USS Rockaway, a 1,760-ton small seaplane tender, was built at Seattle, Washington, and was commissioned in January 1943. Following her arrival at Norfolk, Virginia, in April 1943, she commenced 18 months of active and varied service in the North Atlantic, mostly in support of aviation activities in and near the United Kingdom. This duty included nine round trips, steaming independently, across the Atlantic and participation in the Normandy invasion in June 1944.
Following overhaul in November 1944, Rockaway moved first to the Panama Canal Zone and then to Brazil, where she supported aviation units and naval bases. She arrived at the Boston Navy Yard in July 1945 and commenced conversion to a press ship for the invasion of Japan. As such, she was reclassified AG-123 on 30 July 1945, but she reverted to AVP-29 on 10 September 1945 after the conversion was cancelled because of the end of the war. Rockaway was decommissioned in March 1946 and placed in reserve.
In December 1948 Rockaway was loaned to the Coast Guard as the cutter Rockaway (WAVP-377, later WHEC-377). She served out of the New York City area on weather station duty. After the mid 1960s she served first as an oceanographic survey ship (WAGO-377) and then as an offshore law enforcement vessel (WOLE-377). She was decommissioned in January 1972 and sold for scrap in October 1973.
This page features all our views of USS Rockaway.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: 19-N-73646 USS Rockaway (AVP-29) Photographed on 6 October 1944, shortly after her main armament was reduced to a single 5"/38 gun. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 71KB; 740 x 625 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: NH 97495 USS Rockaway (AVP-29) Tending a PBM Mariner seaplane off Bahia, Brazil, probably during the spring of 1945. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 106KB; 740 x 625 pixels |
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Photo #: 19-N-89796 USS Rockaway (AVP-29) Photographed off Boston, Massachusetts, on 19 October 1945. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 60KB; 740 x 620 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-89797 USS Rockaway (AVP-29) Photographed off Boston, Massachusetts, on 19 October 1945. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 72KB; 740 x 620 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-58529 USS Rockaway (AVP-29) Being christened by Mrs. Z. E. Briggs during launching ceremonies on 15 February 1942. The ship was built by Associated Shipbuilders, Harbor Island, Seattle, Washington. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 66KB; 740 x 625 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National |
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In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold other views of USS Rockaway (AVP-29). The following list features some of these images:
The images listed below are NOT in
the Naval Historical Center's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our
page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".
Port broadside aerial view of USS Rockaway (AVP-29) off Norfolk, Virginia, on 31 March 1943. She is carrying her original main armament of 4-5"/38 guns. Port bow aerial view of USS Rockaway (AVP-29) off the U. S. east coast on 19 January 1944. Her main armament now consists of 3-5"/38 guns. Starboard broadside surface view of USS Rockaway (AVP-29) at Boston on 5 October 1944. Her main armament has been reduced to 1-5"/38 gun. Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center. The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions". |
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 4 March 2001
New image added 21 October 2001