Jason (AR 8) - Naval Cruise Book

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The Mighty Jason ' She ' s not ffcttinff older. . . She ' s getting better. . . ' In Greek mythology Jason wns the lender of the Argonauts, who suited iihoard the . IH1() in quest of the Golden Fleeee. In the spirit of his heroie deeds, three ships of the ignited States IK ' nvy have proudly borne the name. The first, a monitor, served with dis- tinetion during the Civil War, blockading and inter- dicting shipping in both North and South Atlantic ar- eas; the second, a fuel ship, was assigned to deliver sup- plies and fuel to ships operating in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean during World War I and later served in the Pacific. Today ' s I ' SS JASON (AR-Si is a repair ship whose distinguished history spans five decades. She was la unchcd April ,1, 1 94:} by the Los Angeles S hipbuilding and Drydock Company and commissioned June I ' J, 1944. World War II was raging when J.ASON took her place on the line. She sailed first to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then to Pur bis Bay in the Solomon Islands to begin support operations as a member of Service Squadron Ten. From Purvis Bay JASON moved to Ulithi, Caro- line Islands for seven months and then to Leyte in the Philippines for the duration of the war. During the pe- riod JASON worked around the workload, coupled with the need to spend long hours at general quarters, severely taxed those who served aboard. J.ASON ' S performance, together with that of other units of Ser- vice Squadron Ten, prompted Third Fleet Commander ADM Bull Halsey to commend the squadron for a job well done. JASON survived three separate air attacks in Ulithi and repaired damage sustained by USS MA- ZA WA, an ammunition ship, and USS RANDOLPH, an aircraft carrier. JASON fabricated and installed structural bulkheads for the repair of a number of ships, including USS LEXINGTON and USS CABOT. While in Leyete, JASON regunned USS MOBIL and effected repairs to USS IDAHO, USS MISSISSIPPL USS MOUNT OLYMPUS and USS GUS W. DAR- NELL. In 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 first oc- cupation troops. She assisted in the evacuation of Jap- anese nationals from Korea and China. For the next four years she continued to provide service to ships of the Pacific Fleet, alternating homeports between Ja- pan and California. As the Communist menace grew holder in Korea, J.ASON spent more and more time in Sasebo, Japan, providing vital support in a conflict where sustained naval power became increasingly im- portant. Following cessation of the hostilities in Korea, one crisis after another flared up in the Far East and for a period of ten years JASON worked tirelessly with the other ships to keep the all-important L ' .S. Seventh Fleet in a state of maximum combat readiness. In the late fifties and early sixties the Communist focused their attention on Southeast Asia, and the United States was drawn into the Metnam War. During this period J.ASO.X crew worked arduously repairing bat- tle damage to such ships as USS GOLDSBOHOl GH and regunning others such as I ' SS PROVIDENCE. In a conflict where naval gunfire support figured so prominently, such services were crucial in defending American lives. Since the Vietnam conflict J.ASON has made nu- merous deployments, including providing services for units of the Indian Ocean Battle Groups in Diego Gar- cia during the Iran-Afghanistan crisis in 19S0-S1. Her tradition of supply and support has won her the Battle Efficiency E for the years of 1961, I9li2. 1911:}, 1967, 1971, 1975, and 19St). In 19H2 JASON changed her home- port to Pearl Harbor, the site where she began repair services in the summer of 1944. During her regular overhaul in I9S2 J.ASON received extensive modern- ization in both the repair mission area and in the elec- trical and main propulsion 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, JAS- ON sailed once again for the Western Pacific in 1983. While in Yokosuka, Japan, she tended ships participat- ing in the search for wreckage and survivors of the KAL 007 disaster. Now in her fifth decade, J.ASON deployed again in 19S5, 19H7 and I9S9. During her 19S9 deployment she was awarded the battle EE for the eighth time. This deployment took her back to the Western Pacific and the Indian ocean where she tended numerous U.S. Na vy Ships as well as providing assistance to the Paki- stan Navy, French Navy, and British Navy.

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Western Pacif ic Indian Ocean Deployment 11 May -10 November 1989

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