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Page 7 text:
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The U.S.S. CAPRICORNUS (AKA-57) was built for the Moritime Commission and launched 14 August 1943 as the S.S. SPITFIRE. She was converted for military use and commissioned as the U.S.S. CAPRICORNUS {AKA-57) on 31 May 1944. After two corgo corrying voyages between San Pedro, Colifomio, and Hilo, Hawaii, CAPRICORNUS sailed by way of Eniwetok and Manus for her first assault; the invosion of Leyte by on attack force of 738 ships. In Leyte Gulf she landed her cargo at the town of Dulag 20 24 October, then withdrew to Hollandia. On 13 No vember, while transporting Army reinforcements from Wakde to Leyte, CAPRICORNUS destroyed one of the Japanese torpedo plones which attocked her group; the origin of her nickname The Scrappy Coppy . While participating in the Lingoyen invasion landing CAPRICORNUS escaped damage when peppered with frag- ments from two bombs which landed close oboord. In this some operation one of her assault boats was destroyed by enemy gunfire while unloading troops on the beach. CAPRICORNUS continued to support Philippine operotions, landing troops and equipment and servicing landing croft. She sailed from Leyte Gulf 27 March for the invasion of Okinawa, arriving at dawn on D-Day, Eoster Sunday, 1 April 1945. From Okinawa CAPRICORNUS returned to the United States for repairs. She left San Francisco 2 June 1945, delivering cargo to Eniwetok, Guam and Espiritu Santo, where she received word of the Japanese surrender. Carrying occupation troops she visited Nagasaki 23 September, then sailed to Manila and Hong Kong to load Chin ese troops for the reo ecu potion of northern China. She continued similar support of the occupation until her return to Seattle, Washington, 11 December 1945. For most of 1946 and 1947, CAPRICORNUS carried cargo to and from the Far East, On 16 November 1947 she steamed to Philo- delphia and entered the Reserve Fleet on 30 March 1948, three years and nine months after her commissioning. With the expansion of the fleet at the outbreak of the Korean War, CAPRICORNUS was recommissioned 12 October 1950 for duty in the Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet. Extensive training ex- ercises coupled with periodic Cold War deployments to the Car- ibbean and Mediterranean followed. She has deployed eight times to the Mediterranean for duty with the Sixth Fleet. On 13 November 1955, she proceeded to the aid of the radar picket ship U.S.S. SEARCHER fYAGR-4). Rescue parties from CAPRICORNUS boarded SEARCHER, brought a serious engine room fire under control after five hours, and towed her to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs. HISTORY When the Lebanon crisis erupted in July 1958, CAPRICORNUS was deployed with Amphibious Squadron SIX in the Mediterranean. CAPRICORNUS lending croft delivered the first Marines ashore, and continued participation in the operation until October, when she returned to the United States. In October 1962, while conducting training operations off Vieques Isl ond, Puerto Rico with otherunitsof Amphibious Squadron EIGHT, CAPRICORNUS wasordered to proceed ot top speed to Guontanomo, Cuba. She reached Guontanomo on 22 October, several hours be- fore President Kennedy publicly onnounced the gravity and stokes of the 1962 Cuban Crisis. Three days later, her Marines ond corgo unloaded to reinforce the Guontanomo garrison, CAPRICORNUS moved north to Charleston, South Carolina to reload and rearm. Re- loaded and again ready she returned to sea remaining off the coast of Florida, ready to respond as required during the crucial three weeks before the crisis subsided. During July - October 1963 CAPRICORNUS was agoin deployed OS a unit of the Caribbean Reody Squadron. Following a period of maintenance and local training operations in the Virginia Copes and Little Creek areas CAPRICORNUS transported elements of the SECOND MARINE AIRCRAFT WING and of UNDERWATER DEMO- LITION UNIT TWO on two voyoges in April to Guontanomo Boy, Cuba, Roosevelt Roods, Puerto Rico and St. Thomos, Virgin Is- lands. Next come participation in operation Quick Kick V; a lorge scale landing on the North Carolina coast executed under very difficult conditions in which her salvage boots were praised for rescuing landing craft from o treacherous surf. Then on 19 May ond on very short notice CAPRICORNUS deployed for the eighth time to the Mediterroneon. In between landing operations and an extensive progrom of ship training exercises CAPRICORNUS visited ten liberty ports from Rhodes, Greece in the East, to Spain in the West and Trieste in the North, steaming over 18,000 miles. During the six months deployed with Commander Amphibious Squadron EIGHT to the U.S. SIXTH FLEET she ond other ships of PHIBRON EIGHT set SIXTH FLEET records, received praise for proficiency in amphibious operations, and established on enviable record for high standards of conduct ashore, effective public re- lations and personal, as well as public, praise for people-to-people endeavors. CAPRICORNUS returned in November 1964 to Norfolk, her home port. As result of her World War II and subsequent service, CAPRI- CORNUS displays the Asiatic-Pacific Area Ribbon with three bronze stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two stars, the Navy Occupation Service Ribbon, the China Service Ribbon, the American Area Ribbon and the Lebanon Expeditionory Ribbon.
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Page 8 text:
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COMMANDING OFFICER WILLIAM H. AVER CAPTAIN, U.S. NAVY Commissioned Ensign in May, 1940, from the Naval R.O.T.C. Unit, University of California, Berkeley, California, his first sea duty was in U.S.S. GAMBLE (DM-15). Subsequently, from Sep- tember 1940 until April 1944, he served in U.S.S. GiLLIS (AVD-12) in PATROL WING (later FLEET AIR WING) FOUR in the Alaskan-Aleutian area. Following relief as Executive Officer of GILLIS, then Lieutenant Ayer assumed command of U.S.S. WILLIAMSON (DD-244), serving during the Iwo Jima and Okinawa operations and for the remainder of World War II. In December 1945 he was ordered to shore duty in the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Functional and Officer Training Sections). He completed this first tour of shore duty as a student in the U.S. Naval War College (1947-48). Sea duty since World War II has consisted of duty in the staff of Commander Amphibious Group Two Commander Transport Squadron Two, 1948-51; as Commanding Officer, U.S.S. NOA (DD-841), 1953-1955; and as Commander Destroyer Division 122, 1958-1959. Captain Ayer ' s tours ashore since 1948 included duty in the staff of CINCLANT CINCLANTFLT CINCWESTLANT USCOMOCEANLANT (Operations Division), 1951-1953; OPNAV (Amphibious Warfare Branch), 1955-1958; and Imperial Defense College, London, England (student), 1960. Cap- tain Ayerwas Assistant Chief of Staff,Logi sties, on the staff of CINCUSNAVEURUSCOMEASTLANT prior to reporting to assume command of CAPRICORNUS on 3 September 1963. Captain Ayer ' s official home address is Berkeley, California. He is married to the former Virginia Claire Golla of Palo Alto, California. The family resides at 1317 Rusticway Lane, Lake Barcroft, Falls Church, Virginia.
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