The USS Antares (AG-10/AKS-3) was an Antares-class cargo ship constructed during the post-World War I era, originally built as the steel-hulled freighter Nedmac by the American International Ship Building Corporation. Acquired by the U.S. Navy on 14 November 1921 under Executive Order No. 3570, she was renamed Antares and classified as a miscellaneous auxiliary (AG-10). She was commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 23 February 1922. Designed primarily for cargo transport, Antares featured a robust steel hull and was initially employed as part of the Fleet Train, replacing older auxiliary vessels. Throughout the 1920s, she served as flagship for the Scouting Fleet’s auxiliary unit along the U.S. East Coast, supporting fleet operations and gunnery training, while also gathering oceanographic data and supporting fleet maneuvers in Caribbean and Cuban waters. Her versatile role included serving as a fleet target repair and photographic ship, and transporting aircraft for naval aviation units. From 1934 onward, Antares was used as a supply ship for the Special Service Squadron and later as a Mobile Base for the Fleet Marine Force. She was placed in reduced commission in 1936, serving as a receiving ship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and was temporarily assigned to the Naval Air Station Lakehurst in 1937 following the Hindenburg disaster. Recommissioned in May 1937, she operated on both U.S. coasts and with the Naval Transportation Service, performing various utility and training tasks. Reclassified as AKS-3 on 30 November 1940, Antares was based primarily at Pearl Harbor, functioning as a general stores issue ship in the Pacific. During World War II, she participated actively in the Pacific Theater, supporting operations at Samoa, Nouméa, the Solomon Islands, and Okinawa, among others. Notably, during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, she was near the harbor entrance, engaged in towing and supply duties, and was involved in the initial response to the attack. She later supported the island-hopping campaign, issuing essential supplies to fleet units. Antares saw combat during her service, notably engaging with enemy submarines and kaiten torpedoes off Okinawa in June 1945, successfully defending herself and her crew. She earned two battle stars for her wartime service. Decommissioned on 2 August 1946 at Mare Island and struck from the Naval Vessel Register shortly thereafter, she was sold for scrapping in 1947. The USS Antares holds historical significance as a versatile auxiliary vessel that supported fleet operations across the Pacific during World War II.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.