USS Cetus (AK-77)

USS Cetus (AK-77), at anchor in San Francisco Bay, 25 August 1945.
History
United States
Name:	George B. Cortelyou Cetus
Namesake:	George B. Cortelyou The constellation Cetus
Ordered:	as a Type EC2-S-C1 hull, MCE hull 445
Builder:	Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California
Yard number:	445
Way number:	11
Laid down:	21 November 1942
Launched:	26 December 1942
Sponsored by:	Mrs. N. F. Potter
Acquired:	4 January 1943
Commissioned:	17 January 1943
Decommissioned:	20 November 1945
Struck:	5 December 1945
Identification:	Hull symbol: AK-77 Code letters: NYMF
Honors and awards:	2 × battle stars
Fate:	laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Virginia, 21 November 1945
Status:	sold for scrapping, 26 October 1971, delivered, 6 January 1972
General characteristics
Class and type:	Crater-class cargo ship
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 × Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 220psi 450° 2,500 shp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion:	1 × Joshua Hendy vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine 1 × shaft
Speed:	12.5 kn (14.4 mph; 23.2 km/h)
Capacity:	7,800 t (7,700 long tons) DWT 444,206 cu ft (12,578.5 m3) (non-refrigerated)
Complement:	210
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

The USS Cetus (AK-77) was a Crater-class cargo ship in the service of the US Navy in World War II. Named after the equatorial constellation Cetus, it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name.

Cetus was laid down 21 November 1942 as liberty ship SS George B. Cortelyou, MCE hull 445, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract; launched 26 December 1942; sponsored by Mrs. N. F. Potter; acquired by the Navy 4 January 1943; and commissioned 17 January 1943, Lieutenant Commander Nicholas T. Gansa, USNR, in command.

Cetus' assignment, for which she sailed from San Francisco 1 February 1943, was carrying cargo among South Pacific bases, and from ports in New Zealand. She arrived at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 24 February, and began her share of the buildup of Solomon and Society Islands bases from which naval forces fought north through the Bismarcks. On 12 July 1944, she sailed from Guadalcanal for Eniwetok, where she prepared for her support of the invasion of Guam. She put to sea again 23 July, and arrived off Guam 27 July, 6 days after the initial assault. With bitter fighting continuing ashore, Cetus offloaded her much needed cargo over reefs and beaches, then returned to the South Pacific.