USS Sakatonchee

History
United States
Name	USS Sakatonchee
Namesake	Sakatonchee Creek in Mississippi, a tributary of the Tombigbee River
Ordered	as T1-M-A2 tanker hull, MC hull 901
Laid down	13 August 1942
Launched	22 May 1943
Acquired	15 January 1944
Commissioned	17 January 1944
Decommissioned	29 March 1946
Stricken	1 May 1946
Fate	Scrapped in 1964
General characteristics
Tonnage	1,228 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Displacement	846 tons(lt) 2,270 tons(fl)
Length	220 ft 6 in
Beam	37 ft
Draught	17 ft
Propulsion	Diesel direct drive, single screw, 720 hp
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement	62
Armament	one single 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mount, two 40 mm guns, three single 20 mm gun mounts

USS Sakatonchee (AOG-19) was a Mettawee-class gasoline tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations.

Sakatonchee, MC hull 901, was laid down on 13 August 1942 by East Coast Shipyards, Inc., Bayonne, New Jersey; launched on 22 May 1943; sponsored by Miss Mary Abate; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 15 January 1944; and commissioned on 17 January 1944.

Following shakedown off the U.S. East Coast, Sakatonchee steamed via Aruba and the Panama Canal to Milne Bay, New Guinea, arriving on 26 May 1944. She supplied petroleum products to forward bases in western New Guinea, such as those at Biak and Noemfoor islands. Her operations supported the campaign at Palawan, Philippine Islands, where the Allies landed on 28 February 1945, and at Balikpapan, Borneo, where the Allies landed on 1 July.

In January 1946, she arrived in San Francisco, California. Decommissioned on 29 March, she was struck from the Navy list on 1 May, transferred to the Maritime Commission on 1 July, and scrapped in 1964.

Sakatonchee received three battle stars for World War II service. Her crew was eligible for the following:

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3)
• World War II Victory Medal

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AOG-19 Sakatonchee