World War Two Cacapon served in the
Pacific Theater during WWII. On 22 October 1943 she sailed from
Norfolk, Virginia, to load fuel at
Aruba in the
West Indies en route to
Pearl Harbor, where she arrived 12 November. On 30 November she rendezvoused with the
U.S. 5th Fleet to deliver fuel at sea to the ships carrying out the
Gilbert Islands operation. After a west coast overhaul, she returned to
Pearl Harbor, from which she sailed 3 February 1944 to carry her vital logistic support to
task force TF-50, then engaged in the
Marshall Islands operation. She carried fuel on which all modern naval warfare depends to units of the
U.S. 3rd Fleet from March into May, as the mighty task forces sent their strikes against
Rabaul,
Kavieng,
Green,
Emirau, and the
Admiralties. During a part of this period, she served temporarily with the
U.S. 7th Fleet's service support group for the
New Guinea operation.
Cacapon served as station tanker successively at
Efate and
Espiritu Santo,
New Hebrides;
Port Purvis on
Florida Island in the
Solomons; and
Manus,
Admiralty Islands where she was damaged by the November 1944
USS Mount Hood (AE-11) explosion. On 8 January 1945 she cleared Manus for
Ulithi. Here she reported to the 3rd Fleet, and between 12 and 27 January her operations supported task force TF-38 during its series of strikes against
Luzon and
Formosa supporting the Philippine attacks and consolidation.
Cacapon lengthened the list of operations to which she had given vital support as she steamed with the 5th Fleet during the
Iwo Jima operation, from 15 to 26 February, and the
Okinawa operation from 24 March to 30 June. Between these, she served briefly as station tanker in
San Pedro Bay,
Philippine Islands.
Cacapon brought her essential aid to the 3rd Fleet in its final devastating air attacks and bombardments on the Japanese home islands in July 1945, and on 20 September entered
Tokyo Bay. Ten days later she cleared for
San Pedro, California, arriving for overhaul 11 October. She returned to the
Far East in December, providing support to occupation forces with a shuttle service between
Yokohama, Japan, and
Shanghai and
Qingdao, China.
Post War In April 1946 she sailed to
Bahrain in the
Persian Gulf to load oil for delivery to
Kwajalein Atoll, where her cargo was to be used during
Operation Crossroads. However, on the first day at sea, 24 April, she ran on
Shah Allum Shoal in the Persian Gulf. While the current pulled her clear, her engine and fire rooms began to flood and all power was lost. Aided by , , and ,
Cacapon put back to Bahrain for temporary repairs, and proceeded to
San Pedro, California, for permanent repairs. On 2 December 1946,
Cacapon cleared San Pedro, California, for 10 weeks in the
Antarctic in
Operation Highjump. She called at
Sydney, Australia, en route
Long Beach, California, returning home 8 April 1947. Between 1947 and 1950 she cruised in the Pacific on two extended Far Eastern tours.
Korean War Far Eastern operations continued to be the rule for
Cacapon when war broke out in
Korea in June 1950; she completed four lengthy tours of duty there during the three years of fighting. Sailing with the
U.S. 7th Fleet and the
Formosa Patrol Force, she carried fuel and supplies to these sea forces. On her first tour, during which she helped to support the
amphibious landing at
Inchon on 15 September 1950, she earned the
Navy Unit Commendation for her high performance of duty. From the end of hostilities in Korea through 1960,
Cacapon made six more Far Eastern tours, continuing to sail with the 7th Fleet and the Taiwan Patrol Force. In 1958 she served as the oiler replenishing the ships in Operation Hardtack, which conducted nuclear bomb tests in the lagoons of Bikini and Eniwetok, Marshall Islands.
Vietnam War During her 1955 tour she took part in the evacuation of the
Tachen Islands from 6 to 14 February, and the
Vietnam evacuation "
Operation Passage to Freedom" of 6 to 15 March. From February to August 1958, she joined in
Operation Hardtack I at
Bikini Atoll. The intervals between deployments have found her operating locally from
Long Beach, California. == Fate ==