When the Korean War began in June 1950, underway replenishment of combat ships was, though not a lost art, very hard to come by in the western Pacific. A severe local shortage of auxiliaries suitable for this demanding logistics task meant that warships had to retire to ports in Japan whenever they needed fresh supplies of ammunition and provisions. In an intense combat environment, that was every few days. The time spent in transit to and from port was time not available for combat operations, clearly a wasteful situation and one that was painfully troublesome in the difficult weeks of July and August 1950.
Fortunately, the necessary auxiliary ships -- oilers, ammunition ships and reefers -- were soon on their way across the Pacific to the war zone. By Autumn, replenishment at sea was again the routine undertaking that it had been during the great Pacific war just a half-decade earlier. Coupled with the sufficiency in numbers of carriers and gun ships, that meant that ships could replenish every few days while staying near the Korean coast, and thus would still be available to apply their firepower on short notice.
This page features images of Korean War underway replenishment activities during 1950.
For links to more pictures of Korean War logistic efforts,
see:
For links to more pictures of the first months of the Korean
War, see:
For a precis of our Korean War images, and links to more
comprehensive pictorial coverage of other aspects of that conflict,
see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions. |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: 80-G-424637 USS Graffias (AF-29) Transfers food supplies to Missouri (BB-63) in the Sea of Japan, 17 December 1950. Each cargo net highlined between the two ships contains twenty boxes of potatoes, holding a total of 2000 pounds. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 83KB; 740 x 605 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-424636 USS Missouri (BB-63) Crewmen receiving food supplies on board, during replenishment at sea by USS Graffias (AF-29) in the Sea of Japan, 17 December 1950. Each cargo net highlined between the two ships contains twenty boxes, holding a total of 2000 pounds of potatoes. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 96KB; 740 x 610 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-439879 USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) Receives bombs from USS Mount Katmai (AE-16) during underway replenishment off Korea, 29 November 1950. Note crewmen standing in the carrier's forward hangar bay, and Grumman F9F-2 "Panther" fighters and LeTourneau crane parked on her flight deck. Crewmen on Mount Katmai are wearing cold weather clothing. A few days after this photo was taken, Philippine Sea commenced a period of close-support operations in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 130KB; 740 x 620 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-420962 USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) Crewmen rolling a 1000 pound bomb across the hangar deck, while rearming from the ammunition ship (AE) in the background, during operations in Korean waters, circa 19 October 1950. Note wooden rails used for moving the bomb. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 102KB; 740 x 630 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-423466 USS Ernest G. Small (DD-838) Alongside USS Leyte (CV-32) to transfer mail, during operations in Korean waters, 17 November 1950. Photographed by R.A. Schrieber, of Combat Photo Unit 3. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 121KB; 740 x 605 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-424639 USS Missouri (BB-63) Teleman First Class Howard Bursley, USNR, carries bags of Christmas mail received on board during operations off the Korean coast, 18 December 1950. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 86KB; 740 x 610 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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For links to more pictures of Korean War logistic efforts,
see:
For links to more pictures of the first months of the Korean
War, see:
For a precis of our Korean War images, and links to more
comprehensive pictorial coverage of other aspects of that conflict,
see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions. |
New links 12 August 2000