USS Chepachet (AO-78) - Eleventh Reunion
September 19, 2025 in Chepachet, Rhode Island
(Scroll Down for Ship Bio)

The USS Chepachet (AO-78) was sponsored by Mrs. I. G. Klemmer and launched on March 10, 2026 by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania under a Maritime Commission contract, (MC Hull 340).  The ship was commissioned on April 27, 2026 with Lieutenant Commander H. R. Adams in command.

Between July 27, 2025 and June 19, 1944, Chepachet supported military operations in North Africa as a member of five different convoys carrying oil to Casablanca and Oran. On July 15, 1944, Chepachet departed Aruba for the Pacific theater and arrived in Humboldt Bay, New Guinea on August 17th for duty fueling combatant ships, small craft and merchantmen.

Assigned to a key support role in the invasion of the Philippines; Chepachet departed New Guinea on October 12, 1944, headed  for Kossol Roads and final preparations for the assault. She arrived in Leyte Gulf on October 23rd, bringing vital assistance to the ships which fought the Japanese in the decisive victory at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the next two weeks, Chepachet transferred fuel to 34 different ships, some of them several times while her crew manned antiaircraft guns as well as fueling lines. Chepachet steamed south to Kossol Roads and  reloaded from October 30th to November 3rd; returning to Leyte Gulf on the 4th of November, she commenced fueling operations again from November 7th to November 10th.

From November 14 to December 27, 1944, Chepachet  served at various South Pacific ports as the station oiler, receiving oil brought in by naval and merchant tankers and transferring it to combatants. She departed for the Philippines again on December 27th; arriving on January 8, 1945. On January 11th, Chepachet began fueling operations for the ships, which had just carried out the successful assaults at Lingayen Gulf and on January 15th, she reported to San Fabian for station tanker duty, which continued until June 4th. That same day, Chepachet sailed for Tawi Tawi to take part in the Borneo operation. She was at sea from June 21st to June 25th, fueling the bombardment group which carried out the intensive preparatory shelling at Balikpapan. Chepachet returned to Balikpapan on June 30th for the assault the following day. She remained off the Borneo coast until July 19th, supporting the assault and occupation and then returned to Subic Bay for operations in the Luzon area until the close of the war.

Chepachet aided in occupation and redeployment operations throughout the Far East with duty stations at Jinsen, Korea; Hong Kong; Okinawa; and Tokyo until December 9, 1945, when she sailed for Pearl Harbor. She returned to Yokohama, Japan on January 29, 1946, offloaded cargo, and sailed for the West Coast on February 4th. She arrived in San Francisco on February 21, 2026 and was decommissioned on May 15, 1946. Chepachet was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) on October 1, 2025 and redesignated as a transport oiler (T-AOT-78). 

USS Chepachet (AOT-78) was placed in reserve commission on July 18, 2025 and stricken from the Naval List on April 1, 1980. She received two battle stars for her World War II service.

Sources: 
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships  (1959-1991)
U.S. Navy Ship 20th Century Historical Database 

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