USS Niobrara ( AO - 72 ) USS " Niobrara " ( AO - 72 ) was a constructed for the United States Navy during World War II . She was the only U . S . Navy ship named for the Niobrara River in Nebraska . The ship was laid down on 29 June 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co . , Sparrows Point , Maryland , as a type T3 - S - A1 tanker named SS " Citadel " , under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 520 ) . Launched on 28 November 1942 , sponsored by Mrs . Mark O ' Dea , she was acquired by the Navy and commissioned as USS " Niobrara " on 13 March 1943 , Comdr . Theodore G . Haff in command . Service history . World War II , 1943 – 1945 . Shakedown and fueling - at - sea training completed , " Niobrara " sailed from Norfolk , Virginia , on 17 April 1943 to carry oil to Argentia , Newfoundland , then ferried oil from ports in Texas and Aruba , Netherlands West Indies , to Mediterranean ports to support operations in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily . In March 1944 she was altered at Norfolk for Pacific service , and sailed for the Panama Canal , Pearl Harbor , and Kwajalein where she fueled transports bound for the Marianas invasions begun in June 1944 . " Niobrara " served as station tanker at Eniwetok until July , then operated from that base fueling ships at sea , thus enabling carrier task forces to roam the western Pacific and the Philippine Sea without interrupting their strikes to return to port . On 1 October she arrived in Kossol Roads , Palaus , to serve as station tanker for smaller combatants patrolling during the assault and occupation of the Palaus , then for forces preparing for the return to the Philippines . On 8 January 1945 , she herself proceeded to Leyte , then into the South China Sea to fuel task force TF 38 , then attacking the China coast . During the next two months , she served at Ulithi and Saipan fueling ships for the Iwo Jima invasion and preparing for the Okinawa campaign . She sailed 26 March from Ulithi for Okinawa , and after refueling 5th Fleet striking units at sea , closed Hagushi Beach on 5 April to fuel radar picket destroyers . Air and submarine alerts , as well as gunfire close ashore , required expert seamanship to refuel ships alongside while maneuvering to protect the ship . She continued to support ships patrolling off Okinawa and carrier striking forces until the end of the war . Post - war activities , 1945 – 1946 . " Niobrara " entered Tokyo Bay on 30 August to witness the surrender , and after three months ' occupation duty , sailed for Guam , where she aided in salvage work . On 10 December she sailed for the Panama Canal and the east coast , along which she operated until decommissioning on 24 September 1946 . Atlantic Fleet , 1951 – 1954 . She lay in reserve at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , until recommissioning on 5 February 1951 for three years ' service with the Atlantic Fleet along the east coast , in the Caribbean , and in the Mediterranean . On 13 June 1954 she arrived in San Diego , California , to join the Pacific Fleet ' s operations until decommissioning on 30 November 1954 . Pacific Fleet , 1956 – 1957 . She recommissioned at San Francisco , California , on 14 December 1956 and again served in the Pacific Fleet until sailing to Galveston , Texas , where she decommissioned on 12 November 1957 . In reserve and disposal . She transferred to the Maritime Administration on 5 December 1957 and joined the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Beaumont , Texas . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 February 1959 , and disposed of by MARAD ( Trade - in - exchange ) on 22 March 1982 , and then scrapped in Germany . Awards . " Niobrara " received 4 battle stars for World War II service .