36-634: USS Wyandot (AKA-92) was an Andromeda -class attack cargo ship named after Wyandot County, Ohio . She served as a commissioned ship for 20 years and 1 month. Wyandot (AKA-92) was laid down on 6 May 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1192) at Oakland, California, by the Moore Dry Dock Co. ; launched on 28 June 1944, acquired by the Navy and simultaneously commissioned on 30 September 1944. Following her shakedown, Wyandot departed San Francisco on 25 November 1944, bound for
72-476: A base camp for his expeditions and attracted a permanent population. In 1910 explorers Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen established a missionary and trading post there. They called the site "Thule" after classical ultima Thule ; the Inuit called it Umanaq ("heart-shaped"), and the site is commonly called "Dundas" today. The United States abandoned its territorial claims in the area in 1917 in connection with
108-490: A capacity of 34 children while the day nursery can hold up to 12. Air Greenland operates fixed-wing aircraft services between Qaanaaq Airport and Upernavik Airport , with further connections to Ilulissat Airport and Qaarsut Airport . Settlement flights operate to Siorapaluk , sporadically to Moriusaq , and to Savissivik via Pituffik Space Base. There are a few unpaved dirt roads in Qaanaaq. Only one road leaves
144-539: A class of amphibious cargo ship built by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Kearny, New Jersey , and Moore Dry Dock Co. , in Oakland, California , during World War II . Like all attack cargo ships, they were designed to carry combat loaded military cargo and landing craft , and to use the latter to land weapons, supplies, and troops on enemy shores during amphibious operations . All these ships were built on
180-583: A dentist who visits the town twice a year. Qaanaaq Hospital falls under the Avannaa health region. A small local fire brigade is assisted by firefighters from the Pituffik Space Base . The town is part of the region of Avannaata , which is represented by a 17-member council and mayor. Qaanaaq is home to a remote CTBTO infrasound listening station called IS-18, which uses an array of barometric sensors to detect possible nuclear tests around
216-468: A short time, the ship's force, aided by the salvage experts of the repair unit, had made the necessary temporary repairs; Wyandot consequently returned to her place off the beaches of Okinawa and continued discharging ammunition, vehicles, gasoline, provisions, and special equipment earmarked for the American 10th Army on Okinawa. Wyandot , her mission at Okinawa completed, sailed for the west coast of
252-456: A way deemed "unhealthy", the Danish government forcibly relocated "Old Thule" with about 130 inhabitants to a newly constructed, modern village 60 miles (97 km) north, known as Qaanaaq, or "New Thule". In a Danish Supreme Court judgment of 28 November 2003 the move was considered an expropriative intervention. During the proceedings it was recognized by the Danish government that the movement
288-464: Is not clear just when this happened. The complement varied as well, but the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships figures sometimes seem to confuse ship's company with embarked troops in determining a ship's complement. Thule, Greenland Qaanaaq ( Greenlandic pronunciation: [qaːnɑːq] ), formerly known as Thule or New Thule , is the main town in the northern part of
324-481: The Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland . The town has a population of 646 as of 2020. The population was forcibly relocated from its former, traditional home, which was expropriated for the construction of a United States Air Force base in 1953. The inhabitants of Qaanaaq speak the local Inuktun language and many also speak Kalaallisut and Danish . Qaanaaq is one of the northernmost towns in
360-596: The Hawaiian Islands . She made port at Pearl Harbor on 2 December and, after loading cargo earmarked for the Marshalls and Marianas , headed for Eniwetok and Guam . After delivering her cargo to those western Pacific bases, the attack cargo ship returned to the Hawaiian Islands. Wyandot departed Pearl Harbor on 26 January 1945 and proceeded thence via Eniwetok to Tacloban where she joined
396-710: The Military Sealift Command (MSC) by October 1973, and to MSC, Pacific, by 1 July 1974. On 31 October 1975, Wyandot was placed in the United States Maritime Administration Reserve Fleet . She was sold for scrap on 5 November 1987 to Nissho Iwai Corp. of Japan and scrapped in Taiwan. Wyandot (AKA-92) was awarded one battle star for her World War II service. Andromeda-class attack cargo ship The Andromeda -class attack cargo ships were
SECTION 10
#1732793564428432-738: The Weddell Sea pack ice and then breaking through the Antarctic Circle on 20 December en route to Cape Adams . In 1957 Staten Island led Wyandot from Cape Adams to Gould Bay where Ellsworth Station was then assembled. Subsequently, the Wyandot returned home and operated with the Atlantic Fleet into the late 1950s. Wyandot was decommissioned on 10 July 1959 and struck from the Navy List . On 1 July 1960, however,
468-693: The Canadian Arctic. These people were displaced by the Thule culture which followed the same migration route around 1100 CE. By 1600, climatic effects of the Little Ice Age caused the semi-nomadic Thule culture in Greenland to fragment into isolated groups, with inhabitants of the northwest diverging as the Inughuit . As they lost access to open water due to thickening sea ice, they lost
504-523: The Mediterranean and Caribbean areas between 1953 and 1955, winning the coveted Battle Efficiency Award for 1955. In the spring of 1955, Wyandot joined Task Force 43 for "Operation Deep Freeze I" in the Antarctic . After a brief yard availability, the ship loaded supplies and equipment at Davisville, Rhode Island , and shifted to Norfolk, from whence she departed on 14 November. Sailing via
540-668: The Panama Canal and Lyttelton, New Zealand , Wyandot arrived at McMurdo Sound , Antarctica, on 27 December. While in those cold southern latitudes, she served as the flagship for Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd , officer-in-charge of the Antarctic programs. She was then assigned to "Operation Deep Freeze II" in 1956. Wyandot rendezvoused with Staten Island (AGB-5) near the Panama Canal Zone before both continued on for Antarctica , arriving on 15 December at
576-791: The United States, via Pearl Harbor, for permanent repairs and reached the Naval Dry Docks at Terminal Island , San Pedro , California, on 6 June. After brief periods at San Diego , and later San Francisco, Wyandot headed for Pearl Harbor once more—but too late to participate in any further combat operations. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 28 August. Wyandot subsequently visited the Far East that autumn, departing Pearl Harbor on 7 October and visiting, in succession, Okinawa ; Tientsin, China ; Guam; Eniwetok; and Kwajalein before returning to Pearl Harbor on 27 November. The next day,
612-479: The ability to build boats and had limited hunting opportunities. In 1818, Sir John Ross 's expedition made first contact with nomadic Inuktun (Polar Eskimos) in the area. James Saunders 's expedition aboard HMS North Star was marooned in North Star Bay 1849–50 and named landmarks. Robert Peary built a support station by a protected harbor at the foot of iconic Mount Dundas in 1892. It served as
648-576: The attack cargo ship took part in further exercises before she made a transatlantic passage to Casablanca , French Morocco . Staying at Casablanca from 24 March to 30 March, Wyandot returned via New Orleans to Norfolk on 30 April. Again operating off the eastern seaboard early that summer, Wyandot subsequently headed for her first deployment in Arctic waters, departing Boston on 16 July 1947 for Thule, Greenland , and Devon and Cornwallis islands. Returning to Boston on 25 September, Wyandot spent
684-654: The cargo ship got underway for the Atlantic; steamed via the Panama Canal ; and arrived at Norfolk, Virginia , on 19 December. Wyandot operated out of Norfolk for the next two years. Early in 1947, she departed the Hampton Roads area and took part in the 1947 Atlantic Fleet exercises—maneuvers that took the ship as far as Trinidad in the British West Indies . Departing Trinidad on 8 March,
720-498: The forces massing for the assault on Okinawa . Assigned to a support role with the amphibious forces, Wyandot — partially unloaded — was returning from a night retirement alert about 0400 on 29 March when a Japanese horizontal bomber, probably on a night heckler mission, came in off Wyandot's starboard quarter and dropped a pair of bombs, one of which hit close aboard the ship's starboard quarter, sprinkling her stern with what appeared to be picric acid . The second bomb plunged into
756-422: The kayaks; the flesh and offal are eaten by humans and domestic animals; the narwhal and walrus tusks are carved into finely-worked figures, jewellery and hunting implements; and feathers can be used in handicrafts. The local school, Avanersuup Atuarfia, has around 120 pupils in forms 1 to 10. There is also a boarding school which holds about 20 students from surrounding settlements. The town kindergarten has
SECTION 20
#1732793564428792-647: The next two years, Wyandot operated out of Norfolk and made her first Mediterranean deployment, visiting ports in Italy and French Morocco; the island of Crete ; Great Britain ; Cuba ; Puerto Rico ; the Virgin Islands ; Haiti ; Newfoundland ; Bermuda ; Nova Scotia ; the Panama Canal Zone ; and Curaçao , Netherlands West Indies . Early in 1951, Wyandot was selected to participate in Operation Blue Jay , transporting construction materials to
828-536: The next year operating along the eastern seaboard and gulf coast of the United States, as well as making two cruises to the Caribbean and one to Panama . On 16 July 1948, Wyandot departed Boston, visiting the Arctic again as part of the Navy's annual cold-weather exercises in those climes. She revisited the bases she had called upon the previous year and returned to Boston on 18 September, en route to Norfolk. Over
864-427: The northern part of Greenland —and was busy in that mission from May to September of that year. She returned to that area in 1952 as part of Operation "SuNAC" (Supply Northern Atlantic Construction). The following year, Wyandot conducted logistical support missions in the Caribbean and later participated in the joint United States and Canadian resupply operations with Arctic weather stations. Wyandot again deployed to
900-404: The original 1946 airstrip and across the bay from the historical Thule settlement, to which it is connected by an ice road. The joint Danish-American defense area, designated by treaty, also occupies considerable inland territory in addition to the air base itself. The town of Qaanaaq was established in the winter of 1953 when the United States expanded Pituffik Space Base and forcibly relocated
936-533: The population of Pituffik and Dundas 31 km (19 mi) to the north within four days. The settlement was subsequently moved another 100 km (62 mi) to the north. A 48.6-kilogram (107-pound) fragment of the Cape York meteorite , discovered near Thule in the summer of 1955, is named for the town. Ways of living so far north and in such severe climatic conditions are passed on from generation to generation, and this ability to adapt has contributed to
972-488: The purchase of the Virgin Islands . Denmark assumed control of the village in 1937. A cluster of huts known as Pituffik ("the place the dogs are tied") stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951. (A main base street was named Pituffik Boulevard.) The affected locals moved to Thule. However, in 1953 the USAF planned to construct an air defense site near that village, and in order to prevent contact with soldiers in
1008-556: The same standard hull design, but there were some differences from ship to ship. The armament varied, as did that of the other ships of the day. During 1944–1945, the 5"/38 was recognized as the best gun for the dual role of antiaircraft and naval gunfire support , and the 40 mm was seen as the best antiaircraft gun. The older 20 mm and .50 caliber guns had been recognized to be of limited value, and were being phased out, though they appeared on some of these ships. The 20 mm guns were later removed from all of them, but it
1044-670: The ship was reinstated on the list because of the increased east-west tensions over the crisis situation in Berlin . Recommissioned in November 1961, Wyandot was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) in March 1963 and reclassified as T-AKA-92 . Later reclassified as T-AK-283 , Wyandot served with MSTS, Atlantic, through the 1960s and was shifted to MSTS' successor organization,
1080-432: The survival of this small settlement. When the sea becomes open sometime around August, large dinghies with powerful engines are used for both hunting trips and ordinary journeys. There is still sunlight twenty-four hours a day at this time—the midnight sun lasts from the middle of April to the end of August. Scarcity of resources requires they use every part of a harvested animal: the skins are used for clothing and covering
1116-401: The town — it connects to Qaanaaq Airport . Pickup trucks and SUVs are found in Qaanaaq, but skis, dogsleds and walking are better alternatives for getting around. There is a small hospital (built in the 1950s and rebuilt in 1996) in Qaanaaq with basic health care offered. More advanced care requires transfer to other medical centers in Greenland by air. Dental care is offered in the form of
USS Wyandot - Misplaced Pages Continue
1152-421: The water near the attack cargo ship's starboard side and scored an underwater hit, making two large cracks in her hull. The two forward holds and the forward magazine flooded quickly, and Wyandot listed slightly to starboard. Putting the remainder of her landing craft and boats in the water, the vessel painfully made her way to an advanced repair base, down by the bow and steaming slowly, but still afloat. Within
1188-562: The world. The station is maintained by the Danish Meteorological Institute , and as of 2016 the current operator is Svend Erik Ascanius. With 646 inhabitants as of 2020, Qaanaaq is the largest settlement in the far north of the country. Its population has been relatively stable with only minor fluctuations since the mid-1990s. The city, with its relatively low population and tradition of hunting, currently has more huskies than human residents. Qaanaaq has
1224-554: The world. Within Greenland, it is the northernmost major town and the third northernmost public settlement, after nearby Qeqertat and Siorapaluk . Qaanaaq is located in the northern entrance of the Inglefield Fjord . The village of Qeqertat is located in the Harvard Islands , near the head of the fjord. The Qaanaaq area in northern Greenland was first settled around 2000 BCE by Paleo-Eskimos migrating from
1260-459: Was a serious interference and an unlawful act against the local population. The Thule tribe was awarded damages of 500,000 kroner, and the individual members of the tribe who had been exposed to the transfer were granted compensation of 15,000 or 25,000 each. A Danish radio station continued to operate at Dundas, and the abandoned houses remained. The USAF only used that site for about a decade, and it has since returned to civilian use. Knud Rasmussen
1296-460: Was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport. USAAF Colonel Bernt Balchen , who built Sondrestrom Air Base , knew Rasmussen and his idea. Balchen led a flight of two Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats to Thule on 24 August 1942 and then sent a report advocating an air base to USAAF chief Henry "Hap" Arnold . However, the 1951 air base site is a few miles inland from
#427572