Jason (AR 8) - Naval Cruise Book

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In Greek mythology Jason was the leader of the Argonauts, who sailed aboard the ARGO in quest of the Golden Fleece. ln the spirit of his heroic deeds, three ships of the United States Navy have proudly borne the name. The first, a monitor, served with distinction during the Civil War, blockading and interdicting shipping in both North and South Atlantic areas, the second, a fuel ship, was assigned to deliver supplies and fuel to ships operating in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean during World War l and later served in the Pacific. Today's USS Jason KAR-82 is a repair ship whose distin- guished history spans five decades. She was launched April 3, 1943 by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and commissioned June 19, 1944. World War ll was raging when Jason took her place on the line. She sailed first to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then to Purvis Bay in the Solomon lslands to begin support operations as a member of Service Squadron Ten. A From Purvis Bay Jason moved to Ulithi, Caroline Islands for seven months and then to Leyte in the Philippines for the duration of the war. During this period Jason worked around the clock repairing ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. This heavy work load, coupled with the need to spend long hours at general quarters, severely taxed those who served aboard. Jason 's performance, together with that of other units of Service Squad- ron Ten, prompted Third Fleet Commander ADM Bull Hal- sey to commend the squadron for a job well done. Jason survived three separate air attacks in Ulithi and repaired dam- age sustained by USS Mazawa, an ammunition ship, and USS Randolph, an aircraft carrier. Jason fabricated and installed structural bulkheads for the repair of a number of ships, includ- ing USS Lexington and USS Cabot. While in. Leyete, Jason regunned USS Mobile and effected repairs to USS ldaho, USS Mississippi, USS Mount Olympus and USS Gus W. Darnell. ln all, Jason completed 52 aircraft carrier availabilities. When the Japanese surrendered August 14, 1945, Jason was at sea. She proceeded to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, and then to Jinsen, Korea, with the Hrst 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 ships of the Pacific Fleet, alternating homeports between Japan and California. As the Communist menace grew bolder in Ko- rea, Jason spent more and more time in Sasebo, Japan, provid- ing vital support in a conflict where sustained naval power became increasingly important. Following cessation of hostilities in Korea, one crisis after another flared up in the Far East and for a period of ten years Jason worked tirelessly with other ships to keep the all-impor- tant U.S. Seventh Fleet in a state of maximum combat readi- ness. In the late fifties and early sixties the Communists focused their attention on Southeast Asia, and the United States was drawn into the Vietnam War. During this period Jason crew worked arduously repairing battle damage to such ships as USS Goldsborough and regunning others such as USS Providence. ln a conflict where naval gunfire support Hgured so prominently, such services were crucial in defending American lives. Since the Vietnam conflict Jason has made numerous deploy- men ts, including pro viding services for units of the lndian Ocean Battle Groups in Diego Garcia during the lran-Afghanistan crisis in 1 980-81. Her tradition of supply and support has won her the Battle Efficiency E for the years 1961, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1971, 1975, and 1980. ln 1982 Jason changed her homeport to Pearl Harbor, the site where she began repair services in the summer of 1944. During her regular overhaul in 1982 Jason received extensive modernization in both the repairfmission area and in the electrical and main propulsions areas, preparing the ship for many more years of superior service. Continuing her 40 years of providing front line mobile repair services to forward deployed ships, Jason sailed once again for the Western Pacihc in 1983. While in Yokosuka, Japan, she tended ships participating in the search for wreckage and survi- vors of the KAL 007 disaster. Now in her fifth decade, Jason 's 1985 deployment again took her to the lndian Ocean. Two of her seven months were spent at anchor off the coast of Oman servicing units of the Pacific Fleet. Jason also became the Hrst U.S. Navy ship to visit Moroni, the capital of the Comoros lslands. A S

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