| Navy | The US Navy |
| Type | Submarine tender |
| Class | Griffin |
| Pennant | AS 14 |
| Built by | Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. (Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 8 May 1939 |
| Launched | 14 Nov 1939 |
| Commissioned | 5 Sep 1941 |
| End service | 14 Jun 1970 |
| History | Acquired by the USN in 1940 and converted to a submarine tender |
Commands listed for USS Pelias (AS 14)
Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Cdr. William Wakefield, USN | 5 Sep 1941 | 1 Apr 1944 (1) |
| 2 | T/Cdr. William Alexander Swanston, USN | 1 Apr 1944 |
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Notable events involving Pelias include:
21 Oct 1942
Around 1740H/21, HMAS Adelaide (A/Capt. J.C.D. Esdaile, OBE, RAN) departed Fremantle to make rendezvous with USS Pelias (T/Capt. W. Wakefield, USN), HMAS Cessnock (A/Lt.Cdr. T.S. Marchington, RANR(S)) and USS Whippoorwill (T/Cdr. C.A. Ferriter, USN).
Rendezvous was affected around 0830H/23.
Around 1500H/23, HMAS Cessnock and USS Whippoorwill parted company to proceed to Albany.
USS Pelias and HMAS Adelaide arrived at Fremantle around 2000H/24. (2)
1 May 1943
Around 1830H/1, the submarine tender USS Pelias (T/Capt. W. Wakefield, USN), destroyer HrMs Tjerk Hiddes (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Kruys, RNethN), minesweeper USS Whippoorwill (T/Lt. C.L. Knopp, USN) and the auxiliary patrol vessel USS Isabel (T/Lt. F.D. Buckley, USN) departed Fremantle to establish an advanced base at Exmouth Gulf. (3)
3 May 1943
Around 2300H/3, the submarine tender USS Pelias (T/Capt. W. Wakefield, USN), destroyer HrMs Tjerk Hiddes (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Kruys, RNethN), minesweeper USS Whippoorwill (T/Lt. C.L. Knopp, USN) and the auxiliary patrol vessel USS Isabel (T/Lt. F.D. Buckley, USN) arrived at Exmouth Gulf from Fremantle. (3)
13 Mar 1944
Around 1345H/13, the submarine tenders USS Orion (T/Capt. C.S. Isgrig, USN) and USS Pelias (T/Capt. W. Wakefield, USN) departed Albany to return to Fremantle. They were escorted by the light cruiser HMAS Adelaide (A/Capt. J.C.D. Esdaile, OBE, RAN). The submarine rescue vessel USS Chanticleer (T/Cdr. R.E. Hawes, USN) was also with them.
They arrived at Fremantle around 1000H/16. (4)
Sources
- http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/as14.htm
- Report of proceedings of HMAS Adelaide for October 1942
- File 2.12.03.2100 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands) + War diary of USS Pelias for May 1943 + War diary of commander US naval forces Western Australia for May 1943
- Report of proceedings of HMAS Adelaide for March 1944