USS Ara (AK-136), off San Francisco, California, 11 January 1944.
History
United States
Name	Daniel Boone
Namesake	Daniel Boone
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
Ordered	as a Type EC2-S-C1 hull, MCE hull 69 [1]
Builder	California Shipbuilding Corporation, Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California
Yard number	6 [1]
Way number	6 [1]
Laid down	17 July 1941
Launched	14 January 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs. J. K. Doolan
In service	15 April 1942
Fate	transferred to the US Navy, 3 December 1943
United States
Name	Ara
Namesake	The constellation Ara
Acquired	3 December 1943
Commissioned	4 January 1944
Decommissioned	26 November 1945
Stricken	5 December 1945
Identification	Hull symbol: AK-136 Code letters: NHEN
Honors and awards	1 × battle star
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 26 October 1971, removed, 6 January 1972
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	Crater-class cargo ship
Type	Type EC2-S-C1
Displacement	4,023 long tons (4,088 t) (standard) 14,550 long tons (14,780 t) (full load)
Length	441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam	56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft	28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Installed power	2 × Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 220psi 450° 2,500  shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion	1 × General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine 1 × shaft
Speed	12.5  kn (23.2  km/h; 14.4  mph)
Capacity	7,800 t (7,700 long tons) DWT 444,206 cu ft (12,578.5 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement	13 officers 212 enlisted
Armament	1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber dual-purpose (DP) gun 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber DP gun 2 × 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft (AA) gun mounts 6 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannon AA gun mounts

USS Ara (AK-136) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the US Navy for service in World War II. Ara is named after the constellation Ara. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

Construction

Ara was laid down on 17 July 1941, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull No. 69, as the Liberty ship SS Daniel Boone, by California Shipbuilding Corporation, Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California; launched on 14 January 1942; sponsored by Mrs. J. K. Doolan; acquired by the Navy under a bare-boat charter on 3 December 1943; renamed Ara (AK-136); and commissioned on 4 January 1944. ^[3]

Service history

Ara sailed on 7 February for the Territory of Hawaii. Upon her arrival at Pearl Harbor, the ship reported to Service Squadron 8 for duty. On 4 March, Ara sailed in a convoy bound for the Marshall Islands and discharged her cargo at Majuro and Kwajalein Atolls. Ara left the Marshalls on 14 April; made a brief stop at Pearl Harbor on 28 April; and then the ship got underway for Port Hueneme, California. After loading new cargo, Ara was back in Pearl Harbor on 29 May. The ship sailed on 7 June, with Task Group (TG) 51.6, bound for Eniwetok; anchored there on 18 June; and remained through 23 July. ^[3]

South Pacific

On 23 July, Ara was ordered to proceed to Guam to deliver US Army personnel to that island. She remained offshore until 3 August, and then disembarked troops and unloaded equipment. Ara got underway for Eniwetok on 20 August, and arrived four days later. After a reprovisioning period, the transport sailed for Hawaii and moored at Pearl Harbor on 9 September. ^[3]

Supplying Guam and Saipan

At Pearl Harbor, she loaded cargo destined for Roi Namur and Majuro and sailed on 19 September, for the Marshalls. From 4 October to 20 November, supplies were discharged and taken on board at Majuro and Kwajalein. On 25 November, the ship headed for Ulithi. Five days later, Ara arrived at the atoll. She sailed again on 8 December, for the Marianas to unload the remainder of her provisions at Guam and Saipan. Ara called at Eniwetok on 23 December, and then continued on to Tarawa. There, she refilled her cargo holds and sailed on 4 January 1945, for Makin Island. ^[3]

Shuttling cargo between island bases

During the first two months of 1945, Ara repeated her cargo shuttle services. Her ports of call included Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Ulithi, Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. From Saipan, Ara headed for Hawaii and reached Pearl Harbor on 20 March. Two days later, Ara sailed for San Pedro, Los Angeles, where she arrived on 1 April, for repairs. After successfully completing trials, Ara sailed on 6 May, to Tacoma, Washington, to load cargo and remained there until 23 May, when she began steaming independently for the Philippines. ^[3]

Supplying troops in the Philippines and Saipan

Ara began discharging cargo at Samar, Philippines, on 25 June. She then received orders to sail to New Zealand and got underway on 6 July. Ara moored at Auckland on 21 July, and commenced loading supplies earmarked for Marines stationed on Saipan. She departed Auckland on 27 July, and arrived at Saipan on 14 August. The next day, while she was still there, Japan capitulated on 15 August. Ara set a course for the west coast on 21 August, entered San Francisco Bay on 9 September, and began voyage repairs. ^[3]

Post-war decommissioning

The transport left the west coast on 6 October, bound, via the Panama Canal, for Norfolk, Virginia, and arrived there on 27 October. ^[3]

She was decommissioned on 26 November, and turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) in whose custody she resumed the name Daniel Boone. The name, Ara, was struck from the Navy List on 5 December. ^[3] Ara was placed in the MARCOM National Defense Reserve Fleet, and was laid up in the James River, Lee Hall, Virginia. ^[4]

Fate

On 26 October 1971, she was sold to Hierros Ardes, S.A., of Bilbao, Spain, for $71,520, to be scrapped. She was removed from the fleet 6 January 1972. ^[4]

Awards

Ara won one battle star for her World War II service. Her crew was eligible for the following medals and campaign ribbons: ^[2]

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1)
• World War II Victory Medal
• Philippines Liberation Medal

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Ara (AK-136) at NavSource Naval History