USS Fomalhaut ( AK - 22 ) USS " Fomalhaut " ( AK - 22 / AKA - 5 / AE - 20 ) was a " Fomalhaut " class attack cargo ship named after " Fomalhaut , " a star in the southern constellation " Piscis Austrinus " . She served as a commissioned ship for 4 years and 3 months . The ship was launched 25 January 1941 by Pennsylvania Shipyards , Inc . , Beaumont , Tex . , as " Cape Lookout " , a Type C1 ship cargo ship . It was acquired by the Navy 16 May 1941 and commissioned 2 March 1942 . She was reclassified ' AKA - 5 in February 1943 , but reclassified AK - 22 in August 1944 and reclassified AE - 20 in December 1948 . " Fomalhaut " arrived at Samoa 8 May 1942 with passengers and cargo from the east coast . On 22 June , she sailed for Wellington , New Zealand , to load cargo from 30 June to 22 July , and after exercises in the Fijis , sortied for the initial landings of Marines on Guadalcanal and Tulagi on 7 August . During this first American land offensive of the war , " Fomalhaut " lay anchored in such a position as to observe the Battle of Savo Island 9 August , and that day sailed for Noumea to load additional men and supplies for Guadalcanal . Returning to Guadalcanal 23 August , " Fomalhaut " was ordered to tow the destroyer " Blue " ( DD - 387 ) , which had been torpedoed the previous day . But before she could complete unloading and get underway with her tow , an enemy submarine launched a torpedo her way , and Japanese surface forces were reported moving in . As two other destroyers sank " Blue " to prevent her from possibly falling into enemy hands , " Fomalhaut " was ordered underway with all but a quarter of her cargo unloaded . Through one year and a half , " Fomalhaut " carried out continuous cargo operations in the southwest Pacific , going through some of the hottest fighting of the war supporting the many landings and shore campaigns in the battle for Guadalcanal and the other islands of the southern Solomons . Several times she voyaged to ports in New Zealand or Australia to reload general cargo and stores , and she was often used as a transport . " Fomalhaut " returned to Pearl Harbor 9 April 1944 to prepare for the invasion of the Marianas , and sailed 1 June to land troops and their equipment on Charan Kanoa Beach , Saipan , 16 June , the day after the initial assault . On 23 June , she got underway for Eniwetok , Pearl Harbor , and New York , where she arrived on 15 August for overhaul . After tests and training along the Maine coast , " Fomalhaut " arrived at Norfolk 7 November 1944 for conversion to an underway ammunition replenishment ship , and in her new role she reported for duty at Ulithi 10 January 1945 . Aside from the period 19 to 28 February , when she was at San Pedro Bay , Leyte , arming amphibious ships for future operations , " Fomalhaut " sailed out of Ulithi to deliver ammunition at sea to combatants and their auxiliaries . On 19 March she returned to San Pedro Bay to load ammunition from merchant ships for ships fighting the battle for Okinawa , off which she arrived 11 May . After a voyage to Saipan , where she touched 2 June , " Fomalhaut " returned to duty in San Pedro Bay from 7 June to 19 September . She returned to Okinawa and lay there until 7 December when she sailed with homeward bound servicemen for Norfolk , arriving 15 January 1946 . " Fomalhaut " was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Philadelphia on 25 June 1946 . " Fomalhaut " received five battle star s for World War II service .