View source for USS Venango (AKA-82)

==History==
''Venango'' was laid down under a [[Maritime Commission]] contract (MC hull 1391) on 6 June 1944 at [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], by the [[North Carolina Shipbuilding Company]]; launched on 9 August 1944; sponsored by Miss Alana Jane Matthes; placed briefly in service from [[25 August]] to 30 August 1944 while being towed to New York harbor for conversion by the Bethlehem Steel Co., Hoboken, N.J.; and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 2 January 1945, LCDR Thurman A. Whitaker, USNR, in command.
 
Following trials in [[Long Island Sound]] and shakedown training in [[Chesapeake Bay]], the new attack cargo ship got underway from [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]] on [[2 February]]; transited the [[Panama Canal]] on the 8th; and reached [[Pearl Harbor]] on Washington's Birthday. There, she reported to Amphibious Forces, Pacific, for duty as a unit of Transport Division (TransDiv) 63. She commenced discharging cargo on the 27th and, the following day, was reassigned to TransDiv 56.
 
After unloading the cargo she had taken on at [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]], ''Venango'' proceeded on [[4 March]] to Army Transport Pier 26 at [[Honolulu, Hawaii|Honolulu]] and began taking on cargo for the impending assault on [[Okinawa]]. On the 14th, she embarked troops, vehicles, and gear of the Army's 82d Signal Construction Battalion. The next day, she got underway for a staging point in the [[Marshalls]]. On the 23d, she anchored at [[Eniwetok]]; then, on the 25th, again got underway and steamed for the Western Carolines. Off [[Ulithi]] on the 29th, she rode out a [[typhoon]]—high winds and heavy squalls—and then entered the lagoon the next day and anchored. With elements of Task Group 55.8 steaming in a four-column formation, she departed [[Ulithi]] on the afternoon of the 13th and headed for the [[Ryukyus]].
 
About dawn on [[17 April]], lookouts on the attack cargo ship sighted [[Okinawa]] off the ship's starboard beam, some 16&nbsp;miles away. Later that morning, she anchored off [[Okinawa]] and began unloading her boats at 1830. In the days that followed, ''Venango'' continued discharging the troops, cargo, and equipment of the 82d Signal Battalion. Often at dawn and dusk, the call to general quarters alerted all hands that enemy air raiders were nearby. Although ''Venango'' sighted no Japanese planes, enemy raiders hit numerous nearby land targets as the cargo ship lay at anchor off [[Okinawa]]. On [[22 April]], she departed the [[Ryukyus]] and reached [[Saipan]] on the 27th.
 
On [[1 May]], she shifted from the anchorage to a dock in [[Tanapag]] harbor to load equipment and cargo of the 21st Naval Construction Battalion for transportation to [[Okinawa]]. Two days later, she departed [[Saipan]] in convoy and, on the 27th, stood into Nakafusuku Wan. Numerous air raids alerts marked the days that followed. An hour after midnight on [[31 May]], ''Venango'' began discharging her cargo. Frequent alerts continued as she emptied her holds. On [[3 June]], a Japanese bomber splashed in the transport area; and, the next day, ''Venango'' made an emergency sortie with a six-ship merchant convoy to ride out an approaching [[typhoon]]. However, the typhoon did not strike [[Okinawa]]; and ''Venango'' returned to Nakagusuku Wan on the 5th and resumed unloading. On the 6th, action picked up; and observers on the cargo ship witnessed the air attack in which destroyer minelayers [[USS Harry F. Bauer (DM-26)]] and [[USS J. William Ditter (DM-31)]] downed six Japanese aircraft, despite serious damage to both ships by [[kamikazes]].
 
''Venango'' departed [[Okinawa]] in convoy on the 19th and steamed via [[Saipan]] to [[Pearl Harbor]] where she arrived on [[29 June]]. She shifted berths to [[Honolulu, Hawaii|Honolulu]] harbor on [[7 July]]. There, she loaded miscellaneous cargo, including beer, lumber, cement, and tar, before getting underway on the 13th and steaming independently for the [[Western Carolines]]. The same day, main engine damage forced her to reverse her course; and, on the 14th, she found herself back at [[Pearl Harbor]] for repairs.
 
The attack cargo ship again departed [[Oahu]] on the 23d, proceeded independently via [[Ulithi]], and arrived at Hydrographer Bank in the [[Palaus]] on [[6 August]]. Anchored between [[Peleliu]] and [[Angaur]], she loaded cargo and got underway late the following afternoon. She entered [[Leyte Gulf]] on the morning of [[9 August]], unloaded cargo, and was anchored in Guiuan Roadstead off [[Samar]] on the 15th, when [[Japan]] capitulated. After discharging the remainder of her cargo, she began taking on 8th Army troops and equipment on [[1 September]]. Underway on the 3d, she anchored in [[Manila]] Bay on the 5th; then, two days later, joined the sortie of Transport Squadron (TransRon) 24, bound for [[Yokohama]].
 
Early on the morning of the 13th, the ships formed a single column and steamed into [[Tokyo Bay]]. ''Venango'' docked at [[Yokohama]] to unload her cargo and, on the 18th, weathered a [[typhoon]]. The following day, she departed [[Tokyo Bay]] in company with TransRon 24 and set her course for [[Guam]]. She arrived at Apra Harbor on the 23d, loaded cargo of the 3d Marines, 6th Marine Division and, on the 30th, set her course in convoy for China. On [[12 October]], she moored at [[Tsingtao]] and began discharging cargo. Still in company with Trans-Ron 24, she departed the Chinese coast on [[17 October]] and anchored in [[Manila]] Bay on the 23d. In November, she carried elements of the 52d Chinese Army from [[Haiphong]] to [[Chinwangtao]], China; then, on the 20th, she departed the [[Gulf of Pohai]] off Taku and set her course for the west coast of the United States. Early on the morning of [[6 December]], she entered the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] and, in mid-afternoon, moored at the Naval Station, [[Seattle]], and discharged her passengers.
 
Following repairs, she got underway on 1 February 1946 and steamed via [[San Francisco, California]] and the [[Panama Canal]] to [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]] where she arrived on the 25th. She was decommissioned there on [[18 April]]; and, on [[22 April]], she was returned to the [[War Shipping Administration]]. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 May 1946.
 
Sold to the Waterman Steamship Corp., she operated out of [[Mobile, Alabama]], beginning in 1948. In 1953, she was transferred to Isbrandtsen Co., Inc., and for more than 10 years operated out of New York under the name ''Flying Eagle''. In the early 1970's, she operated out of [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] as ''Del Alba'' and was owned by Delta Steamship Lines. By 1975, she was no longer listed in the Record of the American Bureau of Shipping.