USS Alhena

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Originally named as the civilian freighter Robin Kettering after being built in 1940-1941 at Sparrows Point, Maryland, the USS Alhena (AK-26 later AKA-9) got her name after the Navy purchased the ship at the end of May 1941. The transport displaced 15,080 tons, had a top speed of 16.6 knots, carried one 5-inch guns, and could carry a complement of 446 officer and enlisted men. After commissioning in mid-June, she underwent a conversion to satisfy the Navy’s requirements.

After finishing her conversion, she steamed along the American and Canadian east coasts until February 1942, when she sailed to the British Isles. The ship returned to the U.S. in April and transited the Panama Canal and entered the Pacific. During the next three months, she made two trips to the South Pacific.

The Alhena joined the Pacific Fleet’s Amphibious Force and participated in the Guadalcanal-Tulagi invasion. She landed U.S. Marines and equipment ashore on Guadalcanal and continued that work to support the American efforts to hold onto that island. A Japanese submarine torpedoed her September 29 and heavily damaged her in the aft part of the ship. Another ship had to tow her to Nouméa for repairs and stayed there and in Australia until June 1943. During that time, the Navy reclassified her as an attack transport and given the hull number AKA-9.

After the Navy completed repairing her, the Alhena continued her service in the South Pacific for nine more months. While she steamed between Allied base picking up and delivering supplies, she was part of the landings on Bougainville in November 1943. She went to the central Pacific in March 1944 and was part of the fleet that invaded Saipan. The cargo ship had an overhaul during July-October 1944 and carried cargo to the Admiralty Islands. On November 10, 1944, the ammunition ship Mount Hood blew up and severely damaged the Alhena.

The attack transport was an active participant in the Lingayen invasion and Iwo Jima. The Navy assigned to cargo transport duties during the Okinawa campaign. After the Japanese surrendered, she supported the occupation of Japan in October and November 1945 and carried cargo in early 1946 from the U.S. to China. The Navy decommissioned her at New York in May 1946 and transferred the Alhena in September 1946 to the Maritime Administration for disposal.