USS Guadalupe ( AO - 32 ) USS " Guadalupe " ( AO - 32 ) , a " Cimarron " - class fleet replenishment oiler that served in the United States Navy , it was named for the Guadalupe River in Texas . " Guadalupe " was launched as SS " Esso Raleigh " 26 January 1940 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company at Newport News , Virginia ; sponsored by Mrs . W . L . Inslee , wife of the late manager of the Traffic Division , Marine Department , Standard Oil of New Jersey ; taken over by the Maritime Commission as MC Hull # 12 ; acquired by the Navy 1 June 1941 ; and commissioned 19 June 1941 , Commander Harry B . Thurber in command . Six weeks of coastwise voyages carrying oil from Texas to New Jersey ended 16 August as " Guadalupe " docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard . Receiving as deck cargo six PT boats later to form the famous squadron commanded by Lieutenant Commander John D . Bulkeley , " Guadalupe " sailed for the Western Pacific on 19 August . After discharging cargo and oil at Pearl Harbor , Manila , and Cavite , the tanker returned to Norfolk , Virginia 13 November via San Diego . After America ' s sudden plunge into war , she put into Baltimore to be fitted with guns . World War II . In January 1942 " Guadalupe " sailed to the Pacific , where she was to participate in virtually every major campaign of the long and bloody war . After months of developing and refining techniques for refueling at sea , a science then in its infancy , " Guadalupe " sailed from Pearl Harbor 2 June 1942 to refuel American ships participating in the momentous Battle of Midway , the first naval defeat inflicted on the Japanese in 350 years . From Midway Atoll " Guadalupe " sailed north to spend the rest of the summer supporting American forces in the Attu campaign . As the United States launched its first offensive effort in the Pacific , " Guadalupe " sailed south to spend the final four months of 1942 fueling warships operating in and around Guadalcanal . The first half of 1943 saw her in overhaul in the United States and operating in the Aleutians , with two shuttle trips to Pearl Harbor with fuel and planes . Departing Pearl 22 August " Guadalupe " sailed to the central Pacific to support the Gilbert Islands campaign , working with such famous fighting ships as , , , , , and . After a late winter overhaul , she returned to the Pacific theater in February 1944 operating in support of Vice Admiral Marc A . Mitscher ' s carrier force during the Truk campaign . A short break at Pearl Harbor ended as " Guadalupe " sailed 11 May to operate in support of the US 5th Fleet during the Marianas campaign . From there she sailed in late August to support Admiral William F . Halsey ' s US 3rd Fleet in action against the Japanese in the Palau Islands and Philippines operating areas . One of her major tasks was refueling ships during the climactic Battle of Leyte Gulf . On 29 December 1944 " Guadalupe " sailed from Ulithi with units of Task Force 38 , then preparing for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf . Joining a fast carrier strike force under Vice Admiral John S . McCain , Sr . , " Guadalupe " steamed through Luzon Strait into the South China Sea on the night of 9 – 10 January 1945 , concurrent with the first invasion waves on Lingayen Gulf . During the transit of the Strait , another tanker , USS " Nantahala " , collided with " Guadalupe " , putting a large hole in the bow . Jury - rigged repairs enabled " Guadalupe " to continue with the fast carrier group — which included " Yorktown " , , and — as they conducted strikes against Japanese positions on Formosa and along the China coast . This action diverted the enemy from the main action at Lingayen Gulf , and crippled his land - based air power . A month ' s availability at Ulithi to repair her damaged bow ended in late February and " Guadalupe " again steamed for battle , this time operating in support of the Iwo Jima invasion . After two weeks off Iwo Jima , 24 February to 7 March , " Guadalupe " returned empty to Ulithi to prepare for her role in the bloody Okinawa campaign . Departing Ulithi 25 March 1945 , " Guadalupe " spent three weeks off Okinawa , returned to Ulithi for more fuel , and then spent another three weeks off Okinawa . As the fierce struggle raged for this rockbound island , last step before the Japanese home islands , " Guadalupe " operated through heavy weather and high seas to provide other services , as well as her normal duties of refueling the giant invasion fleet , largest ever assembled in the Pacific . Okinawa marked the end of " Guadalupe ' s " service in the Pacific war . She sailed for the States and overhaul 24 May , and was two days out of Pearl Harbor on her way back to the struggle when the Japanese surrender ended the long war on 15 August 1945 . From Pearl , " Guadalupe " went to Jinsen , Korea , where she replenished units of the US 7th Fleet occupying Yellow Sea ports . The tanker sailed for Okinawa 22 October and remained there through 1945 . Post - War operations . In the post - war period " Guadalupe " remained on duty in the Pacific , supplying vital fuel oil to American units in Japan , China , Korea , the Philippines , and scores of islands . Some of this fuel oil she picked up at Bahrein , Arabia , as she sailed from the Far East to Norfolk via the Suez Canal and Gibraltar in 1948 , returning over the same route . Korean War . When North Korean Communist troops crossed the 38th parallel on 24 June 1950 , " Guadalupe " was undergoing repairs at Long Beach , California , but she was soon ready for an active part . Sailing for the Pacific 29 July , she spent three months shuttling fuel oil between Hawaii , Kwajalein , and Guam before joining the 7th Fleet at Sasebo , Japan , 1 December 1950 . Operating with various units of the fleet , " Guadalupe " visited Okinawa , Hong Kong , and Formosa in addition to refueling American and United Nations ships in the Korean replenishment area . She also sailed along the Korean coast to support the siege of Wonsan harbor . An uneasy peace settled over the war - torn peninsula in August 1953 , while " Guadalupe " was undergoing overhaul in California , but she returned to the Pacific to support American forces on the Formosa Patrol and training operations . From that time , the tanker ' s year settled into a routine of six months deployment with the 7th Fleet and six months operating out of Long Beach . In her Far East operations , " Guadalupe " has visited every major Pacific port — Hong Kong , Manila , Tokyo , Ceylon , Formosa — while playing her unsung but vital role in keeping the peace . " Guadalupe " continued her service through the Vietnam War and made a brief appearance in the 1965 film " In Harm ' s Way " with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas . She was decommissioned in 1974 and struck from the Navy List 14 May 1975 . She was transferred to the Maritime Administration and sold for scrapping 16 October 1975 .