1922 From the New York Navy Yard,
Wright sailed for the
Philadelphia Navy Yard and reached there on 22 February 1922. After installation of her armament, the lighter-than-air aircraft tender departed
Philadelphia on 2 March, touching at
Hampton Roads, Virginia and
Charleston, South Carolina en route to the
Florida coast. Arriving at
Key West on 11 March,
Wright reported for special duty with the first division of Scouting Squadron 1 – a unit that included the
seaplane NC-10 piloted by Lieutenant
Clifton A. F. Sprague and a half-dozen
Felixstowe F5L seaplanes. Three days later, the tender put to sea for operations with Scouting Division 1 out of
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There, she was later joined by the six planes of Division 2 and two planes of Division 3.
Wright, fitted out with a unique "balloon well" built into the ship's hull, aft, to enable her to tend a kite balloon assigned to the ship for experimental operations, departed Guantanamo Bay on 10 April and (while en route back to Key West) conducted maneuvers to experiment with the kite observation balloon. A few weeks after
Wright reached her destination, the NC-10 flying boat had her bottom sucked out while she attempted to take off and began to sink in of water. A rescue and repair party salvaged the hull and other parts of the seaplane and brought them on board the tender. Two days later,
Wright sailed for the Philadelphia Navy Yard and, after brief stops at
Norfolk, Virginia and Charleston en route, arrived there on 8 May. Following repairs and alterations at Philadelphia between 8 May and 21 June,
Wright headed south and conducted tending operations from Norfolk to
Pensacola, Florida, and back. While in Hampton Roads on 16 July,
Wright sent up her
kite balloon for the last time before transferring it ashore to be based at the
Hampton Roads Naval Air Station (NAS). Later that summer,
Wright visited
New York City and then shifted to
Newport, Rhode Island, arriving there on 7 August. The ship tended seaplanes in that vicinity, as they engaged in formation bombing exercises on stationary and towed targets.
Wright subsequently operated off
Solomons Island, Maryland where the seaplanes conducted battle practice and bombing rehearsals. From 15 to 24 September, she tended the 13 F5L seaplanes from Scouting Squadron 1 as they conducted bombing practice on towed targets in the
Chesapeake Bay region. Later that autumn,
Wright visited
Baltimore,
Maryland. Following her visit to that port,
Wright cruised down the eastern seaboard for training operations out of Key West.
1923–1924 On 28 January 1923,
Wright departed Florida waters in company with the converted
minesweepers and and supported the 18 patrol planes of Scouting Squadron 1 in combined fleet tactics in waters ranging from Cuba and
Honduras to the
Panama Canal. Between 18 and 22 February,
Wrights planes participated in
Fleet Problem I – a phase of which tested the defenses of the Panama Canal. Assigned to the "Blue" fleet,
Wright and the two sister "Bird-boats" (
Sandpiper and
Teal) tended the planes from Scouting Squadron 1 that assisted that force as well as
Army coastal and air units in defending the Panama Canal against air attack. The attacking "Black" fleet used two
battleships as substitutes for "aircraft carriers" which it did not possess. On 21 February, one of those simulated flattops, , launched a single plane to scout ahead of the "Black" fleet, and, the following morning, sent a single plane aloft. That aircraft – which took off from
Naranyas Cay – represented a carrier air group, and made her approach to the canal undetected. It dropped ten miniature bombs and theoretically "destroyed" the Gatun spillway. After returning to Key West on 11 April,
Wright spent the next two years off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, operating out of Hampton Roads and Newport in waters that ranged from the
Virginia Capes to the
Virgin Islands.
1925–1932 Wright ultimately departed Hampton Roads on 21 January 1925 as
flagship for Captain
Harry E. Yarnell, Commander, Air Squadrons, Scouting Fleet, bound for the Pacific Ocean. After transiting the Panama Canal, the tender reached
Pearl Harbor on 25 February and operated in the
Hawaiian area until 8 June when she proceeded back to the East Coast of the United States, reaching Norfolk on 18 July. Soon after
Wright return to the Eastern Seaboard, work began to convert the ship to a "heavier-than-air aircraft tender" and, by 1 December, the work was complete. Reclassified
AV-1, the tender continued to support the seaplanes of the Scouting Fleet, operating out of Hampton Roads and Newport, to ports of Florida, Cuba, and Panama. As flagship for Commander, Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Force reclassified to Commander, Aircraft, Scouting Force in 1932,
Wright usually spent four months of each winter in operations out of Guantanamo Bay in waters reaching from Panama to the
Virgin Islands. For the remainder of the year, she worked in the
Narragansett Bay and Chesapeake Bay areas, operating, as before, out of Hampton Roads and Newport with periodic cruises to the warmer climes of Florida or port visits to New York City.
Wrights tending duties along the Eastern Seaboard and into the Caribbean continued until 3 February 1932. Varying her duties as tender were several assignments for special service.
Special services, 1927–1929 When the
United States Coast Guard destroyer rammed and sank the submarine on the afternoon of 17 December 1927 off
Provincetown, Massachusetts,
Wright immediately loaded six salvage pontoons at the
Norfolk Navy Yard and set out for the scene of the disaster. Although delayed by strong Atlantic
gales,
Wright reached Provincetown, via
Boston, on the afternoon of 21 December. Meanwhile, on the day that
Wright departed Norfolk, her commanding officer, specially detached, Captain Ernest J. King, took the train from Norfolk to New York and proceeded thence by plane to Provincetown. Arriving on board at 1315 on 18 December, Capt. King became senior aide to Rear Admiral
Frank H. Brumby and took direct charge of the salvage operations.
S-4 was finally brought to the surface on 17 March 1928 and subsequently taken to the Boston Navy Yard. Meanwhile,
Wright had been detached from the operation two days after Christmas 1927 and returned to Norfolk. The following year, the ship's routine was broken by transporting building materials to the hurricane-devastated island of
St. Croix; and, in 1929, she carried
Marines to Cuba when trouble threatened in
Haiti.
1932–1935 Wright stood out of Hampton Roads on 5 January 1932 and supported air patrol squadron tactical evolutions ranging from Cuba and
Jamaica to
Coco Solo, Canal Zone. Arriving at the latter port on 1 February, the tender transited the isthmian waterway two days later, accompanying and tending the planes from Patrol Squadrons (VP) 2 and 5. After tactical evolutions off
Acapulco and at
Magdalena Bay, Mexico,
Wright made port at
NAS North Island,
San Diego, on 20 February. From the time of her arrival at NAS North Island, on 20 February 1932 until 10 September 1939,
Wright made 14 extended cruises in support of naval seaplane squadrons. The first of those began when she departed San Diego on 1 May 1933 for an aviation transport run that included an inspection by Rear Admiral
John Halligan, Jr., Commander, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Force, of the Fleet Air Base (FAB) at Pearl Harbor. After returning to San Diego on 4 June,
Wright operated along the West Coast, followed by a cruise to Panama and the Caribbean, between 31 August and 14 October, tending the planes from
VP-2F,
VP-5F,
VP-10, and Utility Patrol Squadron 3.
Wright sailed again for Hawaiian waters on 5 January 1934; and – in operations that took her from
Hilo Bay, Hawaii, to
Midway Island and
French Frigate Shoals – tended 32 seaplanes. She then returned to San Diego on 30 May and departed again on 18 July for her first voyage to
Alaskan waters. Steaming by way of
Seattle, Washington, the tender visited
Ketchikan and
Juneau in early August before she tended two squadrons of seaplanes in waters near
Seward and
Sitka, Alaska. Proceeding via
Vancouver,
British Columbia, and San Francisco,
Wright arrived back in San Diego on 6 September 1933 and remained in nearby waters for the rest of the year.
1935–1938 On 4 January 1935,
Wright departed San Diego for tender operations off Panama;
Cartagena, Colombia;
Curaçao,
Netherlands West Indies;
Trinidad,
British West Indies; and the
Dominican Republic and Haiti. Upon completion of those exercises, she returned to San Diego on 1 March but soon sailed again for northern climes to operate between
Dutch Harbor and Sitka from 29 April to 28 May before resuming her local tending operations along the coast of
California.
Wright departed San Diego on 10 October and took up a plane guard station off
Las Tres Marias, Mexico, soon thereafter, covering one leg of the flight of the
Consolidated XP3Y which took off from Cristobal Harbor, Canal Zone, on 14 October for a non-stop flight to
Alameda, California. Commanded by Lt. Comdr. Knefler "Sock" McGinnis who was assisted by Lt. (jg.) J. K. Averill, Naval Aviation Pilot T. P. Wilkinson, and a crew of three – the plane passed abeam of
Wright at 2210 on 14 October. That XP3Y reached Alameda in 24 hours and 45 minutes – thus establishing a new world's record for Class C seaplanes of 3,281.383 miles airline distance and 3,443.225 miles broken-line distance. Returning to San Diego from her planeguard station on 17 October, Wright spent only a short period in port and sailed again four days later, for Palmyra Island. Reaching that point on the last day of October,
Wright supported the planes photographing the island and served as "home" for the survey party sent ashore. Setting course for Pearl Harbor on 2 November, she later embarked men of
VP-6F for transport to French Frigate Shoals. She then tended three squadrons of seaplanes off East Island while her diving party engaged in reef-blasting operations for the seaplane base being established there. Terminating that support duty on 12 November,
Wright headed for the West Coast, reaching San Diego on 28 November. For the remainder of 1935,
Wright operated locally. Her coastwise duties were interrupted between 16 January and 28 February 1936 by an aviation support cruise to
Post Office Bay,
Galápagos Islands;
Santa Elena, Ecuador; and
Balboa, Canal Zone.
Wright then participated in fleet problems off Lower California and cruised to
Sitka Sound, Alaska, where she tended a utility plane wing (two squadrons) and a patrol wing of five squadrons, between 22 August and 28 September. After repairs at the
Mare Island Navy Yard,
Vallejo, California, Wright departed San Diego on 10 October 1936 for Pearl Harbor and thence sailed once more to French Frigate Shoals, reaching there on 25 October. She then landed a camp detachment to establish a base on East Island, and tended seaplanes from
VP-1,
VP-3,
VP-4, and VP-10 until 6 November. After returning to the West Coast,
Wright subsequently made a winter training cruise to the Caribbean between 2 February and 26 March 1937 and then, after her return to San Diego, departed the
United States West Coast on 18 April 1937 in company with the
aircraft carrier for fleet problems that stretched to the Hawaiian Islands. Following her return to San Diego on 3 June 1937,
Wright spent the next year in coastal operations that took her as far south as
Lower California. On 20 October 1937, Commander, Aircraft, Scouting Force, was detached from the ship, and
Wright became flagship for Commander,
Patrol Wing 1, Aircraft, Scouting Fleet.
Wright made a cruise to
Kodiak,
Territory of Alaska, and
Sitka Sound in
Southeast Alaska between 20 June and 5 August 1938. During the cruise, the
United States Bureau of Fisheries fishery patrol vessel ran aground on
Williams Reef in the
Kodiak Archipelago from Kodiak on 15 July 1938 and suffered extensive damage.
Wright and the seaplane tender arrived to render assistance and succeeded in refloating
Brant, which later underwent repairs at Seattle and returned to service by January 1939. The following morning, while en route to Pearl Harbor, the received the electrifying news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor that morning 7 December 1941. Word of the attack arrived shortly after 0800 that day, and
Wright cleared for action and manned her battle stations. Fortunately for her, she did not cross the path of the returning Japanese striking force. After reaching Pearl Harbor the day after the
Japanese attack,
Wright got underway on 19 December to transport 126 Marines of the 4th
Defense Battalion, with their gear, to Midway. She returned to Pearl Harbor on the day after Christmas with 205 civilians embarked.
1942 Wright then underwent voyage repairs, loaded stores and cargo, embarked passengers, and set sail for the South Seas. Departing Pearl Harbor on 2 April,
Wright touched at
Tutuila, Samoa; the
Fiji Islands;
Espiritu Santo, in the
New Hebrides – where she debarked men of
VP-72 – and
Nouméa,
New Caledonia, before she reached
Sydney, Australia, on 26 April. After visiting
Melbourne and
Fremantle,
Wright headed for the Hawaiian Islands, retracing her course, and reached Pearl Harbor on 16 June. For the next five and one-half months,
Wright shuttled military passengers, arms, gasoline, and other equipment to Midway and other defense bases of the
Hawaiian Sea Frontier. Leaving
Oahu on 1 December,
Wright headed for the South Pacific carrying, as passengers, the officers and men of
Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 233 (VMSB 233) and
VMSB-234, along with other passengers and logistic support cargo.
1943 The seaplane tender debarked the personnel from VMSB-233 at Espiritu Santo and those from VMSB-234 at Nouméa before she returned to Pearl Harbor on 17 January 1943. She sailed thence to Midway, transporting a group of passengers that included 205 Marines, and from there shifted to the Fiji Islands where she disembarked the 7 officers and 254 enlisted men of FAB Unit 13 who were put ashore with their gear and logistic cargo. Departing the Fijis on 9 March, Wright sailed by way of Pearl Harbor, reaching
Oakland, California, for an overhaul at the
Moore Dry Dock Co. Following repairs and alterations, the tender put to sea on 20 July, bound for the Hawaiian Islands, and debarked the men of
Marine Fighting Squadron 223 (VMF-223) at Pearl Harbor a week later.
Wright sailed again for Espiritu Santo at the end of July, arriving there on 12 August; and landed the 31 officers and 238 men of
VMF-222. She next proceeded to Rendova harbor,
Rendova Island, and tended the planes of
VP-14 until 17 January 1944.
1944 She then shifted to
Hawthorn Sound,
New Georgia, to tend that squadron along with those from
VP-71 until 18 April. Upon arriving at Gavutu harbor, Florida Island, in the Solomons, on 20 April,
Wright loaded aviation stores before she proceeded to Espiritu Santo for repairs that lasted through the end of May. Underway on 1 June, Wright transported eight Navy officers and 256 Army passengers to Tulagi harbor before she steamed to Blanche harbor on 5 June. A week later, eight planes (along with 26 officers and 52 men) from
VP-101 arrived and operated from
Wright until 17 June. Heading for
Seeadler Harbor on that day, Wright embarked passengers and loaded bombs and 170 bundles of cots for transportation to
New Guinea. Reaching
Humboldt Bay on 23 June, the ship tended the planes and housed the 30 officers and 54 men of
VP-33 until 16 July, when she put to sea for
Mios Woendi, in the
Padiado Islands,
Dutch New Guinea, arriving on the 17th. She then based five planes from
VP-52 – and supported the 36 officers and 66 enlisted men attached to the squadron – and three patrol planes from
Royal Australian Air Force No. 20 Squadron from 19 to 26 July. Rear Admiral
Frank D. Wagner, Commander, Aircraft, 7th Fleet, broke his flag in
Wright on 27 July and used the tender as his temporary flagship. That same day,
VP-11 arrived at Mios Woendi and operated from
Wright. VP-52 left for duty elsewhere on 3 August, the same day that the tender stood out of the Mios Woendi anchorage that had been her "home" for over a month, bound via
Edema Island,
British New Guinea, for the Admiralties. Returning to Mios Woendi on 27 August after safely delivering her cargo and passengers of Fleet Air Wing 17,
Wright embarked the officers and men of Patrol Aircraft Service Unit 1–12 for transportation back to Seeadler Harbor,
Manus, where she arrived on 3 September. Departing Manus the following day,
Wright sailed for
Milne Bay, New Guinea, where she debarked men from a construction battalion, and then proceeded with Pacific Service Force passengers, general cargo, and hospital patients to
Brisbane, Australia. There, on 26 October,
Wright embarked Rear Admiral
Robert O. Glover, Commander, Service Force, 7th Fleet – along with his staff of 64 officers and 204 men – and became the flagship for Service Squadron 7, Service Force, Pacific Fleet. Reclassified as headquarters ship effective 1 October 1944,
Wrights designation was changed from AV-1 to AG-79.
1945 Proceeding from Brisbane via New Guinea,
Wright reached Seeadler Harbor on 5 January 1945, for repairs that lasted until 14 January. She then proceeded via Humboldt Bay to
San Pedro Bay,
Leyte, reaching
Philippine waters on 3 February 1945. During her passage, the ship was renamed USS
San Clemente (AG-79) on 1 February 1945, to clear the name
Wright for the light fleet carrier, , then under construction.
San Clemente remained as flagship for Service Squadron 7 and the nerve center of the Pacific Fleet Service Force, based on San Pedro, Subic, and
Manila Bays, through the end of hostilities with Japan in mid-August 1945 and the formal Japanese surrender on 2 September.
1946 She departed
Manila on 3 January 1946, bound for the China coast; reached
Shanghai soon thereafter; and became flagship for Service Division 101 – Commodore E. E. Duval, commanding – on 5 February.
San Clemente remained at Shanghai in support of the Navy occupation forces there until 7 April, when she was relieved by as flagship of ServRon 101. With hundreds of troops embarked as passengers,
San Clemente departed Chinese waters on 8 April, bound – via
Yokosuka, Japan, and Pearl Harbor – for home. ==Decommissioning and sale==