USS Auriga ( AK - 98 ) USS " Auriga " ( AK - 98 ) was an commissioned by the U . S . Navy for service in World War II , named after the constellation Auriga . She was responsible for delivering troops , goods and equipment to locations in the war zone . " SS Alcoa Partner " was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 493 ) on 9 June 1942 at Wilmington , California , by the Consolidated Steel Corp . ; launched on 7 September 1942 ; sponsored by Dorothea Rasmussen Kunkel ; acquired by the Navy on 16 March 1943 ; converted for naval service as a cargo ship by the Matson Navigation Co . ; renamed " Auriga " on 29 March 1943 and designated AK - 98 ; and placed in commission at San Francisco , California , on 1 April 1943 , Lt . Comdr . John G . Hart in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . Upon her commissioning , the cargo ship was assigned to the Naval Transportation Service . When the conversion work had been completed , she got underway on 6 June for Port Hueneme , California , to load cargo and departed the U . S . West Coast on 14 April , bound for the Fiji Islands . The vessel reached Viti Levu , Fiji Islands , on 3 May and began discharging cargo . Unloading was completed on the 28th , and she then reversed her course and proceeded back to the west coast of the United States . Upon her arrival in San Francisco , the ship entered a shipyard for repair work which was completed by early July when " Auriga " moved to Alameda , California , to load equipment and supplies for transportation to New Caledonia . Serving the South Pacific bases . The vessel put out to sea on 19 July and , upon her arrival at Nouméa on 7 August , unloaded her cargo . She completed this task on 21 August and sailed once more for the Fijis . The ship touched at Suva on the 24th ; discharged equipment and supplies ; and , three days later , began the voyage back to the United States . She arrived at San Francisco on 13 September , reloaded her holds , and moved to San Diego , California . On 1 October she stood out to sea , bound for the Ellice Islands . Auriga reached Funafuti on the 16th but , the next day , moved on to Wallis Island , Samoa , and remained in port there through 12 November . She then returned to Funafuti , where she carried out cargo operations into January 1944 . On the 17th , the vessel got underway for Tarawa , Gilbert Islands , and spent the next week unloading cargo despite frequent enemy bombing attacks . She departed the Gilberts on the 24th and headed for Hawaii . Ship repairs at Pearl Harbor . The ship moored at Pearl Harbor on 1 February and unloaded all her cargo before entering the navy yard there for repairs and alterations . On the 22d , " Auriga " moved to Honolulu for loading operations and got underway on the 29th for Eniwetok . She reached her destination on 11 March and began sending cargo and fresh water to various small craft . The ship took on Army equipment and got underway for Kwajalein on 8 April . The ship anchored off Kwajalein on the 10th and sailed two days later for Hawaii . Saipan invasion operations . Shortly after returning to Pearl Harbor , " Auriga " was slated to take part in the invasion of Saipan in the Marianas . The vessel began taking on Army combat vehicles , ammunition , heavy artillery , and other supplies and embarked troops . On the morning of 1 June , the ship sortied with Task Group ( TG ) 51 . 18 . After a pause at Kwajalein to refuel , TG 58 . 18 arrived off Saipan on the 16th ; and " Auriga " began debarking troops and equipment . The next day , the ship retired from Saipan and , during the next eight days , steamed with various task groups while awaiting orders to return to waters off that embattled island . On 25 June , " Auriga " touched at Saipan and began unloading operations . Despite enemy air harassment , she completed the process on the 28th and left the area . She anchored at Eniwetok and remained there nearly one month . The ship weighed anchor on the 27th and set a course for Pearl Harbor . After her arrival there on 3 August , the ship entered the navy yard for repairs and alterations . Invasion of the Philippines operations . On the 31st , " Auriga " sailed for Hilo , Hawaii , where she embarked marines , combat equipment , and ammunition . The ship headed back toward Pearl Harbor on 6 September and got underway again on the 15th , bound for Eniwetok . After briefly touching there , the cargo ship was routed on to Manus Island , Admiralties , a staging point for the invasion of the Philippine Islands . She left Manus on 14 October and , six days later , anchored in Leyte Gulf and commenced discharging cargo ashore . Damaged by a Japanese plane attack . Still off the beachhead on 25 October , " Auriga " underwent a Japanese air attack during which her commanding officer and four other crew members were wounded . The next day , she set a course for Peleliu in the Palaus . After a one - day stop there , the vessel proceeded to Hollandia , New Guinea . Delivering cargo at Leyte Gulf . Following a brief period in port , " Auriga " was assigned to a reinforcement group bound for Biak , Schouten Islands . Upon her arrival there , she began loading a cargo of vehicles and Army Air Corps equipment . She got underway on 14 November to return to Leyte . The vessel arrived in Leyte Gulf four days later and began sending her cargo ashore . In spite of heavy enemy air activity , " Auriga " completed her task on the 19th and left that evening to return to Hollandia . Lingayen Gulf operations . The attack cargo ship remained there for a week before being ordered to Aitape , New Guinea , to take on equipment , ammunition , and Army troops . She got underway on 28 December and set a course for the Philippine Islands and the invasion of Luzon . " Auriga " was assigned to TG 78 . 5 whose ships reached Lingayen Gulf on 9 January 1945 and began unloading operations shortly after their arrival . Three days later , her holds were empty , and she sailed for Leyte . Luzon invasion operations . While at Leyte , the cargo vessel was ordered to begin preparations for another assault on Luzon in the San Felipe - San Narcisco area . " Auriga " got underway for this operation on 26 January and arrived off the west coast of Luzon on the 29th . The unopposed landing was completed on the 31st , and the ship returned to Leyte where she remained in upkeep into March . Okinawa invasion operations . On 13 March , " Auriga " began taking on cargo , and she got underway on the 27th . She entered Ulithi Lagoon three days later , awaited further orders , and set sail on 7 April for Okinawa . The vessel anchored off Hagushi beach on the 11th and immediately encountered stiff enemy air opposition , but managed to discharge all of her passengers and cargo by the morning of the 17th . Two days later , she left Okinawa and returned to Ulithi . Final wartime operations . The ship paused there to refuel and to embark passengers for transportation to the United States . She got underway for home on 25 April , sailed into San Francisco Bay on 12 May , and shortly thereafter entered a shipyard for alterations and repairs . Her repairs and shakedown were completed on 26 June , and she resumed cargo operations . The ship got underway on 8 July , shaped a course for the Marshalls , and during the next month delivered cargo to both Eniwetok and Kwajalein . " Auriga " was then routed to Espiritu Santo to pick up more cargo . End - of - war activity . Upon reaching Espiritu Santo on 15 August , the ship received word of the Japanese capitulation . She loaded supplies and equipment , got underway for Guam on the 23d , and entered Apra Harbor on 1 September . There , she took on cargo to support occupation forces in Japan . After a brief stop at Iwo Jima , " Auriga " sailed to Japan . The vessel reached Yokosuka on 12 October and began discharging supplies ashore . She later embarked Army and Navy personnel for transportation back to the United States . The ship left Japan on 27 November and proceeded to Pearl Harbor . She then sailed on to the Panama Canal Zone , transited the canal on 27 December , and continued on to the east coast of the United States . " Auriga " reached New York City on 3 January 1946 ; discharged her passengers , cargo , and ammunition ; and began preparations for deactivation . Post - war decommissioning . She was decommissioned at the New York Naval Shipyard on 22 January 1946 and was returned to the Maritime Commission for disposal . Her name was struck from the Navy List on 7 February 1946 . She was sold later that year and was refitted for merchant service . Military awards and honors . " Auriga " earned five battle star s for her World War II service . Her crew was eligible for the following medals : A number of her crew were awarded " personal awards : "