Genesee III AOG-8

Genesee III

( AOG-8: dp. 4,335, 1. 310'9", b. 48'6"; dr. 15'8"; s. 14 k.;
cpl.127;a.4 3")

The,third Genesee (AOG 8) was launched 23 September 1943 by Oargill, Inc., Savage, Minn., sponsored by Mrs. Helen Rae Clark; and commissioned 27 May 1944 Lt. a. R. Heath in command.

After shakedown, Genesee loaded her first cargo of high octane aviation gasoline at Aruba, Netherlands West Indies, 14 July 1944 and entered Pearl Harbor 11 August. Until the spring of 1945, she made five voyages from Pearl Harbor to Ganton, Phoenix Islands, a vital refueling has for planes flying to the South Pacific, and numerous interisland runs. She reached Eniwetok 5 March 1945 and after loading a maximum cargo of diesel oil and freight, sailed for Ulithi and Leyte to discharge her oil. Following her return to Ulithi and a round trip voyage thence to Hollandia, Genesee loaded motor gasoline at Ulithi and steamed to Okinawa, arriving 20 May 1945. She served the fleet through the summer, getting underway 26 August with motor and aviation gasoline for Tokyo Bay. She moored to the Yokohama Oil Docks 2 September 1945, the day of Japan's formal surrender ceremony on board battleship Missouri. One of the first Allied tankers to anchor in Japanese homeland waters since 1941, Genesee delivered oil and gasoline to different Japanese ports until departing 14 December 1945 for Long Beach, Calif., arriving 19 January 1946.

Until the winter of 1949 Genesee operated in the Pacific visiting such distant ports as Samoa, Guam, Jinsen Korea; Yokosuka; Tsingtao, China; Seattle, Kwajalein, and Rodiak, Alaska, while operating out of San Francisco, Pearl Harbor, and San Diego. She decommissioned at San Francisco 14 December, but the Korean conflict soon restored her to active duty.

Recommissioned 28 July 1950, acne flee put in at San Diego 25 August and subsequently reached Pearl Harbor 5 October. Following voyages thence to Midway, Eniwetok and Samoa, she sailed for Japan 8 January 1952 arriving Sasebo 23 January, and made frequent fuel carrying voyages to Korea supporting U.N. forces.

Genesee reached Guam 2 May and operated there until returning to Pearl Harbor 3 August 1952. Based at Pearl Harbor until the spring of 1960, Genesee cruised thence to Eniwetok, Guam, Subic Bay, Melbourne, Long Beach, and Yokosuka. She sailed 31 May 1960 for her new home port of Sasebo, Japan, arriving 17 June, and continued operations in Far Eastern waters. On 3 January 1961 she got underway for Subic Bay, where she stood by during the Laotian crisis until 25 January, and returned to Sasebo when the danger of combat passed. Her home port was changed to Subic Bay early in 1962 and, through June

1964, Genesee was occupied with demanding training exercises and cruises in the Philippine, Korean, Japanese, and Okinawan waters.She arrived Pearl Harbor, her new home port, 26 July 1964 and made a run to Midway in August ,to deliver jet fuel. She then headed for the West Coast in the fall for Operation "Hardnose" off the Camp Pendleton area. The gasoline tanker next made a run to Pearl Harbor with gasoline and diesel fuel, arriving 31 October. She began a much needed yard overhaul at Pearl Harbor 15 December which was completed ,in March 1965.

While Genesee was being overhauled, Communist aggression in Vietnam was intensified. Repairs completed, the tanker headed for the fighting zone where her outstanding service won her the Navy Unit Citation. She "contributed materially to the success of military operations by delivering over 9.8 million gallons of petroleum fuel, pumping over 2 million gallons of salt water to aid in air strip construction, delivering diesel fuel from her bunkers and maintaining bottom lay fuel lines on a most demanding schedule and frequently under most adverse weather conditions in an open sea anchorage."

Genessee returned to Pearl Harbor 16 November for upkeep and operations in Hawaiian waters. She sailed for the Far East once more 2 May 1966 and 3 June was again off Da Nang, South Vietnam, supporting the 3d Marine Amphibious Force. Late in October she left the war zone and steamed, via the Philippines and Japan to Pearl Harbor, where early in 1967 she prepared for future action.

Genesee was awarded one battle star for World War II service.