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USS Corvus (AKA-26)
Career US flag 48 stars
Name: USS Corvus
Builder: Walsh-Kaiser Company, Providence, Rhode Island
Launched: 24 September 1944
Commissioned: 20 November 1944
Decommissioned: 29 March 1946
Honours and
awards:
1 battle star (WWII)
Fate: Transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal, 31 October 1946
General characteristics
Class & type: Artemis-class attack cargo ship
Type: S4–SE2–BE1
Displacement: 4,087 long tons (4,153 t) light
7,080 long tons (7,194 t) full
Length: 426 ft (130 m)
Beam: 58 ft (18 m)
Draft: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Speed: 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement: 303 officers and enlisted
Armament: • 1 × 5"/38 caliber gun mount
• 4 × twin 40 mm gun mounts
• 10 × 20 mm gun mounts

USS Corvus (AKA-26) was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship named after the southern constellation Corvus. She served as a commissioned ship for 16 months. Corvus (AKA-26) was launched 24 September 1944 by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc., Providence, R.I., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. O. Parks; acquired by the Navy 20 November 1944; and commissioned the same day, Lieutenant Commander C. M. Gregson, USNR, in command.

Service history[]

Corvus departed Providence 2 December 1944 for San Francisco, where she loaded cargo for Leyte. Arriving in the Philippines 21 February 1945, Corvus discharged cargo at Guiuan for the establishment of an air base there, and transferred cargo at Dulag. On 13 March she began rehearsals for the Okinawa operation, and sailed from Leyte Gulf 27 March for the landings 1 April. She remained off Okinawa undergoing the first of the kamikaze attacks, until 10 April when she sailed with Army casualties for Guam, arriving 14 April.

Corvus sailed 15 April for Pearl Harbor arriving 27 April where she was drydocked for maintenance on the hull, bilge keels and propellers. Corvus sailed 24 May to the West Coast arriving San Francisco 30 May where she was immediately ordered to Seattle arriving 3 June. At Seattle Corvus loaded men and supplies of the advanced echelon of the 1st Ordinance Squadron, 509th Composite Group, Army Air Corps for transport to Tinian in support of the 509th's atomic bombing mission. Corvus sailed 15 June from Seattle arriving Tinian 3 July.

Upon discharging the men and supplies of the 1st Ordnance Squadron, Corvus sailed from Tinian 7 July 1945 carrying cargo for Guadalcanal, the Russell Islands, Samar, and Manus, and reported to Manila 30 August. She loaded cargo and occupation troops, and sailed 18 September for Honshū. Returning to Manila 14 October, she sailed a week later to embark homeward-bound servicemen at Yokohama returning to San Pedro, Calif., with them 26 November. Between 26 December and 10 February, she made a similar voyage from the west coast to Guam, then sailed 16 February for Mobile, Alabama, and Orange, Texas. Corvus was decommissioned 29 March 1946, and transferred to the Maritime Commission 31 October 1946 for disposal.

Corvus received one battle star in World War II.

References[]

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links[]


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