USS Merapi ( AF - 38 ) USS " Merapi " ( AF - 38 ) was an acquired by the U . S . Navy for service in World War II , named after Mount Merapi , the mountain in Java , Indonesia . Her task was to carry stores , refrigerated items , and equipment to ships in the fleet , and to remote stations and staging areas . " Merapi " was laid down 11 August 1944 by Pennsylvania Shipyards Inc . , Beaumont , Texas , under a Maritime contract ; launched 4 October 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . A . B . Matthews ; transferred to the Navy 5 March and commissioned 21 March 1945 , Lt . William W . Wood in command . World War II service . Converted at Todd Galveston Dry Dock Co . , " Merapi " hastened through shakedown and departed Mobile , Alabama , 11 April , for the Pacific Ocean war zone . Specializing in refrigerated stores , she sailed via Pearl Harbor to Kerama Retto , Okinawa where in the midst of numerous air alerts she unloaded 14 to 19 June . Having retired to Pearl Harbor for more supplies she got underway again 20 July and spent the final month of the war at Eniwetok Atoll disbursing cargo . Post - war activity . In the postwar period " Merapi " provided logistic support for U . S . occupation forces , initially using Auckland , New Zealand , as her supply base . Spending much of 1946 and part of 1948 on the China coast she remained active through the central and western Pacific until 1950 . Assuming command of the " Merapi " at Shanghai , China on 5 Jul 1948 , LCdr R . G . Nichols , USN , served as her " skipper " until 27 Sep 1949 . Korean War operations . During the Korean War she operated with units of the U . S . 7th Fleet in Korean and Japan ese waters . While employed as a support vessel , she saw action off the Pusan Perimeter , participated in the Wonsan and Inchon invasions , and assisted in the evacuation of troops from Hungnam . Vietnam operations . A return to the United States in the latter half of 1953 preceded assignment to the mid Pacific logistic support group home ported at Pearl Harbor . Support of facilities at Kwajalein , Marshalls , Eniwetok , Carolines , and Midway Island was temporarily interrupted in September 1954 . For 3 months " Merapi " provided food stocks to the ships engaged in the evacuation of civilians and troops from North Vietnam to Saigon in Operation Passage to Freedom . Supporting nuclear testing activity . Interruptions also occurred March to July 1956 as AF - 38 appeared in support of the nuclear testing exercise , Operation Redwing , and the following April as she sailed on a good will visit to Australia . She then participated in Operation Hardtack I in the Marshall Islands . The ship departed 5 August 1958 for a brief 2 month WestPac tour before steaming back to the United States for her first appearance in over 4 years . Inactivation and decommissioning . Arriving Astoria , Oregon , 6 November , inactivation began almost immediately . She decommissioned 16 January 1959 , joining the Pacific Reserve Fleet , until struck from the Navy List 1 July 1960 . She was then sold by the Maritime Administration in 1966 , and converted to fish factory ship . Final Disposition : fate unknown . LCDR William Waller , Jr . was her CO from May 1958 until January 1959 . Military awards and honors . " Merapi " received one battle star for World War II service , five for the Korean War , and was twice awarded the Korean Presidential Unit Citation . Her crew was eligible for the following medals shown in order of precedence :