USS Kennebago ( AO - 81 ) USS " Kennebago " ( AO - 81 ) was an serving in the United States Navy during World War II . Laid down on 9 January 1943 , she was named for the Kennebago River located in Rangeley , Maine . " Kennebago " , a type T2 - SE - A2 tanker hull , was built at Marinship , Sausalito , California , and launched on 9 May 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . W . E . Waste , the ship was commissioned by the US Navy on 4 December 1943 . Service history . United States Navy , 1943 – 1946 . After an initial shakedown cruise off the west coast , " Kennebago " departed San Diego on 24 January 1944 for various bases in the Aleutians carrying fuel oil and aviation gasoline . She returned to San Diego on 28 February , loaded with fuel , and departed for the Marshall Islands . She arrived on 15 April and continued to make fueling runs from Pearl Harbor to the Marshalls . After the United States invasion of the Marianas , " Kennebago " departed the Marshalls on 19 June , and arrived in Saipan on 22 June to refuel ships of the 5th Fleet . After continuing refueling operations in the area , she departed Manus on 9 October to rendezvous with Vice Admiral Mitscher ' s Fast Carrier Task Force , Task Force 38 , conducting operations in the Philippine Sea . After refueling ships until 23 October , she departed for Ulithi , continuing to refuel ships east of the Philippines until 25 December . Next , she would support the landing operations in Lingayen Gulf , fueling ships that were operating as part of the task force . She continued on refueling operations in the theater until 6 April 1945 , when she would sail for Los Angeles , California , arriving there 24 April . After a brief overhaul , " Kennebago " was again ready for operations in the Western Pacific , departing on 12 June , after brief stops in San Francisco , California , and Pearl Harbor . After arriving back at Ulithi on 4 July , she continued refueling ships operating in Japanese waters off Honshū . After the Japanese surrender , she operated out of Okinawa until 9 October , when she would steam to Taku , China to support the United States 7th Fleet in support of the Nationalist Chinese troops fighting the Communist Chinese for control of China . After returning to Pearl Harbor on 28 December , she returned to Hong Kong on 26 January 1946 and sailed for San Francisco on 17 February . Once returning stateside , " Kennebago " sailed for Boston , Massachusetts on 28 March , arriving 19 April . Military Sea Transportation Service , 1949 – 1959 . After over a year , " Kennebago " was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 27 May 1947 as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet . She was reacquired by the United States Navy on 1 October 1949 and was placed in service with the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS " Kennebago " ( T - AO - 81 ) in September 1950 . After serving in the Korean War and supporting the American naval power during the early Cold War , she was released to the Maritime Administration on 27 November 1957 in Beaumont , Texas . Again , she was reacquired by the Navy on 23 May 1958 for logistical supply in the Pacific . During 1959 , she served the 6th Fleet operating in the Mediterranean Sea . After returning to New York City on 22 May 1959 she was transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet again in the James River , Virginia on 23 June 1959 . United States Army , 1966 – 1971 . On 20 May 1966 , " Kennebago " served her final mission for the United States Army in Vietnam . Together with , the ship served as a floating power station anchored near Nha Trang , Vietnam , until at least May 1971 . Awards , Citations , Campaign Ribbons . USS " Kennebago " earned seven different awards throughout the course of her career . She has earned the China Service Medal , the American Campaign Medal , six Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Medal s , the World War II Victory Medal , the Navy Occupation Service Medal ( with Asia clasp ) , the National Defense Service Medal , and the Philippine Liberation Medal .