View source for USS Serpens (AK-97)

{{short description|Cargo ship of the United States Navy}}
{{other ships|USS Serpens}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Serpens (AK-97).jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Serpens'' (AK-97) moored pierside<br/>(date and location unknown)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1945}}
| Ship name = *''Benjamin N. Cardozo''
*''Serpens''
| Ship namesake = *[[Benjamin N. Cardozo]]
*The constellation [[Serpens]]
| Ship owner = {{USN flag|1945}}
| Ship operator = {{shipboxflag|United States|coast guard}}
| Ship ordered = as a [[Liberty ship|Type EC2-S-C1]] hull, [[Maritime Commission|MCE]] hull 739{{sfn|CalShip|2010}}
| Ship awarded = 
| Ship builder = [[California Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Terminal Island]], Los Angeles, California
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 164{{sfn|CalShip|2010}}
| Ship way number = 9{{sfn|CalShip|2010}}
| Ship laid down = 10 March 1943
| Ship launched = 5 April 1943
| Ship sponsor = Mrs. H.P. Needham
| Ship christened = 
| Ship completed = 
| Ship acquired = 19 April 1943
| Ship commissioned = 28 May 1943
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship identification = *[[Hull classification symbol#Support type|Hull symbol]]: AK-97
*[[International Code of Signals|Code letters]]: NJGY
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Yankee}}
| Ship renamed = ''Serpens'', 19 April 1943
| Ship reclassified = 
| Ship refit = 
| Ship struck = 10 March 1945
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship homeport = 
| Ship motto = 
| Ship nickname = 
| Ship honors = [[Image:Bronze-service-star-3d.png|18px]] 1 × [[Battle star#Navy warships|battle star]]
| Ship fate = Destroyed by explosion, 29 January 1945
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = {{sfn|Navsource|2014}}
| Ship class = {{sclass|Crater|cargo ship}}
| Ship type = [[Liberty ship|Type EC2-S-C1]]
| Ship displacement = {{Crater cargo displacement}}
| Ship length = {{Crater cargo length}}
| Ship beam = {{Crater cargo beam}}
| Ship draft = {{Crater cargo draft}}
| Ship power = {{Crater cargo power CE}}
| Ship propulsion = {{Crater cargo propulsion GMC}}
| Ship speed = {{Crater cargo speed}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship capacity = {{Crater cargo capacity}}
| Ship troops = 
| Ship complement = 19 officers 188 enlisted
| Ship armament = {{Crater cargo armament}}
| Ship armor = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Serpens'' (AK-97)''' was a  {{sclass|Crater|cargo ship}} commissioned by the [[United States Navy]] for service in [[World War II]]. She was the first ship of the US Navy to have this name: she is named after [[Serpens]], a constellation in the [[northern hemisphere]]. ''Serpens'' was crewed by [[United States Coast Guard]] personnel and was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater]].

==Construction==
''Serpens'' was laid down on 10 March 1943, under a [[Maritime Commission]] (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 739, as the [[Liberty ship]] SS ''[[Benjamin N. Cardozo]]'', by [[California Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Terminal Island]], [[Los Angeles, California]]; launched on 5 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. H.P. Needham; transferred to the Navy on 19 April 1943; renamed ''Serpens'' and designated AK-97; and commissioned at [[San Diego, California]] on 28 May 1943.{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

==Service history==
Following [[shakedown cruise|shakedown]] off southern California, ''Serpens'' loaded general cargo at [[Alameda, California|Alameda]] and, on 24 June, sailed west to assume provision ship duties in support of operations in the [[Solomon Islands|Solomons]]. By mid-July, she was in the [[Tonga Islands]]. At the end of the month, she was ''en route'' from [[New Caledonia]] to [[New Zealand]]; and, by mid-August, she had emptied her holds at [[Wellington]]. She then took on more cargo; returned to [[New Caledonia]]; and commenced a series of short hauls to [[Viti Levu]], [[Tutuila]], [[Penrhyn Island|Penrhyn]], [[Bora Bora]], [[Aitutaki]], and [[Tongatapu]].{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

On 9 November, ''Serpens'' returned to New Caledonia. In early December, she moved into the southern Solomons; and, after completing a [[Florida Island]]-[[Mbanika|Banika Island]] run, she stood off [[Lunga Point]], [[Guadalcanal (Pacific Ocean island)|Guadalcanal]], to load cargo for [[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]]. During January 1944, she completed two runs into [[Empress Augusta Bay]]. In February, she was ordered back to New Zealand for [[dry-dock]]ing before loading dry provisions.{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

For the next four months, ''Serpens'' delivered consignments to bases in the [[New Hebrides]] and the Solomons, returning to New Zealand to reload only once. In July, she was at [[Purvis Bay]] for the installation of [[List of radars#Naval 7|SF-1 radar]]. She then resumed operations and, through October, carried general cargo and rolling stock between ports and anchorages in the Solomons. In mid-November, she loaded repairable vehicles from the [[Russell Islands|Russells]] and from Guadalcanal and sailed for New Zealand where, after offloading, three of her holds were converted for ammunition stowage.{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

===Destruction, 29 January 1945===
Late in December 1944, the Liberty ship commenced loading at Wellington, finished it at [[Auckland]], and returned to the Solomons in mid-January 1945. Late in the evening on 29 January 1945, ''Serpens'' was anchored off [[Lunga Point|Lunga Beach]].{{sfn|DANFS|2015}} The commanding officer and seven others, one officer and six enlisted men, were ashore. The remaining crewmen were loading [[depth charge]]s into her holds when ''Serpens'' exploded. After the explosion, only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest had disintegrated, and the bow sank soon afterward. One hundred ninety-six Coast Guard crewmen, 57 Army stevedores, and a [[Public Health Service]] physician, Dr. Harry M. Levin, were killed in the explosion, and a soldier ashore was killed by shrapnel.  Only two of those on board, [[List of United States Navy enlisted rates#E-1 to E-3|Seaman (SN) 1/c]] Kelsie K. Kemp and SN 1/c George S. Kennedy, who had been in the [[boatswain]]'s locker, survived.{{sfn|USCG|2016}}

An eyewitness to the disaster stated: "As we headed our personnel boat shoreward the sound and concussion of the explosion suddenly reached us, and, as we turned, we witnessed the awe-inspiring death drama unfold before us. As the report of screeching shells filled the air and the flash of tracers continued, the water splashed throughout the harbor as the shells hit. We headed our boat in the direction of the smoke and as we came into closer view of what had once been a ship, the water was filled only with floating debris, dead fish, torn life jackets, lumber and other unidentifiable objects. The smell of death, and fire, and gasoline, and oil was evident and nauseating. This was sudden death, and horror, unwanted and unasked for, but complete."{{sfn|USCG|2016}}

Lieutenant Commander Stinson reported: "I felt and saw two flashes after which only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest had disintegrated and the bow sank soon afterwards." The two survivors, SN 1/c Kemp and SN 1/c Kennedy, according to Stinson, ". . .showed a lot of savvy by grabbing a couple of water lights that we kept stowed in the [boatswain's] locker. They used them to attract attention when they climbed out onto the floating portion of the bow." Both men were injured but were rescued by a base commander in the area.{{sfn|USCG|2016}}

[[File:USS Serpens Memorial - Arlington National Cemetery - west view - 2011.jpg|thumb|left|Memorial to the dead of USS ''Serpens'' at [[Arlington National Cemetery]].]]
At first report the incident was attributed to enemy action but a court of inquiry later determined that the cause of the explosion could not be established from the remaining evidence and by 1949, the Navy noted that the loss was not due to enemy action but due to an "accident intrinsic to the loading process." The loss of ''Serpens'' remains the largest single disaster ever suffered by the Coast Guard.  The dead were initially buried at the Army, Navy and Marine Corps Cemetery at Guadalcanal. Their remains were later exhumed and taken to [[Arlington National Cemetery]] where they were interred on 15 June 1949. A large monument in their honor was erected over the grave site and dedicated on 16 November 1950.{{sfn|USCG|2016}}

As of 2019, there is an active effort to reexamine the sinking to see if it was caused by a Japanese submarine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/what-really-happened-on-the-deadliest-single-day-in-coa-1837206900|title=What Really Happened On The Deadliest Single Day In Coast Guard History?|first=Kyle|last=Mizokami|work=Foxtrot Alpha|publisher=Jalopnik|date=13 August 2019}}</ref>

The wreck is located at: {{coord|9|24|37|S|160|0|40|E|display=inline, title}}{{sfn|Wikimapia}}

==Awards==
''Serpens'' earned one [[Battle star#Navy warships|battle star]] for her World War II service.{{sfn|DANFS|2015}}

==See also==
* [[West Loch disaster]]
* [[USS Mount Hood (AE-11)]]
* [[Port Chicago disaster]]
* [[List of accidents and incidents involving transport or storage of ammunition]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
;Citations
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
'''Online resources'''
* {{cite DANFS | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/serpens-i.html | title = Serpens I (AK-97) | publisher = Naval History and Heritage Command | date = 9 September 2015 | access-date = 11 February 2017
| ref = {{sfnRef|DANFS|2015}} }}{{PD-notice}}
* {{cite web| url = http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/kcalifornia.htm | title = California Shipbuilding, Los Angeles CA | publisher =  www.ShipbuildingHistory.com | date = 13 October 2010 | access-date = 11 February 2017 | ref = {{sfnRef|CalShip|2010}} }}
* {{cite web | url = http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/13/130097.htm | title=USS Serpens (AK-97) | publisher=Navsource.org | date= 12 December 2014 | access-date= 11 February 2017 | ref={{sfnRef|Navsource|2014}} }}
* {{cite web |url= http://wikimapia.org/11098280/Wreck-of-USS-Serpens-AK-97 |title= Wreck of USS Serpens (AK-97) |publisher= Wikimapia |access-date= 11 February 2017 |ref= {{sfnRef|Wikimapia}} }}
* {{cite web | url = http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Serpens.asp | title = USS Serpens, AK-97 | publisher = United States Coast Guard | date = 21 December 2016 | access-date = 11 February 2017 | ref = {{sfnRef|USCG|2016}} }}{{PD-notice}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* The Long Blue Line Disrupted: USS Serpens (AK-97) and the Largest Loss of Life in US Coast Guard History (co-authors Douglas E. Campbell and Robert G. Breen); ISBN 978-0-359-87305-0
*{{cite book | first = Rick | last = Atkinson | title=Where Valor Rests | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = National Geographic | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-1-4262-0089-2}}
* {{cite web | url = https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/sh/ShipHistory/Detail/6959 | title = BENJAMIN N. CARDOZO | publisher = United States Department of Transportation | access-date = 11 February 2017 | archive-date = 12 December 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191212160603/https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/sh/ShipHistory/Detail/6959 | url-status = dead }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/usn/AK-97.html |title= USS Serpens AK-97 |publisher= Pacific Wrecks |date= 3 May 2016 |access-date= 11 February 2017 |ref= {{sfnRef|Wrecks|2016}} }}

==External links==
{{commons category|USS Serpens (AK-97)}}
* {{navsource|09/13/130097|USS Serpens}}
* [http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Serpens_Photos.asp USS ''Serpens'' Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2006/jan/29_uss_serpens_ak_97.htm Roll of Honor]

{{Crater class cargo ship}}
{{California Shipbuilding Corporation, Los Angeles Shipyards}}
{{January 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serpens (AK-97)}}
[[Category:Crater-class cargo ships]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by non-combat internal explosions]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in Ironbottom Sound]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships built in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1945]]