USS Caney

"AO-95" redirects here. The term may also refer to Fox-1Cliff.

USS Caney (AO-95) was an Escambia-class replenishment oiler acquired by the United States Navy for use during World War II. She had the dangerous but necessary task of providing fuel to vessels in combat and non-combat areas. She served in the Pacific Ocean Theatre of operations late in the war, and returned home with two battle stars.

Caney in 1945
History
United States
Name	USS Caney
Namesake	Caney River in Kansas and Oklahoma
Builder	Marinship, Sausalito, California
Launched	8 October 1944
Commissioned	25 March 1945
Decommissioned	27 February 1946
Stricken	27 February 1946
Acquired	February 1948
In service	18 July 1950, as USNS Caney (T-AO-95)
Out of service	(date unknown)
Stricken	(date unknown)
Honors and awards	2 battle stars (World War II)
Fate	Acquired by the US Army, 1966 Scrapped 1974
General characteristics
Type	Escambia-class replenishment oiler
Displacement	5,782 long tons (5,875 t) light 21,880 long tons (22,231 t) full
Length	523 ft 6 in (159.56 m)
Beam	68 ft (21 m)
Draft	30 ft 10 in (9.40 m)
Propulsion	Turbo-electric, single screw, 8,000 shp (5,966 kW)
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Capacity	140,000 barrels (22,000 m3)
Complement	267
Armament	1 × 5"/38 caliber dual purpose gun 4 × 3"/50 caliber guns 4 × twin 40 mm guns 4 × twin 20 mm guns

Caney was launched on 8 October 1944 by Marinship Corp., Sausalito, California, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. L. Simpson; acquired by the Navy on 25 March 1945, and commissioned the same day and reported to the Pacific Fleet.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Caney sailed from San Pedro, California, on 12 May 1945 for Ulithi, the base from which she operated while fueling ships serving on radar picket and patrol duties at Okinawa. From 3 July through the end of the war, she steamed with the logistic group supporting task force TF 38 in its bombardments and air strikes pounding the Japanese home islands.

End-of-war activity

The oiler remained off Okinawa serving ships engaged in occupation duty until 16 November, when she got underway for San Francisco, California, and Galveston, Texas. Caney was decommissioned on 27 February 1946 at Beaumont, Texas, and delivered to the War Shipping Administration the same day.

Service under MSTS

Reacquired by the Navy in February 1948, she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service on 18 July 1950, where she served as USNS Caney (T-AO-95) in a noncommissioned status with a civilian crew.

Caney was placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register on 21 May 1959. She was then transferred to MARAD for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama.

Service under the U.S. Army

Caney was acquired by the United States Army in 1966 and converted at Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co., Mobile, Alabama, into a floating power station for Vietnam service.

Fate

She was sold for scrapping on 9 September 1974, at Vung Tau, South Vietnam.

Awards

Caney received two battle stars for World War II service.

References

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

External links

• Navsource USS Caney (AO-95)