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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USAV FS-366

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal Philippines Liberation Medal

USAV FS-366 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II

Freight-Supply Vessel

Laid down, circa 1944, as the Design 381 Freight-Supply Vessel FS-366 for the US Army at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon BAy, Wi.

Launched in 1944

Delivered to the US Army Quartermaster Corps in May 1944

Assigned to the US Army Transportation Corps

Commissioned USAV FS-366, 20 April 1944, at New Orleans, LA., LTjg. Howard V. Reckhow, USCGR in command

USAV FS-366 departed New Orleans, 25 May 1944, reaching Long Beach, CA. 23 June 1944, via Guantanamo, Cuba, and the Panama Canal.

She sailed for Oro Bay, New Guinea, 13 July 1944, via Hawaii, Ellice Islands, New Hebrides, and Guadalcanal arriving at Milne Bay, New Guinea, 21 August 1944.

Two months spent traveling up and down the New Guinea coast brought her to such places as Finschhafen, Hollandia, and Biak. At Biak she was under fire from Japanese bombers who attacked a nearby airstrip, but she was not allowed to fire on them.

7 November 1944, she left Hollandia, in convoy, for San Pedro Bay and Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, where she arrived under constant day and night air raids. The crew spent half the time at general quarters.

24 November 1944, a large-scale attack by 80 Japanese planes, 30 of them broke through the combat air patrol to bomb and strafe the air strips and shipping in the harbor. A 20-mm shell hit her deck spraying shrapnel among her 50-calibre machine gun crews, wounding the gunnery officer and five enlisted men, none seriously. All were awarded the Purple Heart. The gun crews claimed hits, but no definite "kill" could be established because of the numerous other vessels that were firing at the enemy planes during the action.

Loaded with steel strips to be used for landing mats on airstrips, FS-366 left Leyte, 9 January 1945, en route to the Lingayen Gulf beachhead. As the weather cleared en route and detection by the enemy became easier as they approached the Southwest coast of Mindoro, a Kamikaze hurled up against the side of a liberty ship alongside the FS-366. The liberty ship was holed amidships just above the waterline and great clouds of smoke poured forth. She managed to keep going, however, and eventually made port. Constant enemy attacks at irregular intervals followed on the route to Lingayen Gulf, which was finally reached 13 January 1945 (D+4). FS-366 remained anchored in Lingayen Gulf on emergency standby, on guard each night for suicide swimmers with bombs on their backs and Q boats.

Proceeding to Nasugbu, south of the entrance to Manila Bay, a beachhead established by the 11th Airborne Division who were pushing inland toward the city of Manila, they returned to Subic Bay for cargo for Batangas in Southern Luzon, where our troops were still fighting. They were with the first cargo ships to dock there and were warmly greeted by the natives. The sane was true of Lemery and Taul where they stopped en route.

31 March 1945, FS-366 entered Manila Bay where sporadic fighting was still in progress. The city was in sad shape, the Japanese having destroyed the waterfront and docks and downtown section, where its stately modern buildings were almost completely reduced to rubble. Proceeding soon to Cavite, they took a cargo of ammunition to Batangas, returning to Manila on 15 April 1945. Toward the end of April they took another load of ammunition to the town of Legaspi on the eastern coast of Luzon and for the next few months hauled ammunition between Lingayen, Subic Bay, Manila, Batangas and Legaspi.

Late in May 1945 FS-366 entered a floating drydock near Guinan for a long needed overhaul and paint job.

In July 1945 she carried a cargo of high-octane gas to Abulug, near Aparri, where our airborne troops had landed. Thence, she proceeded to Damortis in Lingayen Gulf for another load of ammunition for Aparri . After several more runs to Aparri, San Fernando, Subic Bay, Manila, the FS-366 proceeded to Mindanao. On her return to Manila her Coast Guard crew was taken off and she was decommissioned, 22 September 1945. A Philippine crew relieved the Coast Guard men.
"Journal of LTJG Charles Mashburn" who commanded USAV FS-366 throughout its voyages in the Pacific during World War II.

Sold to a Philippine Shipping Company, named MV Sorsogon reflagged Philippines

Final Disposition, fate unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 557 gross tons
Length 177'
Beam 32'
Draft 14'
Speed 12 kts
Freight Capacity unknown
Complement unknown
Armament unknown

Propulsion two 500hp GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl V6 diesel engines, twin screws

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 24 February 2023