USS Taluga

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USS Taluga (AO-62) was a Cimarron-class fleet oiler built to fuel U.S. Navy ships. She was laid down on December 23, 1943, launched on July 10, 1944, and commissioned on August 25, 1944.

World War II service
Taluga worked primarily in the Pacific, delivering oil and aviation gasoline to carrier task forces. She supported battles and landings around Luzon and Okinawa and helped the final push toward Japan. On April 16, 1945, near Kerama Retto, she survived a kamikaze attack that damaged her but did not stop her from continuing operations. After Japan’s surrender, she served as a station oiler in Tokyo Bay and Yokosuka before returning to the United States in 1946.

Postwar and Korean War
Taluga then conducted oil runs around the world, including stops in the Persian Gulf, Japan, and the Philippines. She joined the Mediterranean 6th Fleet at times and supported forces in Asia. When the Korean War began in 1950, she operated off Wonsan and Songjin, supplying ships with fuel and aviation fuel, and later supported operations near Taiwan.

Cold War through Vietnam
Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Taluga continued rotating between the West Coast and the Western Pacific, frequently refueling U.S. Navy units in Asia. In the mid-1960s, she began regular duty in the Vietnam War, replenishing aircraft carriers and other ships along the coast and aiding coastal operations.

Final years and decommissioning
Taluga completed her last active deployment in 1971 and was decommissioned on May 4, 1972. She was transferred to the Military Sealift Command as USNS Taluga (T-AO-62) with a civilian crew to test reduced Manning. She carried out hundreds of underway replenishments before leaving active service and entering reserve status in 1976, later serving briefly with the 3rd Fleet until 1979.

Later status
She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1992 and transferred to the Maritime Administration for lay up. In 2010, she was prepared for scrapping.

Honors
Taluga earned four battle stars in World War II, four in the Korean War, and six in the Vietnam War.