>From the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships," 

(1970) Vol. 5, p.245.





PEGASUS





	A constellation in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere 

named for the winged horse which, according to Greek 

mythology, was borne from the body of Medusa at her death.





AK-48

Displacement:  1,930 t. (light displacement)

Length:  299'1"

Beam:  43'6"

Draft:  14'

Speed:  12 k.

Complement:  156

Armament:  1 4"; 1 3"; 2 .50 cal. machine guns





	PEGASUS (AK-48) was built in 1939 as SS RITA MAERSK by 

Helsingors, Jernskibs, og Maskinbyggeri A/A, Helsingor, 

Denmark.  Following the outbreak of war in Europe, she 

sailed to the United States where she operated under charter 

from the Maritime Commission as RITA MAERSK and later as 

LARWIN.  After completing two cruises, she was laid up at 

Boston until 18 September 1941 when she was acquired by the 

Navy from the Maritime Commission.  Renamed PEGASUS 

15 October 1941, the cargo ship was converted for Navy use 

by Sullivan Dry Dock and Repair Corp., New York, N.Y., and 

commissioned at New York 3 December 1941, Lt. Comdr. William 

Fly in command.



	Following an abbreviated shakedown, PEGASUS loaded 

military cargo including 600 depth charges and sailed in 

convoy for Iceland 27 December.  Despite fierce seas and the 

menace of German U-boats, she reached Reykjavik early in 

January 1942.  There, raging winter storms driven by winds 

in excess of 100 knots imperiled the ship and her cargo, and 

she did not return to the East Coast until late February.



	On 24 March, PEGASUS joined her second Iceland-bound 

convoy, and during the spring and summer months of 1942 she 

completed three round trips to Iceland and back.  Her holds 

and decks carried supplies for the Allied effort in the 

North Atlantic.  Although she escaped the German submarines, 

she saw several merchantmen, including two on 31 August, 

fall prey to torpedo attacks.



	PEGASUS returned to Boston 11 October; and, after 

completing repairs to her main engine, she sailed 

16 November to begin extended operations in the Caribbean.  

Laden with dynamite and SeaBee construction material, she 

arrived St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 11 December.  She 

continued to New Orleans, La., a week later and loaded 

construction supplies for Puerto Rico.  Between 18 January 

1943 and mid-May, she made four runs to Puerto Rico and 

back; thence, during June and July she hauled Navy cargo to 

Cristobal, Canal Zone.  Ordered to New York, she loaded 

ammunition and military stores and transported them to Cuba 

early in September.



	The busy cargo ship resumed her cargo shuttle runs 

between the Gulf Coast and ports in the Caribbean and the 

Canal Zone in October.  During the next ten months she 

hauled thousands of tons of war material to American bases 

in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.  While en 

route to San Juan in mid-May 1944, she sustained extensive 

damage to her cargo after a fire broke out in her fire room.  

She discharged cargo at Key West and quickly resumed duty.



	PEGASUS returned to the Canal Zone in July, and on the 

22d, she transited the Canal with a cargo of Navy supplies 

for bases at Balboa.  Yet another assignment sent her to the 

Canal Zone 17 August; thence, she sailed for Guantanamo 

23 August.  On the 25th her engine failed.  She drifted for 

almost two days until taken in tow by rescue ocean tug 

ATR-21.  Following temporary repairs in Cuba, she reached 

Norfolk Va., 17 September for a three-month overhaul.  She 

resumed duty 30 December with a run to Puerto Rico where she 

encountered a severe tropical storm.  While returning to 

Norfolk via the Florida coast, she encountered another storm 

off Cape Hatteras early in February 1945.  She sustained 

further damage to her engine, but reached Norfolk at reduced 

speed 3 February.



	During the next two months, PEGASUS underwent extensive 

overhaul.  On 5 April, she was assigned to Service Squadron 

10 for duty in the western Pacific as a dry cargo station 

ship.  She departed Norfolk 18 April, transited the Canal 

27 April, and steamed via San Diego to Pearl Harbor.  She 

was reclassified an unclassified auxiliary vessel, IX-222, 

on 15 May.  Between 7 and 20 June, she was towed to Eniwetok 

by auxiliary ocean tug ATA-198; thence she sailed 25 June 

for the Philippines.  Steaming via Ulithi, she arrived Leyte 

Gulf 18 July.



	PEGASUS supplied ships of the Pacific Fleet during the 

closing weeks of the war as well as after the Japanese 

surrender.  She operated in Leyte Gulf for the rest of the 

year and into 1946 and discharged thousands of tons of 

ships' stores.  She departed the Philippines in February and 

sailed for the West Coast arriving San Francisco 4 March.  

PEGASUS decommissioned at San Francisco 19 April 1946 and 

was returned to the War Shipping Administration the same 

day.  Her name was struck from the Naval Register 1 May 

1946.





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com