Pecatonica (AOG-57)
1945-1976
A river in the state of Illinois.
(AOG-57: displacement 4,158; length 310'9"; beam 48'6"; draft 15'8"; speed 14 knots; complement 131; armament 4 3-inch, 12 20 millimeter; class Patapsco)
Pecatonica (AOG-57) was laid down on 6 December 1944 at Savage, Minn., by Cargill, Inc.; launched 17 March 1945; sponsored by Mrs. K. M. Krieger; and commissioned at New Orleans, La., on 28 November 1945, Lt. Cmdr. Michael E. N. Vallario, D-M, USNR, in command.
She departed New Orleans on 11 December 1945 and sailed to Norfolk, Va. Arriving on the 16th, she remained there until decommissioning on 7 February 1946 and entering the Atlantic Fleet in Reserve.
Pecatonica was recommissioned on 24 April 1948 at Norfolk and, following her shakedown, she conducted coastal logistic voyages along the eastern seaboard, with occasional trips to naval bases in the Caribbean, through 1951.
In March 1952 she was assigned to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and remained there through December, supplying aviation fuel to Sixth Fleet carriers and U.S. Air Force installations. She returned to the U.S. in February 1953 after conducting training operations in the Caribbean, and went into the yards at Norfolk for the addition of newer 3-inch guns to her armament. In June, she commenced preparations to return to the Mediterranean for her second tour with the Sixth Fleet.
Pecatonica deployed to the Mediterranean in September 1953, March 1954, May 1955 and December 1955. In June 1956 she returned to Norfolk and operational control of Service Force Atlantic, providing logistic support for Mutual Defense Assistance Pact (MDAP) convoys, composed of MSOs, MSCs, AMSs, LSMs, and LSMRs, during their training cruises. She served in that capacity through 1960.
Early in 1961 Pecatonica shifted to the Pacific and was decommissioned on 24 April 1961 at Tsoying, Taiwan. She transferred the same day to the Republic of China Navy, on loan through MDAP, and was renamed Chang Pei (AOG-307)
Stricken from the [U.S.] Naval Vessel Register on 15 April 1976, the ship served as Chang Pei (later given the identification number AOG-517) until decommissioned on 1 April 2005.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
28 July 2022
