Salamonie (AO 26) - Naval Cruise Book

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x The USS SALAMONIE has been a part of the Navy's Service Force for over 27 years. She was built in 1940 as a commercial transport and christened ESSO COLUMBIA. In November of the same year she was taken over by the Navy and named after the Salamonie River, an eastern Indiana tributary of the Wablafilfing the first part of World War II the SALAMONIE honorably served with the Atlantic Fleet. She made various fueling deployments to Argentia, Newfoundland and Reykjavik, Iceland. One of her more important assignments was assisting lend-lease operations with convoys carrying troops, equipment and su lies to En land. OnpIi2 Februatrgy 1943 while steaming in formation the rudder of the SALAMONIE jammed causing her to ram the USS URAGUAY. The SALAMONIE suffered no personnel casualties, however, a sailor, who was in the Sick Bay Ward on the USS URAGUAY, was mysteriously thrown onto the forcastle of the SALAMONIE! Suffering from only minor abrasions on his face, he proceeded to the bridge to inquire about directions to sick bay. His mattress and toilet articles were found on SALAMONIE's forcastle the next morning. Since that time personnel transfers have been handled by a high line! In July 1944 the SALAMONIE entered the Pacific Theatre where she re- mained for the duration of the war. While she was assisting the 7th Fleet in the South Pacific, she suffered her one and only fatality. A crew member was mor- tally wounded and four injured when the ship was strafed by a Japanese plane near the Philippines. After the War ended the SALAMONIE remained with the Pacific Fleet for almost four years. The majority of this time was spent in operation Bahrein Shuttle . This involved transporting fuel from the Persian Gulf to the Western Pacific. Altogether she made seven of these shuttles. These trips afforded the crew liberty in such exotic ports as Singapore and Colombo, Ceylon. Since 1950 the SALAMONIE has been home-ported in Newport, Rhode Island and has been assigned to Service Squadron TWO. During this time she has been involved in deployments to the Mediterranean the Caribbean Sea Frontier and the North Atlantic on Midshipman cruises She has also assisted in the United Nations Airlift in the Congo and supported our military effort during the Dominican Republlc Q1-1513 After more than a quarter of a century of service to the fleet, the SALAMONIE continues to supply the essentially needed fuel for the operation of the fleet and manifests her can do spirit . .A 7 ! ' 45 7, ..

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