(ARG‑9: dp. 14,350; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 23'; s. 12.5 k.; a. 1 5", 3 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Luzon)
An island off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Mona Island (ARG‑9) was laid down 10 April 1944 by the Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Inc., Baltimore, Md., under a Maritime Commission contract; launched 11 May 1944; acquired by the Navy 20 May 1944 and commissioned 17 October 1944, Comdr. K. F. Horne in command.
Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Mona Island departed Norfolk 2 December enroute to the Pacific. Six days out of Pearl Harbor, 18 January 1945, she effected the rescue of survivors of a crashed Army C‑47 transport, enroute to Hawaii from the mainland. On the 24th, she arrived at Pearl Harbor, debarked her passengers, and reported to ComServForce, Pacific Fleet for duty and onward routing. Underway on the 27th, she steamed via the Marshalls to Ulithi, arriving 18 February to become the flagship for MinRon 10. Between 19 February and 4 April she remained at Ulithi making repairs on vessels in that harbor. On the 5th, she got underway for Kerama Retto, Okinawa Gunto, arriving the 10th to commence repairs on the gallant craft which had entered the shallow waters off the prospective invasion beaches to render them safe for the landing forces. Between 11 April and 7 July repair work on ships alongside and in the harbor was interrupted by 180 air attacks on the harbor. On the latter date Mona Island shifted to the island of Okinawa itself, anchoring in Buckner Bay. There, during the remainder of July, work was interrupted by the approach of one typhoon and 21 air attacks; while the last 2 weeks of the war brought only air raid alerts.
Mona Island continued her valuable repair services at Buckner Bay until grounded on a reef during a typhoon 9 October. Ten days later she got underway, in tow of Cahuilla (ATF‑152), for Guam where temporary repairs to her rudder and screw enabled her to steam, independently, to San Diego, 19 November to 11 December. Continuing on from California she transited the Panama Canal once again and headed for New York where repairs were completed. On 19 March 1946 she steamed down the coast to Norfolk where she decommissioned in June 1947. She remained at Norfolk as a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until struck from the Navy list 1 September 1962.
