Cheleb AK-138

Cheleb

Star in the northern constellation Ophinchus.

(AK-138: dp, 4,023, 1. 441'6"; b. 66'11", dr. 28'4", :3. 12
k.; cpl. 198; a. 1 6", 1 3"; cl. Crater)

Cheleb was launched 29 January 1943 as Lyman J. Gage by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. E. E. Carter; and commissioned 1 January 1944, Lieutenant A. E. McKimmey USNR, in command.

Cheleb cleared San Francisco 20 January 1944 for Pearl Harbor, where she loaded ammunition and explosives for transportation to newly won Kwajalein, which she reached 19 February. Here her cargo, destined for use in the assault of Eniwetok which began that day, was unloaded, and on 11 March, Cheleb cleared for Port Hueneme Calif., base for the Pacific Naval Construction Battalions. After delivering constriction equipment at Pearl Harbor, on 18 April, she returned to Oakland, Calif., where she was converted to a fleet issue ship.

Cheleb loaded a varied cargo at San Francisco, and with it arrived at Kwajalein 6 June 1944 to supply ships readying for the assault on the Marianas 10 days later. Cheleb also issued stores at Majuro and Eniwetok until 2 August, when she sailed from the Marshalls for San Francisco to reload. Returning to Ulithi 16 October she supplied ships of the vast 3d Fleet for the next month, as they carried out their operations supporting the assault on the Philippines. She returned to the west coast to reload in December, and on 22 January 1946 arrived at Eniwetok to provision ships bound for the invasion of Iwo Jima, and later ships deifined for the assault on Okinawa. Another voyage to the west coast for repairs and reloading took place in May and June, and on 22 July Cheleb arrived in Leyte Gulf to take up the task of issuing supplies once more. During this time, she serviced some of the ships conducting the final pounding air attacks on the Japanese home islands.

Cheleb arrived in Tokyo Bay 17 November 1946, and remained to issue provisions and supplies to occupation forces at the ports of Tokyo, Yokohama, and Yokosuka. She returned to San Francisco 12 May, and later sailed to Pearl Harbor, where she was decommissioned 26 July 1946. After use in a special explosives test, she was turned over to the War Shipping Administration for disposal, her contribution to the Navy's great logistic effort at an end.