From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships

A minor planet between Jupiter and Mars.

(AKS - 12: dp. 5,244; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 193; a. 1 5", 4 3"; cl. Acubens)

Hecuba (AKS-12), originally Liberty ship George W. Cable, was launched by Delta Shipbuilding Co., New Orleans, La., 6 November 1944 under Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. Alfred Chard; acquired and converted to Navy use at Todd-Johnson Drydocks Corp.; and commissioned 21 April 1945, Comdr. N. H. Castle in command.

Following her conversion to a stores ship and shakedown training, Hecuba departed New Orleans 31 May 1945 for duty in the Pacific, arriving Pearl Harbor 22 June. From Hawaii she sailed to the western Pacific, commencing her first issue to the fleet after her arrival at Eniwetok 16 July. Hecuba arrived back in Pearl Harbor 18 August to reload general supplies for ships of the fleet. She sailed to Ulithi, arriving 10 September, and continued issuing the vital stores at that atoll as well as at Leyte and Okinawa until 28 November 1945. Hecuba departed for San Francisco for additional supplies, only to return to Pearl Harbor 8 February 1946. She decommissioned at Pearl Harbor 26 March 1946 and was intended for use in the Pacific atomic tests of that summer, only to be towed to San Francisco in 1947 and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Calif., where she remained until sold for scrapping to Schintzer Steel Products Co., Portland, Oreg., 19 October 1964.

Transcribed by Yves HUBERT (hubertypc@aol.com)