USS Mintaka ( AK - 94 ) USS " Mintaka " ( AK - 94 ) was a commissioned by the U . S . Navy for service in World War II , named after Mintaka , the star in constellation Orion . She was responsible for delivering troops , goods and equipment to locations in the war zone . " Mintaka " was laid down under Maritime Commission contract as " SS Ansel Briggs " by California Shipbuilding Corp . , Wilmington , California , 9 February 1943 ; launched 10 March 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . A . V . Bechtel ; renamed " SS Mintaka " 17 March 1943 ; delivered to the Navy 26 March 1943 ; and commissioned at San Diego , California , 10 May 1943 , Lt . Comdr . L . S . Burgess , USCGR , in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . " Mintaka " steamed to San Francisco late in the month and after loading cargo sailed for the South Pacific Ocean 15 June . Steaming via New Caledonia , she reached New Zealand 15 July and discharged cargo at Auckland and Wellington before departing for the U . S . West Coast 1 August . She arrived San Francisco , California , the 23d , thence steamed 11 September for Seattle to prepare for supply runs in Alaskan waters . Departing Puget Sound 24 September , she touched at Dutch Harbor 11 October and during the next month she shuttled cargo to American bases in the Aleutians . After returning to Seattle , Washington , 27 November , she underwent conversion to a troopcarrying cargo ship at Portland , Oregon , early in December . Transporting troops to the war zone . " Mintaka " sailed 11 January 1944 for San Francisco whence , after embarking 1 , 056 troops , she sailed 2 February for the South Pacific . She reached Nouméa , New Caledonia , the 23d and began troop and cargo shuttle runs among the islands of the South Pacific . Between 27 February and 10 March she carried 1 , 800 troops to New Zealand and back : thence , she made a run to the New Hebrides before arriving Guadalcanal 9 April . During the next several months she maintained a busy schedule transporting fighting men and supplies to numerous American bases in Melanesia from the Admiralties to the Fijis . She carried thousands of troops to and from staging areas ; on one run between the Green Islands and Guadalcanal in late May , she carried more than 1 , 500 soldiers . " Mintaka " departed Guadalcanal 26 September ; operated out of Manus , Admiralties , during much of October ; and sailed in convoy 26 October for shuttle duty in the Palaus . Between 31 October and 30 November she operated from Kossol Passage south to Peleliu discharging troops and cargo . After embarking 994 veterans of the Palaus ' campaign , she returned to Guadalcanal 10 December and resumed shuttle runs among the Solomons and the Bismarck Archipelago . With 968 Seabees embarked , she departed Guadalcanal 26 April 1945 bound for Okinawa . Delivering troops to Okinawa . Steaming in convoy via Eniwetok and Ulithi , " Mintaka " reached Okinawa 21 May and began debarking troops Rule unloading cargo . Despite periodic Japanese air attacks , she continued off - loading operations during the next week . On 25 May her gunners splashed an enemy plane during an assault which damaged a nearby merchant ship . " Mintaka " sailed 31 May , touched at Ulithi 6 June , Pearl Harbor the 23d , and arrived San Francisco 3 July . End - of - war operations . After voyage repairs , " Mintaka " embarked 1 , 035 troop reinforcements and departed Portland , Oregon , 24 July . The cessation of hostilities found her at Eniwetok . On 20 August she reached Saipan , Marianas , and began debarking troops . Subsequent troop and cargo runs during the remainder of the year carried her to Iwo Jima , Okinawa and Ulithi . Post - war decommissioning . She returned to San Francisco 30 December , decommissioned there 12 February 1946 , and was redelivered to WSA the same day . Her name was struck the Navy List 26 February 1946 . Military awards and honors . " Mintaka " received one battle star for World War II service . Her crew were eligible for the following medals :