USS Millicoma ( AO - 73 ) USS " Millicoma " ( AO - 73 ) was a United States Navy fleet oiler which served in the Pacific Theatre during World War II , winning eight battle stars for her dangerous work . Post - war she was recommissioned and was placed under the control of the MSTS with a civilian crew until finally assigned for disposal in 1987 . " Millicoma " was laid down as " King ’ s Mountain " under United States Maritime Commission contract by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . , Chester , Pennsylvania , on 4 August 1942 ; subsequently renamed USS " Conestoga " ; launched as USS " Millicoma " on 21 January 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . M . G . Hogan ; acquired by the U . S . Navy on 30 January 1943 ; converted for Navy use by the Maryland Drydock Company of Baltimore , Maryland , and commissioned at Baltimore on 5 March 1943 , Lt . Comdr . George E . Ely in command . Service in World War II . For more than two years " Millicoma " provided valuable at - sea logistics support as the might of American seapower moved westward across the Pacific Ocean to crush the warring Japanese Empire . Refueling and replenishment operations sent her throughout the Pacific to the islands of Polynesia , Melanesia , and Micronesia as well as to the home islands of Japan . During her Pacific Ocean service she refueled scores of ships ranging in size from battleship s and aircraft carrier s to destroyer s and auxiliaries . She transferred thousands of barrels of oil and thousands of gallons of gasoline to the fighting ships of the fleet and thus helped the Navy press the war to a successful conclusion . Departing Norfolk , Virginia , on 20 April 1943 , " Millicoma " steamed via the Dutch West Indies and the Panama Canal to carry a cargo of fuel oil and gasoline to the Fiji Islands . During the remainder of 1943 she continued to carry vital liquid cargoes to American bases in the South Pacific . Operating out of San Pedro , California , she made several runs to the Society Islands , the New Hebrides , New Caledonia , and New Zealand . Thence , after completing a round trip to Hawaii and back , she departed San Pedro on 13 January 1944 to begin supporting the Navy ' s series of island ‑ hopping campaigns . " Millicoma " refueled ships off the Marshall Islands prior to and during the invasion ; thence , arriving Majuro on 4 February , she served as station oiler in the Marshalls until sailing for the New Hebrides on 2 March . Between 31 March and 15 April she cruised north of the Solomon Islands and refueled ships of Task Force 58 following intensive air strikes in the western Caroline Islands . After returning to San Pedro on 9 May , she underwent overhaul and on 20 June sailed to resume fleet oiler duty in the Marshall Islands . Early in July she cruised for similar duty in the Marianas , and during the next month she supported fleet operations off Tinian , Guam , and Rota . She returned to Eniwetok on 12 August , and between 26 and 31 August steamed to the Admiralties for duty with the At Sea Logistics Support Group ( Task Group 30 . 8 ) . Early in September she refueled ships of the fast carrier task force during sweeping , hard - hitting strikes from the Palaus to the southern Philippines . " Millicoma " returned to the U . S . West Coast on 19 October . Departing San Pedro , California , on 1 December , she steamed via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok to Ulithi where she resumed duty with Task Group 30 . 8 . She sortied 3 January 1945 and during the next three weeks cruised the replenishment areas in the western Pacific and refueled the fast carriers during far - reaching operations against Japanese installations on Luzon , Formosa , China , Indochina , and the Ryukyus . " Millicoma " served out of Ulithi during the remainder of World War II as she continued a busy pace of fleet replenishment operations which carried her to the heart of the Japanese Empire . In late February and early March she replenished ships during the conquest of Iwo Jima . Besides fuel , she provided ships with foodstuffs , medical supplies , ammunition , and mail . Thence , beginning on 13 March , she sailed on the first of four major fueling operations in support of the invasion and conquest of Okinawa . She carried out additional deployments on 30 March , 22 April , and 30 May , and each of the four runs lasted about two weeks . While cruising with Task Group 30 . 8 on the fourth deployment , she battled typhoon seas on 4 – 5 June . Sixty - foot waves and winds in excess of destroyed her fueling booms and cracked her foremast . She returned to Ulithi on 11 June for repairs , thence departed for Okinawa on 28 June to begin shuttling fuel to the newest of the American bases in the western Pacific . She completed two round trips to the Ryukyus and returned to Ulithi where she received news of Japanese capitulation . " Millicoma " steamed to Japanese waters on 8 September and refueled minesweep and support ships off Sasebo , Kyūshū . She replenished more than 60 ships in less than two days . She arrived Sasebo on the 29th to continue logistics support of minesweeping operations , and between 22 and 25 October she refueled ships in the Yellow Sea along the coast of Korea . Post - War operations . " Millicoma " arrived at San Francisco , California , on 19 November , and decommissioned there on 21 February 1946 . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 12 March , and she was transferred to the Maritime Commission in June . Reacquired by the Navy in February 1948 for use as a naval tanker , she was transferred to MSTS on 1 October 1949 . Her name was reinstated on the Navy list on 28 April 1950 . " Millicoma " , manned by a civilian crew , operated under MSTS on a contract charter basis to carry liquid cargoes along the coasts of the United States and to American bases overseas . Between June 1952 and June 1954 , she bolstered the sea supply lines between Japan and South Korea . After the Korean War she continued wide - ranging fueling runs under MSTS , primarily in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean . " Millicoma " was transferred to MARAD for disposal on 2 February 1987 , ultimate fate not known . Awards . " Millicoma " received eight battle stars for World War II service .