Agenor (ARL-3)
1943-1951
A character in Greek mythology, a son of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
(ARL-3: displacement 4,100; length 328'; beam 50'; draft 11'2"; speed 11.6 knots; complement 253; armament 1 3-inch, 8 40 millimeter, 8 20 millimeter; class Achelous)
Agenor (ARL-3) -- originally projected as the tank landing ship LST-490 -- but redesignated as a landing craft repair ship ARL-3 and named Agenor on 13 January 1943 -- was laid down on 24 January 1943 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash.; launched on 3 April 1943; and commissioned at San Francisco, Calif., on 20 August 1943, Lt. Argyle W. Markley in command.
From December 1943 through 9 June 1944, Agenor provided repair services to numerous landing craft operating in the Solomon, Russell, and Marshall Islands. On 9 June, the repair ship got underway for the Marianas. Eight days later, Japanese torpedo bombers attacked Agenor's convoy. Despite several near misses, the ship continued on safely to waters off Saipan where she arrived on the 24th.
Agenor was then assigned duty with a salvage group, Task Group (TG) 52.7. While air raids were a constant threat, the vessel carried out her work successfully. On 15 July, she moved to Tinian to supply services to invasion forces there.
The ship sailed to Guam in early August, and reported to Task Force 53. That island was her base of operations through 2 October, when the ship shifted to Ulithi in the Carolines. Agenor returned to Guam on 10 February 1945 to prepare for the Iwo Jima landings.
On 20 February, the repair ship arrived off Iwo Jima and joined TG 51.3. During the operations there, Agenor carried out her work despite air attack and heavy seas. The ship remained at Iwo Jima until 25 June. She then got underway for Saipan, where she dropped anchor on the 29th.
Soon after reporting to Service Squadron 10 for duty, Agenor left Saipan bound for Hawaii and a much-needed overhaul. The vessel reached Pearl Harbor on 18 July and entered the naval shipyard. The end of World War II found the ship still undergoing repairs at Pearl Harbor. Upon completion of the yard work, Agenor served in the Hawaiian operating area until placed out of commission, in reserve, on 15 November 1946.
Agenor was transferred to the government of France on 2 March 1951 under the terms of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP). Her name was stricken from the Navy Register on 26 March 1951.
Agenor was awarded three battle stars for her World War II service.
