Kangaroo II IX-121

Kangaroo

II

(IX-121: dp. 3,665; 1. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 11 k.; cpl. 79; a. 1 5", 1 3"; cl. Armadillo: T. Z-ETI-S-C3)

Kangaroo (IX-121) was laid down as Paul Tulane under Maritime Commission contract by Delta Shipbuilding Co., New Orleans, La., 28 September 1943; renamed Kangaroo 27 October 1943; launched 6 November 1943 -1 sponsored by Mrs. Rufus C. Harris; acquired by the Navy on bareboat basis 17 December; and commissioned 20 December, Lt. G. D. Lawson in command.

Following shadedown in the Gulf of Mexico, Kangaroo departed Guantanamo Bay 24 January 1944, transited the Panama Canal the 28th, and steamed to Noumea, New Caledonia, arriving 1 March. Assigned to the Service Force Pacific as a replacement for Stag (IX-128), she loaded fuel and supplies and departed for Guadalcanal 21 March. Upon arrival 26 March, she commenced fueling operations; and for the next 5 months she plied the waters of the Solomons, replenishing ships with fuel needed to steam into battle.

Departing Tulagi 10 September, she sailed to the Tonga Islands, received a cargo of fuel oil, and delivered her cargo at Noumea 5 October. For 7 months she served as a shuttle and station tanker, transporting bunker oil from the Fiji and Tonga Islands to bases in the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. After a voyage to New Zealand for repairs, she departed Auckland 6 June to load fuel oil at American Samoa. Subsequently, she conducted fueling operations in the Solomons, Eniwetok, and the Western Carolines before arriving Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 14 August to resume duty as a station tanker.

While in the Pacific Kangaroo steamed over 20,000 miles and hauled more than 38,000,000 gallons of fuel oil and hundreds of drums of lubricating oil for fighting ships of the Navy. During her service she refueled more than 80 ships, including 10 carriers, 34 destroyers, 20 troop transports 12 cargo ships and numerous merchantmen-not to mention storage barges, oilers, and tank arms.

Kangaroo departed Okinawa 2 February 1946, for the United States. Transiting the Panama Canal 9 March, she put into Norfolk 30 April after a 6-week anchorage at Lynnhaven Roads and Hampton Roads, Va., Kangaroo decommissioned 13 May, and the following day she was turned over to the Maritime Commission for disposal.