The book,
Oil, Fire, and Fate
The Sinking of the USS Mississinewa (AO-59) in WWII by Japan’s Secret Weapon
written by Mike Mair is now available for sale. Autographed copies of the book are can be obtained through the shopping cart when placing an order.
Click here to read Chapter One of this important, historical, firsthand account of the life of this ship and its crew.
Buy a book,
Buy a hat,
AO-59 Hat = $19.50 incl.
shipping
Book = $21.00 plus shipping
The U.S.S. Mississinewa was a T3-S2-A3 Auxiliary Oiler, commissioned on May 18, 1944. The role of the U.S.S. Mississinewa was to refuel ships, while underway, in the South Pacific during WWII. She, along with the other Auxiliary Oilers, played a crucial role in keeping combat vessels supplied with fuel.
On November 20, 1944, the U.S.S. Mississinewa was struck by a Kaiten (Imperial Japanese Navy manned suicide torpedo with a 3,418 lb. warhead), became totally engulfed in flames and subsequently sank with a loss of 63 U.S. Sailors and one Japanese Kaiten pilot. The sinking was captured in still photographs by Sid Harris, a sailor aboard fleet tug, Munsee. See our Newsletter, Vol. 2 below for some of his pictures.
We want to express our utmost gratitude to all those brave veterans who risked their lives and especially to those who gave their lives to help ensure the freedom that we enjoy today.
| Related Video's -added 6/29/08: |
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View identified crewmen in picture << Click on crew photo to the left. Then click on the enlarged photo to see section details. Updated 1/3/2010 |
| At right: Memorial on Mangejang Island, at Ulithi, forthose lost in the sinking of the Mississinewa. Click on them to enlarge. Photos courtesy of Lt. Cmdr.Carter, US Navy. | |
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<< Click on the picture to the left to view theNavy Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)'s web presentation on the removal of the oil from the sunken USS Mississinewa in 2003. |
- Ray Fulleman - 1923 - 2009 - Remembered as he joined his shipmates in eternal restNEW 10-9-09
- Jack Mair - The Catalyst for the AO-59 "Movement" is remembered
- Simon "Sid" Harris - 1915 - 2003 - Gave us the final moments of the AO-59
- Keep the Greatest Generation Alive - website designed to share veteran's experiences NEW 7/1/09
- Fernando Cuevas honored in Texas' Ennis Daily News in a two part story
Click here for Part 1 (October 15, 2007) / Click here for Part 2 (October 16, 2007) - Rick von Stein - Sailing to New Adventures in the South Pacific
- Press Release - U.S.S. Mississinewa location found!
- Read Naval History Magazine's April story about finding the AO-59
- Press Release - Oil Leak from AO-59 at Ulithi Atoll Contained
(Click on the issue number below)
Premier Issue:Fall of 1999 - Reunion in Corpus Christi, TX - Volume 2 - Spring of 2000 - Sinking of the AO-59, photos by Sid Harris
- Volume 3 - Fall of 2000 - Memorial Service at Ulithi Atoll
- Volume 4 - Summer of 2001 - Kingfisher to Rescue - AO-59 Found
- Volume 5 - Summer of 2002 - Looking at the AO-59 now, 120 feet below the ocean's surface.
- Volume 6 - Spring of 2003 - REUNION Scheduled for July 2003, USS Salvor, ARS 52 to remove oil.
- Volume 7 - Fall of 2004 - 2003 Reunion held in Providence, Rhode Island.
Other AO-59 Related Sites:
National Weather Service
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (Courtesy of FSM Lt. Governor Tony Tareg)
Ron's site describing the AO-59 reunion, in April of 1999, in Corpus Christi, TX.
Displaying photos, historical information, links to the U.S.S. Canisteo and other Oilers.
Displaying photos, historical information, links to the U.S.S. Conklin and other Destroyer Escorts.
This site displays reunion information and links to many Oiler sites.
This site show some great information and links to the battle of Iwo Jima.
This site is dedicated to all tankermen and has a great many images of tankers at work.
A group that searches for clues leading to the location & identification of wreck sites and remains of men who gave their lives in defense of America.
A tribute to the Tankers and Oiler of the US Navy including the AO-59 and the USS Mississinewa, AO-144.
Japan's Kaiten Pilot Association
A Japanese site about the Kaiten Pilots of World War II.
Kikusui
Group Attack On Ulithi by Mike Mair
Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil:
The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II
by Rear Adm. Worrall Reed Carter, USN (Retired)
Visit his site at www.daviestrek.com
Click here to view photos
Click above picture to go to HullNumber.com's AO-59 Site
On display at the Bowfin Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii. The suicide torpedo has been modified with a glass panel under the conning tower to allow visitors to view the interior workings.
Photo by: Ron Fulleman
Left to Right - Mike Mair, Ray, Ron, and Bob Fulleman
USS Lackawanna, AO-40 Reunion - Seattle, WA - 2000
Bob Fulleman
Publisher |
Ron Fulleman -
Co-Webmaster |
Mike Mair - AO-59 Historian & Reunion Co-Host - Son of survivor Jack Mair, F2c |
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