Bauxite (IX-154)
1944-1947
A mineral compound of several hydrous aluminum oxides. It is the principal ore from which aluminum is refined.
(IX-154: displacement 10,960 (full load); length 366'4"; beam 54'0"; draft 33'0"; complement 58; armament 1 40-millimeter, 4 20-millimeter, 2 .30 caliber machine guns; class Midnight; type B7-D1)
Bauxite (IX-154), a non self propelled, concrete barge, was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 1326) on 9 July 1943 at San Francisco, Calif., by Barrett & Hilp, Belair Shipyard; launched on 11 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. E. J. Rapley; acquired by the Navy on 22 June 1944; and placed in service the same day, Lt. Aubie R. Robertson in command.
Assigned to the Service Force, Pacific Fleet, as a floating storage facility for general naval stores and provisions, Bauxite served at advanced naval bases in the Pacific theater, issuing supplies to ships as needed. The concrete barge was one of 13 controlled by Service Squadron 10. She carried over 7,000 different items and served an average of 600 ships a month. With a diesel electric power plant, she was able to generate her own power for refrigeration, cooking, lighting, ventilation, and distilling water. The barges provided much needed storage space afloat and released a number of self propelled cargo ships to carry supplies to the forward areas.
Following the war, Bauxite was towed to Shanghai, China, where she continued to serve as a stores barge until authorized for disposal. She was sold at Shanghai to a Chinese purchaser in May 1947, and her name was stricken from the Naval Register on 23 June 1947.
Mary P. Walker
Updated. Robert J. Cressman
4 August 2022
