Rutilicus (AK-113)
1943-1946
A star.
(AK-113: displacement 4,023; length 441'6"; beam 56'11"; draft 28'4"; speed 11 knots; complement 198; armament 1 5-inch, 1 3-inch, 2 40 millimeter; class Crater; type EC2-S-C1)
Andrew Rowan was laid down on 2 April 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract (MCE Hull 1643) at Wilmington, Calif., by California Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 26 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. A. B. Chandler; and delivered to the Waterman Steamship Co. for operation on 8 May 1943. Acquired by the Navy on 9 October 1943, she was commissioned at San Diego on 30 October 1943, Lt. Cmdr. H. O. Matthieson in command.
Following a short shakedown cruise along the coast, Rutilicus took on a load of general cargo at Port Hueneme, Calif., and steamed in convoy for the Territory of Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 21 November 1943. Departing the Hawaiian Islands on 4 December, she continued on to the Gilbert Islands, delivering cargo at both Tarawa and Abemama before returning to Pearl Harbor on 12 January 1944.
She got underway on 25 January 1944 for the invasion of the Marshall Islands. Arriving at Majuro on 3 February, she delivered 150 Marines and general cargo and then returned to Pearl Harbor on 21 February. Her next voyage, 29 February to 28 March, was a run to Baker Island, to pick up Army Air Force advance base equipment for return to Pearl Harbor.
Rutilicus' next operations involved extensive island-hopping. Standing out from Pearl Harbor on 14 April 1944, she steamed in convoy for Kwajalein Atoll, the Marshalls, arriving on the 23d. She then touched at Makin, Tarawa, Abemama, and Makin again, before returning to Pearl Harbor on 20 May.
By 14 June 1944, Rutilicus was steaming in convoy for Eniwetok Atoll, arriving there on the 25th. For the next seven weeks, she rode at anchor there, then joined up with a convoy for Tinian, the Marianas. Following offloading at Tinian, she left for Eniwetok 14 August, touching there on the 19th, and then continued on to Pearl Harbor. Then she steamed independently for San Francisco, arriving on 8 September. On the 12th, she moved into Amship Corp. Shipyard, Alameda, for repairs, alterations, and conversion from a general cargo carrier to a fleet dry provisions issue ship.
Rutilicus moved to the Naval Supply Depot, Oakland, on 13 October 1944, took on dry provisions, clothing, small stores, ship's store stock, and medical stores for fleet issue in the forward areas. Thirteen days later, she steamed for Leyte, the Philippines, via Manus, Funafuti, and Hollandia. By 1 December, she was serving units of the fleet in Philippine waters. The next 5 months saw her issuing stores between Hollandia, Noumea, Espiritu Santo, Manus, Ulithi, and Guam. She was back in San Francisco on 6 May 1945.
Following repairs, she steamed on 12 June 1945 via the Carolines for Okinawan waters. She commenced operations from Buckner Bay on 21 July; and, on 10 September, she steamed with Task Group 55.7 for Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan, arriving on the 12th. She shifted to Sasebo on the 25th.
After returning to San Francisco, she headed, via the Panama Canal, for Norfolk. Arriving at Hampton Roads on 1 December 1945, she reported to the Commandant, Fifth Naval District for disposition. Decommissioned on 17 December 1945, and returned to WSA the following day, she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 January 1946. Rutilicus was placed in the Maritime Commission, National Defense Reserve Fleet, and remained berthed in the James River until 26 October 1971 when she was sold for scrapping to Hierros Ardes, S.A., of Bilbao, Spain.
Rutilicus received two battle stars for her World War II service.
21 October 2005
