USS Mount McKinley

USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7)
History
United States
Name	Mount McKinley
Laid down	31 July 1943
Launched	27 September 1943
Commissioned	1 May 1944
Decommissioned	26 March 1970
Stricken	30 July 1976
Fate	Sold for scrap in 1979
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass-
Displacement	12,550 tons
Length	459 ft 2 in (139.95 m)
Beam	63 ft (19 m)
Draft	25 ft (7.6 m)
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement	664
Armament	1 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal. gun 4 × twin 40 mm guns

USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7/LCC-7) was the lead ship of the Mt. McKinley-class of amphibious force command ships. She was named after Mount McKinley, Alaska, the highest mountain in North America. She was designed as an amphibious force flagship, a floating command post with advanced communications equipment and extensive combat information spaces to be used by the amphibious forces commander and landing force commander during large-scale operations.

Launch and commissioning

The Mount McKinley (AGC-7), was laid down as the Cyclone, a transport, on 31 July 1943 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was launched on 27 September, sponsored by Mrs. T. L. Lainer, and then renamed USS Mount McKinley on 27 December 1943. She was commissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 1 May 1944, with Captain Roy W. M. Graham in command.

World War II

After a brief shakedown cruise, the USS Mt. McKinley departed from Naval Station Norfolk on 8 June 1944 bound for Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 27 June. Next, the Mount McKinley got underway on 20 July, bound for the Palau Islands with Amphibious Group 5 of the U.S. Marine Corps embarked.

This assault force arrived off Peleliu on 15 September, with ComPhibGru 5 directing the landing of the 1st Marine Division. On 28 September, the Mount McKinley proceeded to nearby Ngesebus Island to provide coordination of the shore bombardment (but no landing).

The Mount McKinley left the area 14 October after Peleliu and Anguar Island were secure. After a stop at Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, the ship sailed to San Pedro Bay in Leyte Gulf, for the assault on eastern Leyte and the follow-up at Ormoc Bay. While in San Pedro Bay, the force was under continual air attack, but the Mount McKinley was never hit. On 15 December she participated in the invasion of the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, and then proceeded to Lingayen Gulf to the direct shore bombardment of Luzon on 9 January 1945.

After directing an unopposed landing at San Narciso, near Subic Bay, the Mt. McKinley returned to harbor at Leyte Gulf.

On 21 March 1945, the Mount McKinley proceeded to Kerama Retto, islands off the southwestern coast of Okinawa. Six days before the major assault on Okinawa, the Mount McKinley directed the landing of the 77th Infantry Division on those ancillary islands. For the next two months, the ship remained at anchorage at Kerama Retto, threatened by continual Japanese air attacks. On 22 May, she sailed for Saipan in the Marianas, and thence to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, arriving on the West Coast of the United States on 23 June 1945.

Postwar

After an overhaul for two months in San Francisco, the McMcKinley deployed on 20 August 1945, bound for Sasebo, Japan, arriving on 23 September, she participated in landing occupation troops there and at the port of Kure. Returning to California on 12 February 1946, she sailed in the early summer for Bikini Atoll where she was the nexus of Operation Crossroads. Admiral William H. P. Blandy commanded Joint Task Force 1 during the atomic bomb tests, with his admiral's flag on board the Mount McKinley. Following the series of test explosions in July, the Mt. McKinley returned to the San Diego Naval Base for the next 18 months.

In early 1948, the Mt. McKinley was the command ship for another series of A-bomb test at Eniwetok Atoll. Upon the completion of these tests, she returned to San Diego to resume operations along the West Coast.

Korean War

MacArthur observes the naval shelling of Incheon from Mount McKinley, 15 September 1950 with Brigadier General Courtney Whitney (left) and Major General Edward M. Almond (right).

On 20 May 1950, the Mount McKinley went underway for the Western Pacific to conduct training operations with the U.S. 8th Army. On 26 June, the ship proceeded from Japan to direct the landing of American reinforcements at Po Han, South Korea, at the beginning of the Korean War.

Then in early September 1950, General Douglas MacArthur was on board, directing the amphibious assault at Inchon, Korea, one which forced the North Korean invaders to retreat north across the 38th Parallel. The next action of the McKinley was at the important port of Wonsan, on the northeastern coast of North Korea.

When Chinese troops entered the war from the north, and United Nations troops, including many Americans, were pushed back to the "Hungman beachhead", the Mount McKinley aided in the evacuation. In late January 1951, she aided in the transfer of thousands of Korean refugees to Cheja Island.

On 7 June 1951, the Mount McKinley steamed out of Yokosuka, Japan and crossed the North Pacific Ocean to California. She entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in San Francisco Bay on 3 August 1951 for a major overhaul that lasted into 1952. The Mount McKinley departed again for the Western Pacific on 6 March 1952, and did not return to San Francisco States until 30 January 1953. While she was in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, a helicopter deck was installed on her fantail.

The Mount McKinley steamed out again on 27 October 1953 towards the Western Pacific for her third tour of duty of the Korean Conflict - even though the ceasefire had been signed. She arrived in Yokosuka on 16 November 1953. From then until her departure for California on 30 July 1954, she was involved in fleet and amphibious exercises off Japan, South Korea, and theRepublic of China. Then after she retuned to the San Diego Naval Base on 18 August, she spent the remainder of the year shuttling between San Diego and Hawaii.

During the spring of 1955, the Mount McKinley served as flagship for Operation Wigwam, an underwater atomic bomb test in the Central Pacific. After a long shipyard overhaul during the summer of 1955, the Mount McKinley returned to the Western Pacific in January 1956 for a three-month tour of duty. Then in April 1956, she was a ships for observers from the newspapers for more nuclear weapons tests in the Central Pacific.

Atlantic and Mediterranean service

On 3 June, the Mount McKinley returned to San Diego, and she was detached from the U.S. Pacific Fleet on 1 September. She then headed east via the Panama Canal to Norfolk, Virginia, arriving on the 20th of September.

The following 9 January, the command ship deployed to the Mediterranean. While in the eastern Mediterranean, the ship rescued the crew of a burning Greek fishing vessel, extinguished the fire, and towed the damaged vessel into port. After conducting NATO and fleet exercises in the Mediterranean, she returned to Norfolk 19 June. September and early October were spent in Operation Strikeback and other NATO exercises in the eastern Atlantic. Mount McKinley was anchored in Portsmouth Navy Yard to provide command and control for parts of the 'Orange' opposition naval forces during Operation Strikeback.

In January 1958, Mount McKinley deployed to 6th Fleet, operating with the Amphibious Ready Group in NATO and U.S. exercises. Due to return to the States in June, the ship's departure was delayed due to increasing tensions in the Middle East. The ship served as an afloat headquarters for the U.S. Marine Corps landing in Lebanon during the crisis of July 1958. She returned to Norfolk on 16 August.

The third Mediterranean assignment of the Mount McKinley was from 20 February to 26 August 1959, and it was was marked by seven amphibious exercises involving U.S. and NATO forces.

In February 1960, the ship sailed to Valparaíso, Chile, via the Panama Canal to provide communications support for President Eisenhower's goodwill visit to Latin America. On 19 April, the Mount McKinley was deployed to 6th Fleet, returning to Norfolk 7 December. Upon completion of her yard period in the summer of 1961, the Mount McKinley made her fifth deployment to the Mediterranean from September to February 1962, acting as flagship for several large scale amphibious exercises.

In October, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Mount McKinley served at flagship for ComPhibLant and ComPhIbGru 4. Following the quarantine of Cuba, she sailed for the Mediterranean 10 January 1963 to act as the command flagship for the Amphibious Strike Force. Arriving back in Norfolk 2 August 1963, she entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM II) overhaul, extending from September to January 1964.

After refresher training and exercise "Quick Kick V", AGC 7 departed Norfolk 10 May, arriving at San Diego on 26 May via the Panama Canal. Immediately after the Tonkin Gulf Incident, she was ordered to Southeast Asia.

Pacific theater

Mount McKinley off Vietnam, in 1969.

She sailed from San Diego 25 August, arriving Luzon 16 September. She relieved her sister ship, USS Eldorado, at Subic Bay a week later, becoming the flagship of the 7th Fleet, Amphibious Strike Force. Taking station in the South China Sea, with other elements of Amphibious Group 1, the Mount McKinley stood prepared for any contingency.

While proceeding to Bangkok, Mount McKinley came to the assistance of Herkimer, whose master was severely ill. Herkimer's captain was taken on board for further treatment in Singapore while the MSTS ship sailed on to Saigon. In early March and again in mid April, the flagship coordinated the landing of Marine reinforcements at Da Nang and Huế, Vietnam.

Relieved by Estes at Subic Bay in April, she arrived San Diego 15 May 1965. The command ship sailed again from San Diego on 15 March, arriving at Subic Bay on 17 April via Pearl Harbor. Based there, the ship visited ports in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Okinawa, acting as flagship of ComPhibGru 1.

On 23 August, the Mount McKinley sailed for home, arriving 19 September 1966. She sailed on her third --- deployment 1 July, arriving Da Nang 28 July to become once more the flagship of Commander, 7th Fleet Amphibious Force. She provided communications support for search and destroy operations against the Vietcong and North Vietnamese regulars. As in earlier deployments, support for military forces was combined with civic action operations to assist civilians.

Relieved in mid-January, the ship sailed east for California and home, arriving San Diego 10 February 1968. The ship's designation was changed from AGC-7 to LCC-7 on 1 January 1969. Following her arrival back in San Diego, she has been engaged in type training and amphibious exercises on the West Coast as the flagship of ComPhibGru 3 into 1969.

Awards and decommissioning

Mount McKinley received four battle stars for her World War II service, eight stars for Korean War service, and a Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation. She was scrapped in 1976.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• USS Mount McKinley Association Home Page
• navsource.org: USS Mount McKinley
• Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940–1945