View source for USS Salamonie

{{short description|Oiler of the United States Navy}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= [[Image:AO-26 Salamonie-2.JPG|300px|USS ''Salamonie'' (AO-26)]]
|Ship caption= 
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1970}}
|Ship name=*''Esso Columbia''
*USS ''Salamonie''
|Ship namesake=[[Salamonie River]] in Indiana
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder= [[Newport News Shipbuilding]] and Drydock Company, [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News, VA]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship laid down= 5 February 1940
|Ship launched= 18 September 1940
|Ship sponsor= Mrs. Eugene Holman
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed= 
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 28 April 1941
|Ship decommissioned= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck= 2 September 1969
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto= 
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate= Sold for scrapping, 24 September 1970
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= [[Cimarron class oiler (1939)|''Cimarron''-class]] [[Oiler (ship)|oiler]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|7470|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} light
*{{convert|24830|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} full load
|Ship length= {{convert|553|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|75|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|32|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power= {{convert|30400|shp|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion= twin screws, steam (450 [[Pounds per square inch|lb<sub>f</sub>/in<sup>2</sup>]]), [[Fuel oil#Bunker fuel|NSFO]]
|Ship speed= {{convert|18|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}}
|Ship range= 
|Ship complement= 304
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*4 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}/38 cal. guns]] (4×1)
*4 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] AA guns
*4 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] AA guns
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label= 
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|codes=
|commanders=
|operations=[[World War II]]
|victories=
|awards=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Salamonie'' (AO-26)''' was a [[Cimarron class oiler (1939)|''Cimarron''-class]] [[fleet replenishment oiler]], named for the [[Salamonie River]] in [[Indiana]].

==Construction and commissioning==
[[File:Salamonie (AO26), formerly the Esso Columbia. Oiler. Starboard side, underway, 11-07-1941 - NARA - 520823.tif|thumb|left|USS ''Salamonie'' in 1941.]]
''Salamonie'' was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] on 5&nbsp;February 1940 under a [[United States Maritime Commission]] contract (MC hull 13) as '''Esso Columbia''' by the [[Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]] at [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]], [[Virginia]]. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 18&nbsp;September 1940, [[Ship sponsor|sponsored]] by Mrs. [[Eugene Holman]]. The ship was designated for [[United States Navy]] use on 20&nbsp;November 1940 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] into U.S. Navy service on 28&nbsp;April 1941.

==Service history==
===World War II===
After runs to various [[Atlantic Ocean]] ports in [[North America]], ''Salamonie'' got underway for her first overseas voyage on 13&nbsp;November 1942 in a large [[convoy]] headed for [[Casablanca]] in [[French Morocco]] in [[North Africa]]. Then, after making voyages in several convoys to the [[United Kingdom]], she was overhauled in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]], and fitted with [[radar]].

On 12 February 1943 ''Salamonie'' suffered a steering fault in the North Atlantic and accidentally rammed the [[troopship]] [[SS California (1928)#Troop ship|USAT ''Uruguay'']] amidships.<ref name=MM>{{cite web |url= http://www.moore-mccormack.com/SS-Uruguay-1938/SS-Uruguay-Timeline.htm |last1=Vinson |first1=Bill |last2=Casey |first2=Ginger Quering |title=S.S. Uruguay |work=Welcome Aboard Moore-McCormack Lines |access-date=20 May 2013}}</ref> The tanker's [[Bow (ship)|bow]] made a {{convert|70|ft|0|adj=on}} hole in ''Uruguay''{{'}}s [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] and penetrated her hospital, killing 13 soldiers and injuring 50.<ref name=MM/> One soldier landed on the tanker's deck, where he was not discovered until ''Salamonie'' had changed course to [[Bermuda]] for repairs.<ref name=MM/>

''Salamonie'' departed for the [[Pacific Ocean]] via the [[Panama Canal]] on 8&nbsp;July 1944 and reported for duty with [[ComServPac|Commander, Service Force]], [[United States Seventh Fleet]], at [[Milne Bay]], [[New Guinea]], on 23&nbsp;August 1944. ''Salamonie'' joined the [[Battle of Leyte|Leyte invasion]] force in [[Jayapura|Hollandia]], New Guinea, on 8&nbsp;October 1944 and later supported both the [[Morotai]] and [[Mindoro]] strike forces. She spent the final months of the war supporting [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] operations in the [[Philippines]]. A single Japanese plane made a [[strafing]] run on ''Salamonie'' on 5&nbsp;January 1945, inflicting the sole war casualty aboard ''Salamonie'' during {{nowrap|[[World War II]].}}

Following the [[Surrender of Japan|formal Japanese surrender]] on 2&nbsp;September 1945, ''Salamonie'' provided logistic services to the [[Shanghai]] occupation forces along the [[Huangpu River]] in [[China]].

===Post-World War II===
{{stack|[[File:USS Salamonie (AO-26) refueling USS Newport News (CA-148) and destroyers c1953.jpg|thumb|''Salamonie'' refueling the [[heavy cruiser]] {{USS|Newport News|CA-148|2}} and [[destroyer]]s {{USS|Hanson|DD-832|2}} and {{USS|Power|DD-839|2}} in&nbsp;1953.]]}}
Early in 1946 ''Salamonie'' arrived in [[California]] for an overhaul at [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard]], then steamed back across the Pacific. She spent the next two-and-a-half years shuttling petroleum products between [[Bahrain]] in the [[Persian Gulf]] and U.S. Navy bases in the [[Far East]].

After returning to [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], California, in December 1948, ''Salamonie'' was assigned to the [[United States Atlantic Fleet]] and arrived at Norfolk in May 1949. Western Atlantic and [[Caribbean]] operations with the [[United States Second Fleet]] and deployments with the [[United States Sixth Fleet]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] took the oiler through the 1950s and well into the 1960s.

In August and September 1958 ''Salamonie'' was part of U.S. Navy Task Force 88 during [[Operation Argus]], which involved nuclear tests in the upper atmosphere.

Toward the end of the 1960s ''Salamonie'' was designated for inactivation. Placed in reserve on 23 August 1968 and [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 20 December 1968, ''Salamonie''' was struck from the [[Navy List]] on 2 September 1969. She was transferred permanently to the [[United States Maritime Administration|Maritime Administration]] and laid up in the [[James River]], where she remained until 24 September 1970, when her hulk was sold to [[N. U. Intershitra]] of [[Rotterdam]], the [[Netherlands]], for [[Ship breaking|scrapping]].

==Awards==
* [[File:Combat Action Ribbon.svg|106px]] [[Combat Action Ribbon]]
* [[File:China Service Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[China Service Medal]]
* {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|other_device=a|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[American Defense Service Medal]] with [["A" device]]
* [[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[American Campaign Medal]]
* [[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|106px]] [[European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]]
* {{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with two [[Service star|battle stars]]
* [[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[World War II Victory Medal]]
* [[File:Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|106px]] [[Navy Occupation Service Medal]] (with "ASIA" and "EUROPE" clasps)
* {{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[National Defense Service Medal]] (two awards)
* {{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] (two awards)
* [[File:Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines).svg|106px]] [[Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation]] ([[Philippines]])
* {{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber rib.svg|width=106}} [[Philippine Liberation Medal]] (Philippines) (two awards)

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s3/salamonie.htm}}

==External links==
* {{navsource|09/19/19026|Salamonie}}
* [http://www.salamonie.homestead.com/ Official Website]
*{{cite book
| last = Wildenberg
| first = Thomas
| year = 1996
| url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/GSBO/index.html
| title = Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912–1995
| location = Annapolis, Maryland
| publisher = Naval Institute Press
| access-date = 28 April 2009
}}

{{Cimarron class oiler (1939)}}
{{Type T3-S2-A tankers}}
{{February 1943 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salamonie (AO-26)}}
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:Cimarron-class oilers (1939)]]
[[Category:Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1943]]
[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II tankers of the United States]]