USN
Crater Class Cargo Ship
Ship History
Named with a variant spelling of the star Celaeno in the constellation Pleiades, it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name. Laid down November 3, 1942 as liberty ship SS Redfield Proctor (MCE hull 439) by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California, under a Maritime Commission contract; launched December 12, 1942; sponsored by Mrs. G. G. Sherwood; transferred to the Navy December 19, 1942; and commissioned January 2, 1943 with Lieutenant Commander N. E. Lanphere, USNR, in command. Celeno received three battle stars for World War II service.
Wartime History
Celeno joined the Pacific Fleet and cleared San Francisco January 10, 1943 with cargo for Nouméa, New Caledonia. She arrived 1 February to support the operations on Guadalcanal and throughout the Solomons with cargo brought from New Zealand to Nouméa, Tulagi, and Guadalcanal.
June 16, 1943 Air Raid
While unloading cargo on on June 16, 1943 at Guadalcanal, the ship was caught by Japanese air raid. Dive bombers scored three near misses, then hit Celeno’s stern, putting her 5" gun out of operation. Her men stood to the remaining guns, and aided in downing at least three enemy planes and damaging several others. A second direct hit set two of Celeno’s holds on fire, and another near miss sent her deck cargo of diesel oil and gasoline flaming. With her rudder jammed from the first hit, Celeno circled, as her crew determined to save her. Skillful damage control and superb seamanship beached her safely on Lunga Point after the attack. Fifteen of her crew were killed and 19 wounded in the attack.
Repairs
Towed off for repairs at Purvis Bay near Tulagi for immediate repairs. Further repairs at Espiritu Santo and San Francisco fully repaired the ship, allowing it to returned to the South Pacific in January 1944.
As the seizure of bases in the Admiralty Islands began, Celeno brought troops and cargo to Manus through the spring of 1944, and continued to operate throughout the Solomons, Bismarcks, and Marianas. She sailed to Australia and New Zealand, then made a cargo run to newly secured Iwo Jima. Returning to Nouméa, Celeno performed rear-area support for the Okinawa operation by voyages to Eniwetok and Ulithi, en route to Okinawa itself, where she arrived 18 June. She returned to Ulithi 3 July, and resumed cargo operations throughout the South Pacific.
In November 1945, Celeno sailed to Iwo Jima to embark troops for transportation to Saipan, where she picked up another group of men bound for the west coast.
Postwar
Celeno was decommissioned at San Francisco 1 March 1946, and transferred to the Maritime Commission.
