About this Unit
USS Zelima (AF-49) was an Alstedes-class stores ship commissioned by the United States Navy in 1954. Built in 1944 as the SS William J. Riddle, she was later acquired and converted by the Navy to provide underway replenishment of food, refrigerated stores, and dry provisions to fleet units. Throughout her service, Zelima played a vital logistical role in the western Pacific, supporting U.S. operations during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Cold War deployments. She earned several campaign and service accolades before being decommissioned in 1969 and ultimately scrapped in 1973.
Historical Facts
• Namesake: USS Zelima (AF-49) was named after a star in the constellation Cetus, following the Navy tradition of naming stores ships after celestial bodies.
• Type and Class: Zelima was an Alstede-class stores ship, originally built as a C2-S-B1 type cargo ship during World War II.
• Builder and Launch: She was built by Moore Dry Dock Company in Oakland, California, and launched on August 19, 1944, as SS Hibbing Victory before being acquired by the Navy and renamed.
• Commissioning: USS Zelima was commissioned into the U.S. Navy on August 21, 1951, after being converted for naval service.
• Korean War Service: Zelima played a crucial role during the Korean War, supplying food, refrigerated goods, and dry stores to U.S. and allied ships and shore bases in the Western Pacific.
• Vietnam War Operations: She continued her service through the Vietnam War, regularly replenishing Seventh Fleet units operating off the coast of Vietnam, and supporting combat and support ships alike.
• Operation "Passage to Freedom": In 1954, Zelima participated in the evacuation of Vietnamese civilians, soldiers, and non-Vietnamese members from North to South Vietnam after the Geneva Accords, supplying ships and personnel during this humanitarian mission.
• Pacific Deployments: Throughout her career, Zelima was based on the U.S. West Coast but made repeated cruises to the Far East, visiting ports in Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and other Pacific locations.
• Decommissioning: After nearly two decades of service, USS Zelima was decommissioned on December 24, 1969, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1976.
• Final Fate: The ship was sold for scrapping in 1977, ending her long and varied career serving the U.S. Navy during two major conflicts and numerous peacetime operations.
