USS Abatan (AW-4)

USS Abatan (AW-4). Off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 18 February 1945. Her camouflage is Measure 32, Design 7AO. 

USS Abatan (AW-4) was a Pasig-class distilling ship built for the United States Navy during World War II, named after the Abatan River located in the southwestern part of Bohol Island in the Philippines.

Originally laid down as SS Mission San Lorenzo under a United States Maritime Commission contract on 9 June 1944 at Sausalito, California by the Marinship Corporation, she was renamed USS Abatan on 25 July 1944 in anticipation of her acquisition by the Navy and simultaneously designated AO-92 for naval service as an oiler, launched on 6 August 1944, sponsored by Mrs. John A. McCone, transferred to the Navy on 28 November 1944 at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, converted there for naval service, completed as a distilling ship, redesignated USS Abatan (AW-4) on 24 August 1944 and placed in commission on 29 January 1945.

Service History

World War II, 1945

Late in February, the new distilling ship got underway for shakedown training off the coast of southern California. She left the continental United States on the 28th and shaped a course for the Western Caroline Islands. After pausing en route at Eniwetok, Abatan reached Ulithi on 21 March and remained there for more than six months providing potable water to various types of landing craft, patrol vessels, and escort ships. During this period of her service, Japan capitulated in mid-August.

Post-war Activities, 1945–1946

The ship sailed for Okinawa on 1 October, and stopped en route at Samar, Philippine Islands, to take on fresh water before continuing on to the Ryukyus. She reached her destination on 11 October and began issuing water to various fleet units. The ship left Okinawa on 15 November and set a course for Shanghai, China. She touched at that port on the 18th and remained stationed there through April 1946. The vessel left Chinese waters on 2 May and sailed via Okinawa to the Marshall Islands. Abatan reached Eniwetok on 31 May and assumed duties in connection with "Operation Crossroads," a series of tests conducted to determine the effects of atomic explosions upon warships. She was involved in this project until 27 June, when she weighed anchor and got underway for Kwajalein. The distilling ship arrived there the next day and remained in port providing potable water through 17 July. She then commenced a voyage to the east coast of the United States. The vessel visited Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in late July; transited the Panama Canal; reported to the Atlantic Fleet in mid-August; and then proceeded to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She arrived there on 20 August and entered a pre-inactivation availability phase.

Decommissioned, 1947 –1962

Abatan was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 January 1947 and was berthed at Philadelphia. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1960, and the ship was transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup in the James River.

Water Storage Ship, 1962–1979

Abatan was reacquired by the Navy and reinstated on the Navy list on 27 September 1962 for use as a backup fresh water storage ship at the Naval Base, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. She was again struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 May 1970 but was retained as a hulk for storing water at Guantánamo Bay.

Late in 1979 all desirable equipment was removed from the hull, which was expended as a target on 10 March 1980 approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Guadeloupe at 16 N – 62 W.

Name: USS Abatan

Builder: Marinship Corporation, Sausalito, California

Laid down: 9 June 1944

Launched: 6 August 1944

Commissioned: 29 January 1945

Decommissioned: 27 January 1947

Stricken: 1 July 1960

Reinstated: 27 September 1962

In service: 1962

Out of service: 1979

Stricken: 1 May 1970

Fate: Sunk as a target, 1980

Type: Pasig-class distilling ship

Displacement:      

6,640 long tons (6,747 t) light

23,350 long tons (23,725 t) full

Length: 523 ft 6 in (159.56 m)

Beam: 68 ft (21 m)

Draft: 30 ft 10 in (9.40 m)

Propulsion: Turbo-electric, single propeller

Speed: 15.1 knots (28.0 km/h; 17.4 mph)

Complement: 265 officers and enlisted

Armament:

1 × 5-inch/38-caliber gun

4 × 3-inch/50-caliber guns

4 × twin 40 mm guns

4 × twin 20 mm guns

 

USS Abatan (AW-4). Off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 18 February 1945. Her camouflage is Measure 32, Design 7AO.

USS Abatan (AW-4). Off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 18 February 1945. The harbor tug Nepanet (YTB-189) is alongside.

USS Abatan (AW-4). Off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 18 February 1945. Her camouflage is Measure 32, Design 7AO. 

USS Abatan (AW-4). At the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 20 February 1945. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship.

USS Abatan (AW-4). View of the ship's after portion, taken the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 20 February 1945. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship.

USS Abatan (AW-4). Plan view looking forward from the midships' superstructure, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 20 February 1945. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship. Note hoses stowed by the centerline catwalk, and booms attached to the foremast.

USS Abatan (AW-4). Plan view looking forward toward the midships' superstructure, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 20 February 1945. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship.

USS Abatan (AW-4). Plan view looking aft from amidships, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 20 February 1945. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship. Note motor launches, winches, cargo booms and other equipment.

    U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Aerial view of the Officer's Club ("Como Club") at Deer Point, Guantanamo Bay, 28 June 1979. The water storage hulk ex-USS Abatan (AW-4) is moored in the bay beyond the club buildings. Photographed by PH1 Leonard L. Sallions. (Official U.S. Navy photograph NH 98920 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center)

View of the U.S. Navy Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA) during the Second World War. The distilling ship USS Abatan (AW-4) is in dry dock No. 3, the heavy cruiser USS New Orleans (CA-32) (only her funnels are visible) in dry dock No. 2 to right of Abatan. Floating drydock ARD-32 is on the quay wall with USS Cod (SS-224) docked inside. Taken on 23 January 1945. ( Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo 610-45;  U.S. Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey, U.S. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs HABS CAL,48-MARI,1--127)

USS Abatan (AW-4), at left. Alongside a pier at the U.S. Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 2 March 1964, while she was serving as water storage and desalinization ship there. The original caption states "The ship produces about two million gallons of fresh water daily." (Official U.S. Navy photograph NH 98916 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center)

Ex-USS Abatan (AW-4). Moored at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, where she served as water and fuel storage hulk, 12 June 1978. (Official U.S. Navy photograph)

 

Douglas A. Munro: Coast Guard Hero of Guadalcanal

Painting of U.S. Coast Guard personnel evacuating U.S. Marines from near Point Cruz on Guadalcanal under fire during the Second Battle of the Matanikau on September 27, 1942.

by Jerry Fogg

Of the 1,917 U.S. Coast Guardsmen to die as a result of World War II Coast Guard operations, Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro was the only one awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Shortly before his 23rd birthday, Munro volunteered for an amphibious operation to rescue hundreds of his fellow servicemen from a heavily opposed beach in the southern Solomons.

Douglas Albert Munro was born of American parents in Vancouver, British Columbia, on 11 October 1919. He was raised in South Cle Elum, Washington, graduated from Cle Elum High School, and attended the Central Washington College of Education for one year. Munro joined the Coast Guard in 1939, had an outstanding record as an enlisted man, and by 1942 had been promoted through the various ratings to Signalman First Class.

In September 1942, Munro was placed in charge of ten landing craft to land a battalion of U.S. Marines on the Coral Sea island of Guadalcanal. The amphibious operation was successful but the Leathernecks came under increasingly heavy fire from the Japanese defenders. The decision was made to evacuate the Marines. Munro’s detachment, facing strong enemy resistance, succeeded in evacuating the Marines, but the young Coast Guardsman lost his life in the process. Munro was concerned about his fellow countrymen to the very end. His last words were, “Did they get off?”

The story is told in detail in a letter to Munro’s parents, written by U.S.C.G. Commander D. H. Dexter, and in Munro’s citation, written for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Guadalcanal, BSI,

2 October 1942

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Munro:

Believe me when I say sincerely that this is a very sad letter for me to write advising you of the death of your son Douglas, but as Commanding Officer of the Unit to which he was attached at the time of his death, I have pride in telling you that he covered himself with honor and I hope Glory, and fulfilled the mission so satisfactorily that almost all of the men he had under his charge returned to their unit and without exception all had praise for your son’s execution of his duties.

 It was a year ago last June that Douglas and Raymond Evans came to me and asked if they could be transferred to Captain Ashe’s staff. I succeeded in getting them and since that day have felt that Douglas and Ray Evans have been with me and his loss has left a very decided space which I feel will never be filled so far as I am concerned.

On Sunday the 27th of September an expedition was sent into an area where trouble was to be expected. Douglas was in charge of the ten boats which took the men down. In the latter part of the afternoon, the situation had not developed as had been anticipated and in order to save the expedition it became necessary to send the boats back to evacuate the expedition. Volunteers were called for and true to the highest traditions of the Coast Guard and also to traditions with which you had imbued your son he was among the first to volunteer and was put in charge of the detail. The evacuation was as successful as could be hoped for under fire. But as always happens, the last men to leave the beach are the hardest pressed because they have been acting as the covering agents for the withdrawal of the other men, and your son knowing this so placed himself and his boats so that he could act as the covering agent for the last men, and by this action and successful maneuvers brought back a far greater number of men than had been even hoped for. He received his wound just as the last men were getting in the boats and clearing the beach. Upon regaining consciousness, his only question was “Did they get off?” and so died with a smile on his face and the full knowledge that he successfully accomplished a dangerous mission.

 I am sending this to you direct for I feel that you should have the privilege of knowing the facts, but request that you keep it confidential until such time as the official notification is received. I regret having to make this request but feel that it is for the good of all concerned. I consider this a personal letter and not an official report.

 In the year and a half that I have known Douglas I have grown to admire him and through him, you. He was the true type of American Manhood that is going to win this war and I hereby promise that I will make all efforts to personally call on you whenever it is my privilege to be near Cle Elum and to pay homage to you both as parents of Douglas.

Sincerely and respectfully,

D. H. Dexter,

Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Coast Guard

Our nation’s highest military decoration, awarded posthumously on 27 May 1943, was presented to Munro’s parents by the President. The citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Officer-in-Charge of a group of Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a Battalion of Marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on September 27, 1942. After making preliminary plans for the evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered Marines, Munro, under constant risk of his life, daringly led five of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signaled the others to land, and then in order to draw the enemy’s fire and protect the heavily loaded boats, he valiantly place his craft with its two small guns as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was killed by enemy fire, but his crew, two of whom were wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and cleared the beach. By his outstanding leadership, expert planning, and dauntless devotion to duty, he and his courageous comrades undoubtedly saved the lives of many who otherwise would have perished. He gallantly gave up his life in defense of his country.

Today, Munro is permanently honored at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut. Douglas A. Munro Hall, the enlisted men’s barracks, stands as a tribute to the only Coast Guardsman to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro.

Sources

R. L. Scheina, U.S. Coast Guard historian.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

U.S. Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs. Medal of Honor Recipients, 1863-1978. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979.

Douglas Albert Munro as a Signalman Third Class, U.S. Coast Guard.

Douglas A. Munro, USCG.

Douglas A. Munro.

The reverse of Munro’s Medal of Honor.

Statue of Douglas A. Munro at the United States Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey. Dedicated 23 September 1989. Inscription: Signalman First Class Douglas Albert Munro, United States Coast Guard, gallantly gave his life for his country on September 27, 1942 at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal. He was engaged in the evacuation of a detachment of marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces by daringly leading numerous landing craft toward the shore and valiantly placed his craft as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. By his outstanding leadership, he saved the lives of hundreds of marines who otherwise would have perished. Fatally wounded, his last words were "Did they get off?" For his devotion to duty and heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Douglas Munro, USCG

Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) is the only member of the United States Coast Guard to have received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military award. Munro received the decoration posthumously for his actions as officer-in-charge of a group of landing craft on September 27, 1942, during the September Matanikau action in the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II.

Munro was born on October 11, 1919, in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada, to James Munro, originally from California, and Edith Thrower Fairey from Liverpool, England. The Munro family (Douglas, Pat his sister elder by 2 years, and his parents) moved to Vancouver, Washington, in 1922, where his father worked as an electrician for Warren Construction Company. Douglas grew up in South Cle Elum, Washington. He was educated at South Cle Elum Grade School and graduated from Cle Elum High School in 1937. He attended Central Washington College of Education (now known as Central Washington University) for a year before leaving to enlist in the United States Coast Guard in 1939. He had an outstanding record as an enlisted man and was promoted rapidly through the ratings to a signalman, first class.

In the Second Battle of the Matanikau, part of the Guadalcanal Campaign, Munro was in charge of a detachment of ten boats which landed U.S. Marines at the scene. After successfully taking them ashore, he returned his boats to their previously assigned position and almost immediately learned that conditions ashore were different from what had been anticipated and that it was necessary to evacuate the Marines immediately. Munro volunteered for the job and brought the boats to shore under heavy enemy fire, then proceeded to evacuate the men on the beach. When most of them were in the boats, complications arose in evacuating the last men, who Munro realized would be in the greatest danger. He accordingly placed himself and his boats such that they would serve as cover for the last men to leave. Among the Marines evacuated that day was Lt. Col. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, USMC. During this action—protecting the men after he had evacuated them—Munro was fatally wounded. He remained conscious long enough to say only four words: "Did they get off?"

Munro is buried at Laurel Hill Memorial Park in Cle Elum, Washington.

Munro's Medal of Honor is on display at the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May in Cape May, New Jersey. He received the Navy version of the Medal of Honor because, at the time, the Coast Guard was operating under the Department of the Navy and no separate Coast Guard version of the medal existed. A Coast Guard Medal of Honor was authorized in 1963, but has never been designed or minted.

Born: October 11, 1919, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Died: September 27, 1942 (aged 22), Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

Place of burial: Laurel Hill Memorial Park Cle Elum, Washington

Allegiance: United States of America

Service/branch: United States Coast Guard

Years of service: 1939–1942

Rank: Signalman First Class

Battles/wars:

World War II

Second Battle of the Matanikau

Awards:

Medal of Honor

Purple Heart

American Defense Service Medal

American Campaign Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

World War II Victory Medal

Other honors:

Coast Guard: USCGC Munro (WHEC-724)

Coast Guard: USCGC Munro (WMSL-755)

Navy: USS Douglas A. Munro (DE-422)

United States Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, New Jersey - Munro Hall

United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut - Munro Hall

On July 8, 2013, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced H.R. 2611 (An act to designate the Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building (H.R. 2611; 113th Congress)) to name the new Coast Guard headquarters after Munro.