History of USS Romulus

              NAVY DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
DIVISION OF NAVAL HISTORY (OP 09B9)
SHIPS1 HISTORIES SECTION
HISTORY OF USS ROMULUS (ARL 22)
USS ROMULUS (ARL 22) is named for the legendary founder and first
king of Rome. With his twin brother Remus, he was thrown in infancy
into the Tiber, but preserved and was suckled by a she-wolf. He slew
Remus for leaping scornfully over the wall of his new city, Romee He
was carried to heaven by his father, Mars, and was deified by the Romans.
ROMULUS was built by the Bethlehem Steel Company of Hingham,
Massachusetts. Her keel was laid 16 August 1944 and she was launched on
11 November 1944. She was commissioned as the USS LST-962 in the builder's
yard on 9 December 1944, Lieutenant George Richard Hoell, USNR, in
command. Shifting to the Boston Navy Yard on 10 December, she left that
port astern the 14th and touched at Baltimore on her way to Jacksonville,
Florida, where she entered the yard of the Gibbs Gas Engine Works. She
was decommissioned in that yard on 8 January 1945 for conversion to a
landing craft repair ship. Assigned the name ROMULUS (ARL 22), she was
placed in full commission with the same commanding officer on 10 May 1945,
ROMULUS cleared Jacksonville on 20 May 1945 to conduct shakedown
training out of Norfolk and left that port on 13 June for the Pacific*
She reached San Diego on 5 July 1945 and after voyage repairs in the
Graham Ship Yard at Oakland, stood out of San Francisco Bay on 26 July
1945 for the Mariana Islands. She entered Apra Harbor, Guam Island, on
4 August and spent the next six weeks tending and repairing landing draft
at that port and Tanapag Harbor, Saipan Island. She put to sea from
Saipan on 10 September 1945 and steamed by way of Okinawa to arrive at
the Yokosuka Naval Base, Honshu, Japan, on 25 September 1945. The next
twelve months were devoted to the repair and tending of landing and
small craft at that base.
ROMULUS departed Yokosuka on 3 September 1946 for tender and repair
service in Buckner Bay, Okinawa (7 September-6 December 1946). She
arrived in Hong Kong on 11 December 1946 to spend the holiday leave
period and put to sea on the 29th for return to the United States. She
reached San Pedro, California, on 3 February 1947 and was placed out of
commission in reserve on 12 May 1947.
ROMULUS was recommissioned at the U. S. Naval Station, San Diego,
on 2 April 1952, Lieutenant Robert R. Vhite, USN, in command. She was
assigned as a tender to Landing Ship Flotilla Three, Amphibious Forces,
U. S. Pacific Fleet, and cleared San Diego on 31 January 1953 for the
Far East.