View source for USS Enceladus

{{short description|Cargo ship of the United States Navy}}

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|Ship image=USS Enceladus AK-80 N3-M-A1 USN 19-N-51234.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Enceladus'' (AK-80), August 1943 in original Navy configuration. Note Whirley crane that was part of the original N3-M-A1 design.  (Navy Photo No. 19-N-51234 in U.S. National Archives, RG-19-LCM.)
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1945}}
|Ship name=USS ''Enceladus'' (AK-80)
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|Ship ordered=as N3-M-A1 hull, MC hull 463
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|Ship builder=[[Penn-Jersey Shipbuilding Corp.]]
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|Ship laid down=14 February 1942, as SS ''Elias D. Knight''
|Ship launched=9 October 1942
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|Ship acquired=18 August 1943
|Ship commissioned=18 August 1943
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|Ship decommissioned=18 December 1945
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|Ship fate=Sold in 1964 for non-transportation use
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|Ship displacement=1,677 t.(lt), 5,202 t.(fl)
|Ship length={{convert|269|ft|10|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|42|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
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|Ship propulsion=[[Diesel engine|Diesel]], single shaft, 1,300&nbsp;shp
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|Ship complement=83
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'''USS Enceladus (AK-80)''' (launched 1942) was an {{sclass|Enceladus|cargo ship}}<ref group=Note>Only USS ''Enceladus'' (AK-80) of the ten-ship ''Enceladus''-class, composed of Maritime Commission N3-M-A1 type small cargo vessels, saw significant naval service. The other nine, except {{USS|Hydra|AK-82}}, were transferred within months or days of shipyard delivery from the Navy to the Army. ''Hydra'' was transferred to the Army shortly after commissioning and trials. The Navy had assumed administration of the contracts for these ships from the Maritime Commission on 1 January 1943 during or before construction so most were only administratively Navy, including names and numbers, during construction.</ref> commissioned by the [[U.S. Navy]] for service in [[World War II]]. She was responsible for delivering goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

''Enceladus'' was built by the [[Penn-Jersey Shipbuilding|Penn Jersey Shipbuilding]] Co., [[Camden, New Jersey]], in 1942, acquired and commissioned by the Navy on 18 August 1943.

== World War II Pacific Ocean operations ==

During World War II ''Enceladus'' operated entirely in the southwest [[Pacific Ocean]], all the while [[U.S. Coast Guard]] manned. She shuttled supplies between supply bases which included [[Noumea]], [[New Caledonia]], [[Tongatapu]], [[Torokina]], [[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]], [[Emirau]], and [[Guadalcanal]]. She was occupied with inter-island freight traffic until 4 August 1945 when she arrived at [[Pearl Harbor]]. ''Enceladus'' was decommissioned on 18 December 1945 and turned over to the [[Maritime Commission]].

== Military awards and honors ==

''Enceladus’'' crew was eligible for the following medals:
* [[American Campaign Medal]]
* [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]]
* [[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]

== Notes ==
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== References ==
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/e3/enceladus.htm}}

== External links ==
* {{navsource|09/13/130080|Enceladus}}

{{Enceladus class cargo ships}}
{{Type N3 ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enceladus (AK-80)}}
[[Category:Enceladus-class cargo ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Camden, New Jersey]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]