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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Photo # NH 104028:  USS Aludra underway at sea, 17 September 1954

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS Aludra (AF-55), 1952-1977

USS Aludra, a 7050-ton (light displacement) Alstede class store ship, was built at Oakland, California, to U.S. Maritime Commission design R2-S-BV1. Completed in March 1945 as the civilian refrigerated cargo ship Matchless, she was operated commercially for more than four years, including Pacific service during the last months of World War II. The ship was laid up near Mobile, Alabama in August 1949, but was reactivated as part of the Nation's response to the Korean War crisis. Renamed Aludra in January 1951, she was converted for U.S. Navy use at Camden, New Jersey and placed in commission in June 1952.

Aludra made one Korean War deployment between October 1952 and May 1953. She continued her work with the Pacific Fleet during the next decade and a half, taking part in the development of new underway replenishment techniques and regularly steaming to Far Eastern waters for service with the Seventh Fleet. In 1954 the store ship participated in the evacuation of refugees from northern Vietnam. Between 1965 and 1969, she was actively employed supporting Vietnam War combat operations. USS Aludra was decommissioned in September 1969 and laid up at Suisun Bay, California. She remained in the National Defense Reserve Fleet until 1977 and was sold for scrapping in November of that year.

This page features all the views we have concerning USS Aludra (AF-55).


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 104028

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Underway at sea, 17 September 1954.
Photographed from USS Yorktown (CVA-10).

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 74KB; 740 x 595 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104029

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Transferring supplies to USS Yorktown (CVA-10) during underway replenishment operations, 17 September 1954.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 96KB; 740 x 590 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104030

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 83KB; 740 x 600 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104031

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 76KB; 740 x 600 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104032

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 88KB; 740 x 600 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104033

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 74KB; 740 x 605 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104034

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 86KB; 740 x 605 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104035

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956. The Bay Bridge is in the background.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 94KB; 580 x 765 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104036

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 88KB; 585 x 765 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104026

USS Aludra
(AF-55), at left,

Steams away from USS Ponchatoula (AO-148) after transferring stores. In the right distance USS Jupiter (AVS-8) makes her approach to take on fuel.
Taken from on board Ponchatoula. The original photo bears a stamped date of 23 August 1963 and was released with Commander Service Squadron THREE press release # 3-154.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 118KB; 740 x 620 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104027

USS Aludra
(AF-55), center,

Is approached by USS Cochrane (DDG-21), at left, and USS Midway (CVA-41) for underway replenishment, during operations in the South China Sea.
Photographed by USS Midway, 15 May 1965.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 90KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 104040

USS Aludra
(AF-55)

Outboard profile drawing (Bureau of Ships plan # S 0103 972649), showing the ship as she was during the 1960s, with a helicopter platform aft.

Courtesy of Commander Stephen S. Roberts, USNR, 1982.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph

Online Image: 173KB; 2000 x 775 pixels

 


In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold other views of USS Aludra (AF-55). The following list features some of these images:

The images listed below are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".



  • Photo #: USN 1043433
    USS Aludra (AF-55) underway, probably during the early 1950s. This image was received by the Naval Photographic Center in August 1959, as one of a group of photos that were generally taken several years earlier.
    Port bow aerial view, with thin light gray smoke issuing from the funnel.

  • Photo #: USN 1043434
    As USN 1043433, but starboard stern aerial view with darker smoke.


  • Photo #: USN 1094229
    USS Aludra (AF-55) entering Subic Bay, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 12 October 1963. Photographed by PH1 J.K. Avery of Utility Squadron 5A (VU-5A).
    Starboard bow (very tight on the bow) high aerial view. The ship appears to be moving very slowly, if at all.

  • Photo #: USN 1094231
    As USN 1094229, but starboard bow (relatively tight on the bow) low aerial view (show from about the height of the mid-point of Aludra's smokestack. Mountainous terrain is in the background.


    Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center.

    The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".


  • If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


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    Page made 12 August 2006