View source for USS Mississinewa (AO-59)

{{short description|Oiler of the United States Navy}}
{{other ships|USS Mississinewa}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Mississinewa (AO-59) anchored in Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA), on 25 May 1944 (NH 97279).jpg
|Ship caption=
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{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1944}}
|Ship name=USS ''Mississinewa''
|Ship namesake=[[Mississinewa River]] in [[Indiana]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard]]
|Ship laid down=5 October 1943
|Ship launched=28 March 1944
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=19 May 1944
|Ship decommissioned= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=4 [[Service star|battle star]]s (WWII)
|Ship fate=Sunk by Japanese ''[[Kaiten]]'' manned torpedo on 20 November 1944
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Cimarron|oiler|0||1939}} [[fleet replenishment oiler]]
|Ship type=T3-S2-A1 tanker
|Ship displacement={{convert|25425|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|553|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|75|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|32|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{convert|30400|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
*2 × shafts
|Ship speed={{convert|18|kn|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship range=
|Ship capacity={{convert|146000|oilbbl}}
|Ship complement=21 officers and 278 enlisted
|Ship armament=*2 × [[5-inch/38-caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}/38 cal]] [[dual-purpose gun]] (1x2)
*4 × [[3-inch/50-caliber gun]]s
*4 × [[Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun|40 mm]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft gun]]s
*4 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm anti-aircraft cannon]]s
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Mississinewa'' (AO-59)''' was the first of two [[United States Navy]] ships of the name. She was a [[T3 Tanker|T3-S2-A1]] auxiliary [[Replenishment oiler|oiler]] of the US Navy, laid down on 5 October 1943 by the [[Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard]], Inc., [[Sparrows Point, Maryland]]; launched on 28 March 1944; sponsored by Miss Margaret Pence; and commissioned on 18 May 1944. ''Mississinewa'' was commanded by [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] Philip G. Beck.  The ship is named for the [[Mississinewa River]] of eastern [[Indiana]].

==World War II==
''Mississinewa'' began her brief but active wartime service on 18 May 1944. Having completed shakedown in the [[Chesapeake Bay]], she sailed for [[Aruba]], Netherland West Indies, to take on her first cargo. Filling her cargo tanks on 23–24 June she continued on to the Pacific Ocean, arriving [[Pearl Harbor]] on 10 July. As a unit of Service Squadron 10 ([[ServRon]] 10), she then steamed to [[Eniwetok]] where she first fueled ships of the [[United States Third Fleet|3rd Fleet]]. On 25 August, she got underway for [[Manus Island|Manus]] where she supplied fuel and stores and delivered mail to ships of TF 38, the fast carrier force, 32 and 31 during the assault and occupation of the [[Palaus]].

Returning to Manus on 30 September, she replenished her tanks and again headed north to refuel TF 38 as that force struck at Japanese shipping and shore installations in the [[Philippines]], on [[Taiwan]], and in the [[Ryukyus]] in preparation for the [[Philippine]] campaign. On 19 October, having emptied her tanks into ships scheduled to take part in the landings at [[Leyte]], she sailed to [[Ulithi]] in the [[Caroline Islands]], her new base. In early November, ''Mississinewa'' sailed her last fueling at sea assignment, returning on the 15th.

The next day, she replenished her cargo tanks, filling them almost to capacity with {{convert|404000|USgal|m3}} of [[Avgas|aviation gas]], {{convert|9000|oilbbl}} of [[diesel fuel]], and {{convert|90000|oilbbl}} of [[fuel oil]]. Four days later, 20 November, she was still anchored in berth No. 131. At 05:47, shortly after [[reveille]], a heavy explosion rocked the oiler. Seconds later, fumes in an aviation gas cargo tank ignited, causing a second explosion. Massive flames immediately burst from midship forward. Bunker C oil immediately engulfed the ship, with aviation gas on top of that. The aviation gas acted like a wick. Fanned by a light wind, the fire spread aft quickly. A few minutes later the fires reached the after magazine and caused yet another explosion to tear through the ship. The ship was abandoned and soon enveloped in flames over {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=on}} high. Fleet tugs were immediately brought in to try to extinguish the fire, but in spite of their efforts, at about 09:00 the ship slowly turned over and disappeared. Fifteen minutes later, the fire on the water was out and Ulithi anchorage was again quiet. This ship was the first to be hit by a Japanese ''[[Kaiten]]'' manned torpedo. The ship sank with a loss of 63 hands as well as the ''kaiten'' pilot.
[[File:Kaiten Type 1 Yushukan.jpg|left|thumb|A ''Kaiten'' on display at [[Yasukuni Jinja]], [[Tokyo]]]]

Of the five ''kaiten'' sent against US ships, only one was successful, but the explosion and fire from ''Mississinewa'' was so great that the Japanese Naval Command back in Tokyo were erroneously informed that three aircraft carriers were hit. This resulted in an expansion of the ''kaiten'' program, even though it would not significantly affect the war.
''Mississinewa'' was hit in the front starboard bow area, the ''kaiten'' probably released by Japanese submarine ''[[Japanese submarine I-47|I-47]]'' just outside Ulithi lagoon.

''Mississinewa'' received four [[battle stars]] for [[World War II]] service.

==Discovery of shipwreck==
[[File:USS Mississinewa (AO-59) burning.jpg|thumb|''Mississinewa'' sinking]]
[[File:USS Mississinewa (AO-59) 20 November 1944.jpg|thumb|''Mississinewa'' sinking on 20 November 1944]]
The ''Mississinewa'' remained undiscovered in a tropical lagoon of [[Yap State]] for over 56 years.<ref name="IOSCP">{{cite journal |last1=Gilbert |first1=Trevor |last2=Nawadra |first2=Sefanaia |last3=Tafileichig |first3=Andy |last4=Yinug |first4=Leonard |title=Response to an Oil Spill from a Sunken WWII Oil Tanker in Yap State, Micronesia |journal=International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings |date=1 April 2003 |volume=2003 |issue=1 |pages=175–182 |doi=10.7901/2169-3358-2003-1-175 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237657946|doi-access=free }}</ref> On 6 April 2001, the hulk of the shipwreck was found by adventure divers at a depth of {{convert|132|ft}} roughly {{convert|7/10|mi}} north of Mogmog Island, [[Ulithi]], Micronesia. For two months, from July 2001 to August, the sunken wreck leaked oil into the Ulithi lagoon. Officials estimated that 18,000 to 24,000 gallons of oil had been released over the course of two months, threatening coral reefs, sea turtle breeding grounds, and local fishing. Following a typhoon, the island's beaches and the lagoon were contaminated by heavy fuel oil leaking from the wreck.<ref name="IOSCP"/>

A state of emergency was declared by the [[Governor of Yap]]. The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] and the Yap Marine Resources Department imposed a ban on fishing in the lagoon. In September 2001, a dive team and contractors hired by the U.S. Navy led a survey to determine the status of the wreck and the potential for environmental damage from the deteriorating hulk. Divers confirmed leaks, finding cracks in two of the ''Mississinewa's'' tanks. A second oil leak from the oiler was reported in December 2001 and leaks were plugged in February 2002. An investigation by the [[Pacific Regional Environment Programme|South Pacific Regional Environment Programme]] found that the estimated 5,000,000 gallons of oil remaining in the wreck constituted an "unacceptable and ever present risk".<ref name="IOSCP"/> The potential for a large release of the tanker's cargo fuel made a recovery attempt necessary.

In February 2003, a US Navy salvage team led an expedition to recover as much oil as possible. Divers used "[[Hot tapping|hot taps]]" to drill into the oil tanks and removed all accessible oil, nearly {{convert|2|e6USgal|m3}}, rendering the wreck safer. The recovered oil was barged back to [[Singapore]], where it was sold for $0.50/gallon to help cover the $11 million salvage costs.

The ship was featured on the television shows ''[[The Sea Hunters]]'', ''[[Deep Sea Detectives]]'', and ''[[Dogfights (TV series)|Dogfights]]''.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/mississinewa-i.html}}
*Mair, Michael ''Oil, Fire and Fate: The Sinking of the USS Mississinewa AO-59 in WWII by Japan's Secret Weapon'' 2008. SMJ Publishing, Platteville, Wisconsin. {{ISBN|978-0-615-21644-7}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Mississinewa (AO-59)}}
*[https://www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19059.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101212013328/http://www.ussmississinewa.com/home.html U.S.S. Mississinewa, AO-59 Web Site]
*[http://navy.memorieshop.com/Mississinewa/WWII.html "The AO-59 Memorial"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615041450/http://navy.memorieshop.com/Mississinewa/WWII.html |date=15 June 2018 }}. On 20 November 1944, at Ulithi Atoll, the Mississinewa was sunk
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121030185200/http://www.bentprop.org/mis/mis01.htm Report of the initial wreck dives in April 2001 on Bentprop.org]
*[http://www.supsalv.org/00c2_posseA0_59.asp?destPage=00c2 Report of U.S. Navy survey dive expedition in August 2001]
*[http://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/SUPSALV/SalvageReports/Mississinewa%20Oil%20Removal%20Operations.pdf Report of U.S. Navy oil recovery dives in February 2003]

{{coord|9|58|44.22|N|139|39|45.43|E|scale:20000000|name=Location of the wreck of the USS Mississinewa (AO-59)|display=title}}

{{Cimarron class oiler (1939)}}
{{Type T3-S2-A tankers}}
{{November 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Missisinewa (AO-59)}}
[[Category:Cimarron-class oilers (1939)]]
[[Category:Ships built in Sparrows Point, Maryland]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II tankers of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by Japanese submarines]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1944]]