USS Allagash ( AO-97)

• USS Allagash (AO-97) was a Cimarron-class Fleet Oiler: She was part of a class of oilers built during World War II to support the fast carrier task forces of the U.S. Navy, ensuring fuel supply during extended operations. • Launched in 1945: USS Allagash was launched on 17 May 1945 by Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard in Maryland, towards the end of WWII. • Named after the Allagash River: The ship was named for the Allagash River in Maine, following the Navy tradition of naming oilers after rivers. • Missed World War II combat: She was commissioned too late to participate in WWII combat, entering service after the Japanese surrender. • Korean War Service: The USS Allagash played a vital logistics role during the Korean War, refueling warships engaged in combat operations. • Cold War Operations: Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Allagash supported U.S. and NATO fleets during numerous exercises and deployments in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. • Part of Operation Strikeback (1957): She participated in NATO's largest naval exercise at the time, providing at-sea refueling for ships simulating a defense of Western Europe. • Survived a fire in 1962: On 30 May 1962, a significant fire broke out in the engine room while she was in port at Newport, Rhode Island, but the crew managed to contain it with no loss of life. • Decommissioned in 1968: After over two decades of service, USS Allagash was decommissioned on 1 October 1968 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. • Final Fate: The ship was sold for scrapping in 1970, closing the chapter on a vessel that played a crucial, if often unsung, support role in U.S. naval history.