USS Caliente ( AO - 53 ) The USS " Caliente " ( AO - 53 ) was a built during World War II for the U . S . Navy . During her career in the Pacific Ocean , " Caliente " participated in World War II , the Korean War , and the Vietnam War . She was highly decorated for fulfilling her dangerous mission of carrying fuel into battle areas . She received 10 battle star s for World War II , 4 for the Korean War and 8 campaign stars for the Vietnam War . The auxiliary oiler was built by Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard as a type T3 - S2 - A1 fast petroleum carrier ( Maritime Commission contract MC hull 719 ) , and was laid down at Sparrows Point , Maryland , on 2 January 1943 . She was launched 25 August 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . Helen Essary , widow of noted American journalist , J Frederick Essary ; and commissioned 22 October 1943 , Commander E . G . Genthner , USNR , in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . After steaming to Norfolk , Virginia , on 25 October , " Caliente " spent the next month practiced refueling operations in the Chesapeake Bay , including one high - speed simulation with , and conducted standard training exercises . Her crew also worked up her fuel delivery systems and struggled to repair chronic engine trouble . On 11 December , after degaussing , calibrating her Radar - Directional - Finder and compass , and two changes of command , she got underway for Port Arthur , Texas . Escorted by , in case any German U - boats were lurking about , she moored at the Texas Oil Co . dock on 16 December . After loading fuel oil she got underway for Balboa , Panama Canal Zone , and transited the Panama Canal on 22 December . She arrived at Pearl Harbor , the logistical nexus of the entire Pacific effort , on 7 January 1944 . Attached to Service Squadron Eight , U . S . Pacific Fleet , the oiler conducted fueling exercises for the next two weeks . After a fueling stop at Lahaina Roads " Caliente " sailed on 25 January to support the Marshall Islands invasion . Attached to TG 50 . 17 , a three oiler replenishment group , she berthed at Majuro atoll on 2 February ( D + 3 ) . Fueling operations commenced immediately and she shifted berth to Funafuti Atoll , Ellice Islands . When her tanks emptied she took on fuel oil from and returned to Majuro on 12 February . She remained in and around the atoll for two months , taking fuel from civilian tankers , and refueling Navy vessels . These included the carriers , , and , their numerous escorts , as well as the battleships and . Although most of the scheduled fueling at sea had been canceled , Majuro lagoon being large enough to accommodate the entire tanker fleet , the oiler got underway with Task Group 50 . 17 on 12 April for her first at sea replenishment mission . She fueled and on 19 April , part of Admiral Albert E . Montgomery ' s Task Force 58 . 2 that struck the Wakde and Hollandia airfields on 21 April , and distributed fuel to the many short - legged escorts in both task forces . After filling her tanks from at Seeadler Harbor , Admiralty Islands , the oiler supplied the returning carrier forces with avgas and fuel oil . Underway 28 April she steamed east and , despite multiple submarine contacts , arrived safely at Pearl Harbor on 9 May . Supporting ships of the Invasion of Saipan . After a brief period of repair she loaded up on cargo oil and avgas and departed for station at Majuro atoll . Arriving 3 June " Caliente " fueled dozens of ships in the lagoon and , in mid - June , supported the task forces during the Saipan landings . On 7 July , despite numerous submarine contacts , the oiler refueled the U . S . 5th Fleet carriers on their return from the Philippine Sea battles . For the remainder of the month , as part of Operation Forager , she carried logistical supplies , mostly diesel and black oil , from Enewetak to ships off Saipan . " Caliente " even made a run to Pearl Harbor , arriving 12 August , to assist the civilian tankers in the unending task of transporting oil and avgas to the fuel - guzzling carriers off the Marianas . In September she fueled ships of the Palau invasion , including the carriers on 23 September , and sailed for Manus to receive fuel oil from . Underway 10 October she carried fuel to the seventeen carriers of Admiral Halsey ' s U . S . 3rd Fleet , on their return from raids on Luzon and Formosa , before returning to Ulithi . Following a mission to shuttle fuel to the fast carriers , operating west of the Marianas on 11 November , she returned to that atoll for reassignment . Sinking of the Mississinewa . On 20 November , after loading 97 , 975 barrels of black oil from , as well as a full load of avgas , diesel , and cargo oil , " Caliente " lay at anchor awaiting a destination . Ulithi , a regulating station of the Logistics Division , Pacific Fleet , had been deemed safe from enemy interference yet close enough to serve as a transshipment point for the forward operating areas . But on 20 November the Japanese struck at this logistical lifeline . At 0547 hours the oiler , a sister ship of " Caliente " , was hit by a kaiten , a Japanese manned torpedo , and burst into flames . " Caliente " and the other oilers , to protect their volatile cargo , steamed out of the harbor . While at least three of the attackers were sunk the " Mississinewa " , having just loaded 107 , 000 barrels of fuel in her hold , exploded and sank , killing 60 of her crew . Supporting Philippine invasion forces . For the remainder of the year " Caliente " refueled task forces operating off the Philippines , easily weathering a tropical cyclone on 18 December , and even entered Leyte Gulf to fuel " New Jersey " and on 17 January 1945 . In February she departed Ulithi atoll , remembered only for " movies on the cargo deck and beer parties at Mogmog island " , for the long voyage to San Francisco , California . Her first overhaul , after 13 months of continuous operations , began on 7 March when she entered the graving dock in San Pedro harbor . On 25 April , with repairs complete , she got underway for Pearl Harbor . She took on passengers and fuel , departed for Ulithi 9 May , and arrived at the familiar flat atoll to await assignment on 20 May . Underway 30 May , despite the breakdown of her port engine circulating pump , she refueled light carriers and cruisers after weathering her second typhoon on 4 June . After receiving fuel oil from she fueled escorts , and the occasional carrier , off the Bonin Islands and Honshū throughout July and August . Arriving Ulithi on 18 August the oiler , despite the Japanese surrender , did not slow her tempo and quickly refilled her tanks with black oil . End - of - War activity . In the following month she supplied ships assigned to occupation duty , anchoring in Tokyo Bay on 10 September , before returning to Ulithi for more fuel . Returning to Tokyo Bay on 17 October she received more oil , from and , before sailing to China to support ships on occupation duty . The oiler refueled ships in Tsingtao , and off the Shantung coast , before returning to Tokyo on 27 November . After receiving another cargo of oil she steamed to Kure Ko , Honshū , Japan on 2 December . She spent the remainder of the year in port , fueling small craft , conducting steam line repairs , and supplying oil to former Imperial Japanese navy vessels engaged in the repatriation of Japanese nationals from mainland Asia . These post - war operations were to become normal for " Caliente " , especially as the huge American presence in Japan , China , and Korea , promised to continue into the indefinite future . During 1946 the oiler distributed fuel throughout the western Pacific , mainly Yokosuka , Singapore , and Manila , making two trips of her own to Bahrain to load fuel from the newly developed Persian Gulf oil fields . It was not until 14 November that the oiler finally steamed into San Pedro , California , harbor and home . Cold War activity . As the Navy reacted to the burgeoning " Cold War " , in Asia as well as Europe , " Caliente " conducted two long cruises into 1948 . The first , starting on 4 March 1947 , took the oiler from west coast operations to the southern Pacific , Japan , the British base at Columbo , and Bahrain . After a shuttle run to Singapore and Yokosuka in July the oiler sailed for Norfolk via the Suez Canal in September . On 30 November she returned to Singapore , via the Suez Canal and Ras Tamira , before reaching San Pedro on 30 December . In 1948 she was assigned to shuttle runs between Western Pacific bases and Chinese ports . These Far East tours , centered around Japanese ports , continued into 1950 with " Caliente " attached to Service Squadron Three . Korean War operations . Upon the outbreak of war in Korea in June 1950 , " Caliente " returned to wartime operations , supplying fuel oil and avgas to the Formosa Patrol Force and U . S . 7th Fleet in the Far East . After her third logistical support tour ended on 9 January 1952 she was homeported at Long Beach , California . The worn down oiler , in dire need of maintenance after delivering over 750 , 000 barrels of fuel to United Nations ships during the war , began her third yard overhaul later that month . The following year " Caliente " continued deployments to the Far East , supplying mid - Pacific ports and the Japanese ports of Yokosuka , Sasebo , Yokohama , and Kobe . " Caliente " also served as station oiler at Kaohsiung , Formosa , in 1953 , during which she helped upgrade harbor charts . Supporting Vietnam Evacuation and Atomic Testing . In August 1954 , the oiler joined Operation Passage to Freedom , the sea lift of anti - communist Vietnamese out of communist - held territory following the Geneva peace agreements in 1954 . " Caliente " operated out of Touraine Bay , refueling some of the 74 amphibious and 39 transports involved in the evacuation of some 300 , 000 refugees and military personnel from Haiphong to Saigon . The oiler also participated in Operation Redwing , a series of five atmospheric nuclear tests off Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls in the Marshall Islands between 3 – 27 July 1956 . She then returned to more mundane cargo runs in the western Pacific , including the ironic task of providing replenishment for Japanese Self - Defense Force warships . The new decade began with " Caliente " conducting WestPac Ops with U . S . 7th Fleet units , including underway replenishment of and , in the western Pacific . After another repair period in Todd Shipyard , San Pedro , California , and tender availability at Long Beach , the oiler sailed for another WestPac tour in 1961 . After avoiding a typhoon off Hong Kong , on 14 July , she finished replenishment operations out of Yokosuka and Sasebo , Japan , before sailing for Alaska . For ten days she steamed above the Arctic Circle , encountering intermittent fog and numerous whales , to refuel the Coast and Geodesic Survey ship USC & GS " Surveyor " , before departing for the warmer waters of California . On 15 August the oiler began her seventh yard overhaul at Long Beach . Vietnam War operations . After winning the Battle Efficiency " E " , and the green " C " for Communications Excellence , " Caliente " entered Willamette Shipyard , Portland , Oregon , on 6 January 1964 . The oiler received new communications equipment , modernized tension rigs , and new cargo pumps . On 27 July , after refresher training off San Diego , she departed for the Pearl Harbor . Tensions were raised in the Far East on 2 August when was attacked by North Vietnam ese PT boats . Part of the U . S . response , after the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution , was to order to the South China Sea . On 16 August " Caliente " refueled Task Group 77 . 4 , including the carrier , as she steamed towards Vietnamese waters . The oiler , however , was plagued by erratic generator failures and spent the following three months under restricted availability at Subic Bay , Philippines before returning to Long Beach . The following year , after readiness training with U . S . 1st Fleet off California , " Caliente " arrived at Subic Bay on 24 June 1965 . She made nine patrol cruises before the end of the year , carrying bulk and packaged fuels , bottled gases , fleet freight , mail , and personnel to the warships on station off Vietnam . Before her return the following March the oiler had serviced 431 ships alongside , transferred 57 . 3 million gallons of fuel , and delivered 77 , 420 pounds of mail . After three months of maintenance and upkeep at Long Beach the oiler departed for yet another logistical support tour in July 1966 . " Caliente " , besides servicing ships , also managed to conduct port visits to Hong Kong , Taiwan , and Sasebo . The crew also donated $ 1 , 360 . 00 to provide a high school education for 17 Filipino children . She did not return to Long Beach until 27 March 1967 . After refresher training , equipment inspection , and routine shipyard overhaul , " Caliente " prepared for another WestPac tour on 8 January 1968 . In addition to her cargo of fuel and lubricants the oiler also took a load of ammunition for the fire support ships . After a stormy crossing to Pearl she replenished the and " Yorktown " carrier groups before arriving at Subic Bay on 2 February . Following voyage repairs , and loading supplies , the oiler departed for a standard ten day run to the gun line and back . After a three day run to the Gulf of Thailand the oiler spent five days replenishing ships at An Thoi , refueling " Market Time " blockade vessels , supplying ammunition to gunfire support ships , receiving retrograde ammunition , and servicing any other ships desiring UNREP s . On the final day " Caliente " consolidated fuel with another oiler off Yankee Station before steaming to Subic Bay . On most runs the oiler spent the two day return trip with her decks piled high with empty ammunition casings . Operation LONGEX 1968 . The oiler conducted eight more line runs , interspersed with port visits to Hong Kong and Singapore , before departing for Auckland , New Zealand , on 12 July . Arriving two weeks later , after passing through the Solomon Islands , " Caliente " prepared for exercise " LONGEX " ' 68 . This convoy exercise , involving British , Australian , and New Zealand ships , lasted from 29 July to 1 August . The following day , much to her crews ' embarrassment , the oiler ran aground while entering the harbor at Auckland . A rising tide , however , lifted her off the channel bank , and she escaped with no damage . After returning to Long Beach 24 August the oiler underwent her standard upkeep period and then commenced a series of training exercises off the coast . In October , during a month of restricted availability , she received the mounting and wiring for the new Pathfinder navigational radar system . " Caliente " returned to Sasebo , Japan , on 16 February 1969 , and began two weeks of voyage repairs . Line runs to Vietnam continued until 10 July when the oiler replenished task groups in the Sea of Japan , where she earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal . After participating in " LONGEX " ' 69 she returned to Long Beach on 15 September to service ships of First Fleet . Shadowing the Soviets . Following her standard period of upkeep " Caliente " departed 3 April 1970 for her sixth Vietnam deployment . In May the oiler was diverted to the Philippine Sea to shadow a Soviet fleet exercise . She gathered data on two Soviet oilers , the " Polyarnik " and " Yegorlyk " , and observed the less efficient Soviet bow - to - stern underway replenishment method . After two weeks she of surveillance the oiler departed the area , arriving Sasebo , Japan on 7 May . Three weeks of servicing the Taiwan patrol followed before " Caliente " arrived at Subic Bay , 30 May , to begin line runs to Vietnam . These " line swings " were similar to previous tours ; coastal areas were visited , including port replenishment operations at An Thoi and Vung Tau , and followed by a fuel consolidation on Yankee Station . Foul weather , and poor visual landmarks , made radar navigation essential during these operations . Operation HUKASWEX 4 - 70 . " Caliente " conducted seven line swings , interspersed with fuel loadouts at Kaohsiung , Taiwan , and a typhoon on 12 – 14 September , before departing the South China Sea on 3 October . After a brief stop at Yokosuka the oiler , followed by a poor weather front , steamed into Pearl on 21 October . Five days later , before returning to Long Beach , she replenished " Ticonderoga " and seven destroyer / minesweeper escorts participating in ASW exercise HUKASWEX 4 - 70 . During this cruise she had serviced 113 ships and delivered 27 , 739 , 522 gallons of fuel . After leave and upkeep the oiler reported to Todd Shipyard for a major overhaul . On 16 April , her first day out of the yard , " Caliente " suffered a reduction gear failure and immediately returned to Todd Shipyard . With repairs complete on 10 May she loaded fuel and returned to Long Beach . Local exercises and refresher training began in June but were cut short when a boiler became contaminated with fuel oil . Then , after partially cleaning out the boilers , she put into Todd Shipyard on 22 July to repair excessive stern tube leakage . An ill - timed shipyard strike then stranded " Caliente " in drydock until 19 August . The next day she was towed to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and repairs commenced on the boilers the drive shaft bearings . Finally , on 1 October , she began refresher training and departed on a WestPac tour 22 October . On 8 November " Caliente " refueled DesRon 15 , running low on fuel in the empty mid - Pacific , before arriving at Yokosuka on 12 November . After a short UNREP in the Sea of Japan the oiler arrived in Subic Bay , on 2 December . She delivered fuel to Yankee Station on 6 December , refueled amphibs around Subic Bay on 10 December , and departed for her first line swing on 13 December . Bay of Bengal operations . Three days later " Caliente " was diverted to the Bay of Bengal in response to the India - Pakistan war that had begun on 3 December . The successful invasion of East Pakistan by India , with the accompanying fighting and unrest , led to U . S . naval forces being sent to assist , if need be , in the evacuation of American citizens . The oiler replenished Task Force 74 between 16 – 23 December , delivering badly needed fuel , before returning to Subic Bay on 30 December for another loadout . In January the oiler conducted two line swings , with only a two - day turnaround at Subic Bay , before steaming into Singapore on 25 January 1972 . She loaded fuel , a successful trial experiment to determine the feasibility of using the port on a regular basis , and made a line swing along the Vietnamese coast . After a port visit to Hong Kong " Caliente " returned to Subic and the dull but essential logistical support missions . After twelve line swings the oiler put into Sasebo , Japan , on 30 July for upkeep . Six days later she departed for Long Beach and the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard for a major fuel conversion . The oilers engines were converted to diesel fuel by 29 November and she began preparations for yet another WestPac deployment . After loadout at the San Pedro , California , fuel pier the twenty - nine - year - old oiler got underway for Subic Bay on 22 January 1973 . Following an uneventful , but exercise intensive , crossing the oiler began her first line swing on 17 February . After a second line swing she visited Kaohsiung , Taiwan . Then she provided logistical support during " Operation Golden Dragon " , a training exercise with the South Korean Navy , conducted her third line swing as she worked her way south , and put into the ANZUK Naval Basin , Singapore , for upkeep on 16 April . Three more line swings lasted until 22 June when " Caliente " conducted a training exercise , " Sharkhunt II " , with ships of the Taiwanese Navy . After loadout at Kaohsiung , and line swing number seven , the ship returned to Subic Bay for two weeks of repair and upkeep . On 22 July she departed for Yokosuka and , after another exercise with Taiwanese ships and training Japanese Naval Defense Force midshipmen , " Caliente " put into port on 2 August . The oiler , assigned as an escort to five MSO ' s , departed on 7 August for the long trip , via Guam , back to Pearl Harbor . The oiler , having completed her last tour , sailed into Long Beach on 1 September 1973 . There she received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for her logistics support efforts for Seventh Fleet . Decommissioning and Disposition . On 13 November , the Board of Inspection and Survey found " Caliente " unfit for further service . She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and decommissioned at Long Beach on 15 December . The hulk was then sold to National Metal & Steel Corp . on 5 April 1974 . Awards . " Caliente " received 10 battle stars for World War II . She received 4 battle stars for the Korean War : She received 8 campaign stars for Vietnam War service :