and USS GUS W. DARNELL. 11

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JASON TODAY JASON RETURNS HOME 31 MARCH 1981 FROM ESTPAC I.O. DEPLOYMENT 13