USS Chiwawa (AO-68)

USS Chiwawa (AO-68) had a notable service during World War II, supporting both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet. From convoy runs to North Africa and the British Isles to serving as a station tanker at Okinawa, she played a key role in fueling the ships that were integral to Allied naval operations.

Chiwawa's missions were not without danger, as evidenced by the attack on her convoy by a U-boat wolf-pack east of the Azores. The loss of four ships from the convoy highlights the risks faced by oilers and other support vessels, which were prime targets for enemy submarines.

After the war, Chiwawa was decommissioned on 6 May 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission. She was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, where she remained until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. Her fate beyond this period is not detailed here, but the decommissioning marked the end of her active service in the U.S. Navy.

Chiwawa's service history reflects the often underappreciated but vital role that oilers played in World War II, ensuring that warships had the fuel they needed to conduct operations across vast oceanic distances. Without the dedicated work of ships like Chiwawa, the strategic mobility and sustained presence of the U.S. Navy at critical locations during the war would have been significantly hampered.