Sylvania I (AKA-44)
1945-1947
An astronomical body.
I
(AKA-44: displacement 7,000; length 426'0"; beam 58'0"; draft 15'6" (maximum); speed 17.0 knots (maximum), 15.0 knots (economical); complement 303; armament 1 5-inch, 8 40 millimeter, 12 20 millimeter; class Artemis)
The first Sylvania (AKA-44) was laid down on 24 Feburary 1945 at Providence, R.I., by the Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc.under a Maritime Commission contract (M. C. Hull 1905); launched on 25 April 1945; sponsored by Miss Mary H. O'Neil; delivered to the Navy and commissioned on 19 May 1945, Lt. Cmdr. Forbes O. Bryce, D-M, USNR, in command.
Sylvania completed fitting out and loading at Boston, Mass., and sailed for Norfolk on 4 June 1945 to begin her shakedown. She accompliished that training on 15 June; and, six days later, got underway for Marseilles, France. She arrived there on 3 July and, nine days later, got underway for the Philippine Islands.
She transited the Panama Canal on 27 July 1945; and, after pausing at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands, en roiute, reached Manila on 26 August. There she off-loaded the cargo and disembarked the troops brought from France, and, until 19 September, loaded vehicles and cargo, and embarked troops destined for the occupation of Japan.
Sylvania and other ships of Transport Squadron 14 sortied from Manila on 20 September 1945 en route to Japan. She arrived at Wakayama, Honshu, on 25 September, unloaded, and began the return voyage to the Philippines the next day. The cargo ship arrived at Subic Bay on 1 October and operated in the Philippines until 15 October when she sailed for Mitsugahama, Shikoku Island, Japan. She arrived there on the 21st and remained for a week prior to departing for Saipan, Mariana Islands.
Sylvania arrived at Saipan on the last day of October 1945 and was assigned duty with the Magic Carpet fleet. She embarked 325 passengers on 1 November and sailed for California. She arrived at San Francisco, Calif., on 14 November; discharged her passengers; and sailed for Samar, P.I., two weeks later. Her sailing orders were modified en route, and she was directed to proceed to Saipan, where she remained from 13 to 15 December when she stood out for California, arriving at Los Angeles on 30 December 1945.
Sylvania sailed for Bikini, Marshall Islands, on 19 February 1946 to participate in Operation Crossroads, and operated between there and Pearl Harbor until 21 September when she returned to San Francisco. She moved up the coast to Seattle, Wash., on 3 October and then to Bremerton, Washington. Decommissioned at Bremerton on 17 December 1946, Sylvania was stricken from the Navy Register on 7 February 1947.
The Navy transferred Sylvania to the U. S. Maritime Commission at Astoria, Oregon, at 2:00 p.m. on 30 April 1947, as surplus, and she was placed in the Reserve Fleet there. Transferred to the West Coast Trans-Oceanic Steamship Line under a general agency agreement at 11:00 a.m. on 15 September 1954 under the Reserve Fleet Repair Program, the ship was returned to the Reserve Fleet at 5:30 p.m. on 5 November 1954 following the completion of those repairs. Ultimately being purchased by ZIdell Explorations, Inc., on 7 January 1964 for scrap, being turned over to her buyer at 10:15 a.m. on 18 February 1964. ZIdell completed the dismantling process on 11 May 1964
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
27 March 2024
