USS Mascoma ( AO - 83 ) USS " Mascoma " ( AO - 83 ) was a constructed for the United States Navy during World War II . She served her country in the Pacific Ocean Theatre of Operations , and provided petroleum products where needed to combat ships . For her very dangerous work under combat conditions , she was awarded seven battle stars by war ' s end . " Mascoma " , built by the Marinship Corp . , Sausalito , California , under Maritime Commission contract , was launched on 31 May 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . W . C . Ryan ; converted by the Swan Island Yard , Kaiser Corp . , Portland , Oregon ; accepted and commissioned on 3 February 1944 , Comdr . C . C . Eden in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . On 14 May 1944 , " Mascoma " got underway for the Pacific theater to serve as a fleet oiler . She arrived at Kwajalein on 4 June and fueled ships there until departing for Majuro on the 13th . At Majuro through the 21st she encountered her first experience with boiler trouble , an experience which was to be repeated throughout her wartime operations . In spite of boiler problems , she sailed for Eniwetok on the 22nd , taking up fueling assignments there on the 25th and effecting repairs to her boilers . Toward the end of July the oiler steamed for the fueling area off Saipan , remaining in support of the Saipan , Tinian , and Guam operations until 1 August . She then consolidated her fuel into and departed for Eniwetok en route to Pearl Harbor . Supporting attack on the Philippines . Resupplied , " Mascoma " returned to Majuro on 2 September , continuing on to Manus the following week . She arrived in the Admiralties on the 13th and departed again on the 18th to lend support to the first carrier task force attack on the Philippines . On 26 September , while in the fueling area , the tanker again developed boiler trouble and was dead in the water for over 16 hours . Having effected temporary repairs during that time , she returned to Manua arriving on 1 October and remaining until the 10th for further repairs . " Mississinewa " hit by kaiten and explodes . " Mascoma " next sailed for Kossol Roads , where she served as station tanker from 13 October through 18 November . She then steamed for Ulithi , arriving on the 19th . At anchor at Ulithi the next morning , her crew witnessed the first use of one of Japan ' s weapons of last resort , the " kaiten " human torpedo . On that morning , 20 November , , moored near " Mascoma " , was rocked with explosions caused by a direct hit with a kaiten launched from the . This suicide sortie had been led by Lt . Sekio Nishinu , one of the kaiten ' s inventors . Boatcrews from " Mascoma " rescued 21 survivors from " Mississinewa " . Riding out a typhoon . Nine days later " Mascoma " attempted to return to the fueling area , but was turned back by heavy weather . She departed again for the area on 10 December , but , on the 16th , was forced by an approaching typhoon to break off operations . On the 17th boiler trouble again caused her to cut off her engines . Underway nine hours later , she rode out the storm with only one boiler in operation . On the 19th she resumed fueling operations and returned to Ulithi for repairs on the 24th . Stateside yard availability . The next month , January 1945 , she sailed to California for Navy Yard availability at San Pedro , California , returning to Ulithi on 18 April . The next day she was en route to Okinawa to supply fuel to the forces in that campaign . Before mid - July , she returned to that area three times , replenishing , after each fueling period , at Ulithi . End - of - war activity . On 10 July , " Mascoma " departed Ulithi to rendezvous with units of task group TG 38 . 1 , then involved in attacks on the Japanese home islands . She returned to Ulithi on 1 August , replenished her supplies and was underway again by the 8th . On the 9th engine trouble once again forced " Mascoma " to drop out of formation . Ordered to Saipan , she was unable to rejoin her task group until the 20th , by which time hostilities had ended . She continued fueling at sea operations until the 28th , when she steamed for Japan . In Japan she carried out harbor fueling assignments at Sagami Wan , before proceeding to Tokyo Bay , where she witnessed the official surrender on 2 September . The next day , 3 September , she returned to Ulithi for fueling assignments and , again , repairs to her boilers . On 24 October , the oiler departed for the United States , arriving on 26 November at Norfolk , Virginia , where she decommissioned on 17 December . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 January 1946 , she was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 27 June 1946 . Returned to the Navy , she was accepted by the 3rd Naval District and reactivated on 4 February 1948 . In August 1949 she was berthed at Orange , Texas , as a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet , but was reactivated again on 27 July 1950 . Supporting the Korean War effort . From that time through 1959 she served as a non - commissioned Naval vessel USNS " Mascoma " ( T - AO - 83 ) , manned by civilian personnel under contract to the Military Sea Transportation Service . In that capacity , " Mascoma " continued her record of wartime support by serving off the Korean coast from 14 February 1954 through the signing of the Armistice on 27 July , remaining in the area until 13 August 1953 . For this service , performed as a merchant ship , she received the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Korea Medal . Decommissioning . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 June 1959 and sold to Seatrain Lines Inc . , for conversion to a containerized cargo ship . She was eventually scrapped , but the date is not recorded . Awards . For her service during World War II , " Mascoma " was awarded seven battle stars .