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The USS Nantahala was launched in 1944 and broken up in 1975. During her 31 years of service she sailed the world providing the "life blood" of the fleet to ships of our Navy as well as to those of our allies.
This WEB site is for her and the men who crewed her. Hopefully former crew members and other interested people will come here to learn of her history and find former ship mates. Fleet Oilers were the gas stations of the fleet, transferring their cargo to other ships while at sea in an operation called Underway Replenishment, or the UNREP detail. They carried thick, black fuel oil to fire ship's boilers, highly volatile aviation gasoline for gas powered aircraft, and JP5 jet fuel for jet powered aircraft. Duty on a Fleet Oiler didn't have the glory serving on a "tin can" or "bird farm", our customers, did. Many times we couldn't even share the same liberty ports with them because we either had to stay out and refuel the ships remaining on station or go elsewhere in order to take on more cargo. However, without the Fleet Oilers the Task Groups and Task Forces of the Navy would have been severely limited in their range of operations and the time they could stay at sea. Life underway was typically long periods of steaming broken up by the underway replenishment detail. For most ships underway replenishment lasted a couple of hours. For us on the Nantahala underway replenish operations could sometimes be continuous for a couple of days, working around the clock, grabbing a sandwich and nap when and where we could. When not refueling time was spent maintaining the ship, her equipment, and rigs. All of this was done to the ever-present odor of black oil. Fleet Oilers were "working" ships, and work we did. Below you will see two guest books, one for crew and one for visitors. Former crew members please sign and fill in the requested information so I can add you to the crew pages. Any history, stories, photos, or information you would like to contribute will be greatly appreciated. |
| Crew's Log Click to sign |
Visitor's Log
Click to sign |
Previous Visitor's Log
Click |
or Contributions. | The Spirits of Ships award is given to sites honoring the memory of decommissioned US Navy war ships. These sites keep the spirits of our bygone ladies alive so the world can know how much they meant to us and that they live on in our memories. Receiving this award indicates your dedication to a most important part of our country, Naval history and the preservation of freedom. |
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