Grainger (AK-184)
1945-1960
A county in Tennessee.
(AK-184: displacement 7,125; length 338'6"; beam 50'; draft 21'1"; speed 11.5 knots; complement 85; armament 1 3-inch, 6 20 millimeter; class Alamosa)
Grainger (AK-184) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (M. C. Hull 2115) at Superior, Wisc., by the Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Inc.; launched on 7 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Carl Bong; and commissioned on 26 January 1945, Lt. Henry J. Johnson in command.
After shakedown training out of Westwego, La., and Galveston, Tex., Grainger was assigned to the Naval Training Center, Miami, Fla., for duty as a school ship. She trained sailors in cargo handling and ship operation and maintenance until 14 September 1945 when she departed New Orleans, La., and proceeded via the Canal Zone to the west coast of the U.S., reaching San Pedro, Calif., on 12 October.
Departing San Francisco, Calif., on 31 October 1945, Grainger sailed for Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island. Having discharged all her cargo she left Manus on 17 February 1946 and after touching at Pearl Harbor en route, reached San Francisco on 13 May. Ten days later, Grainger proceeded to Seattle, Wash., and arrived there on 26 May to begin inactivation overhaul. She was decommissioned there on 25 July 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the next day, entering the Maritime Commission's reserve fleet facility at Olympia, Wash., that same afternoon. The ship was stricken from the Navy Register on 15 August 1946.
Withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet at 0700 on 9 May 1947 and redelivered to the Navy on that date, Grainger was recommissioned on 12 June 1947 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., Lt. Cmdr. Ralph E. Deckwa in command, and her name reinstated on the Navy List on 23 June. Departing Bremerton, she reached San Diego on 18 July, then sailed for Port Hueneme, California.
Departing Port Hueneme for the Marianas on 21 August 1947, Grainger touched at Pearl Harbor en route, and arrived at Guam on 19 October to take up duty there. Grainger supplied the islands of the Marianas and the Eastern Carolines, with occasional trips to the Palaus until 9 April 1949 when she arrived at Pearl Harbor. After overhaul, Grainger cleared Pearl Harbor on 13 July and touched at San Francisco before reaching Seattle on 16 August. Departing Seattle on 28 August she carried out cargo operations at Kodiak and Adak, Alaska, before returning to Seattle on 2 October 1949. Grainger cleared Seattle a week later to take up her duty at Guam again, arriving there five days before Christmas. She carried out her operations for the next six months supplying the Marshalls and the Marianas.
With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, however, and shortage of ammunition ships in the Far East, Grainger loaded with aircraft ammunition and cleared Guam on 14 July 1950. She was to rendezvous with Admiral Struble's Task Force 77 on the 23rd and rearm the carrier Valley Forge (CV-45) but due to weather conditions had to complete her mission in Sasebo, Japan, the next day. There, Grainger was assigned to the Logistics Support Group (Capt. Bernard L. Austin) for the Seventh Fleet as a replenishing ammunition ship. She continued that important job until 15 September when she got underway to support the landings at Inchon. Grainger participated in that operation on 16 September and after landing her cargo remained at Inchon until 7 October, when she retired to Sasebo.
Departing Sasebo on 21 October 1950, Grainger returned to Guam on the 28th and resumed her task of logistic support for installations in the Marianas and the Carolines. Departing Kwajalein on 2 March 1951 Grainger sailed for Pearl Harbor arriving on 13 March. There she took up duty contributing logistic support to Midway Island and Kwajalein atoll until 18 June 1953. The cargo ship then cleared Pearl Harbor to take up duty in Sasebo, where she arrived on 12 July. With the exception of a voyage to Inchon, Korea, with refrigerated and dry stores for occupation troops (6-13 October) Grainger steamed between Sasebo and Yokosuka until 19 March 1954, returning to Pearl Harbor on 2 April to resume her runs to Kwajalein and Midway. Grainger again rotated to Sasebo, sailing on 5 March 1955, and she arrived there 29 March. Her visits included Buckner Bay, Okinawa; Subic Bay, P.I.; Kaohsiung, Formosa; and Hong Kong.
Granger departed Yokosuka on 11 September 1955 and steaming by way of Pearl Harbor, reached Long Beach, Calif., on 20 October. Two days later, she shifted to San Diego to undergo inactivation overhaul. Grainger decommissioned there on 7 February 1956 and was turned over to the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Grainger remained out of commission in reserve there until her name was stricken from the Navy Register on 1 April 1960. The veteran cargo ship was advertised for sale twice (7 July and 11 August 1960) but the Maritime Administration rejected both bids. Ultimately, however, The Learner Co. successfully bid on 17 October 1960, purchasing the vessel as a scrap hull on 17 October 1960, the title transfer taking place on 14 December 1960 and the vessel being delivered at San Diego.
Grainger received two battle stars for her Korean War service.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
8 August 2016
