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USS Ajax (AR-6)

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Ajax was laid down on 7 May 1941 at San Pedro, California, by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp., launched on 22 August 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Isaac C. Johnson commissioned on 30 October 1943, Comdr. John L. Brown in command. On 25 May 1945, Ajax headed for San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, to help prepare for the final assault on Japan, spending July repairing typhoon-battered Bennington (CV-20). The job consisted of rebuilding the forward section of her flight deck and required assistance from Basilan (AG-68), Baham (AK-122), and Jason (ARH-1).

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Ajax was laid down on 7 May 1941 at San Pedro, California, by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp., launched on 22 August 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Isaac C. Johnson commissioned on 30 October 1943, Comdr. John L. Brown in command. The repair ship departed San Pedro on 9 December, arrived at Pearl Harbor on 16 December, and began preparing small craft to be used as control vessels in the Marshall Islands campaign by installing radar, sound detection equipment, and antiaircraft guns. On 8 January 1944, an oil fire in her blacksmith shop threatened the entire ship, but was extinguished. Nevertheless, Ajax spent part of January repairing her own damage. On 25 January, Ajax was ordered to proceed in company with Wadleigh (DD-689) to the Ellice Islands; but, two days after reaching Funafuti, she moved to Makin Atoll, Gilbert Islands, to work on the ships that would occupy Majuro in the Marshall Islands. Upon completing that mission, the ship returned to Funafuti on 26 February, only to sail three days later for Majuro. While she was serving there, Service Squadron (ServRon) 4 was absorbed by ServRon 10. There, she and Vestal (AR-4) repaired combatant ships through the Hollandia strikes and during preparations for the Marianas campaign. On 13 June, she sailed for Eniwetok to help set up an advance repair base where she labored through August, at one time working extensive jobs on 19 cruisers and nine battleships. Late in August, bacillary dysentery broke out among the crew and soon reached epidemic proportions. The ship was quarantined on 1 September and detached on 9 September to proceed to Kwajalein to combat the epidemic. Quarantine ended on 10 October, and Ajax steamed to Ulithi to resume repair work and to handle her first major battle damage job. Severely damaged during a torpedo attack off Formosa, Canberra (CA-70) received sufficient temporary repairs alongside Ajax to enable the cruiser to continue on to Manus. The repair ship continued her work at Ulithi in support of operations in the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. On 25 May 1945, Ajax headed for San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, to help prepare for the final assault on Japan, spending July repairing typhoon-battered Bennington (CV-20). The job consisted of rebuilding the forward section of her flight deck and required assistance from Basilan (AG-68), Baham (AK-122), and Jason (ARH-1). Upon learning of Japan's capitulation on 15 August, Ajax began readying amphibious and transport ships to carry occupation forces to the Japanese home islands. On 20 September, she sailed for Guiuan, Samar; embarked troops for passage to Okinawa; and once there, repaired other typhoon-damaged snips. Ironically, while she was carrying out this task, typhoons forced her to go to sea herself on 28 September and on 7 October. But for these two incidents, her work at Okinawa was uninterrupted until 28 November, when she sailed for the United States with 800 passengers. She arrived at San Diego on 18 December and, three days later, entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard for a six-week overhaul.