The USS Arequipa (AF-31) was an Adria class stores ship built for the United States Navy, serving from 1945 to 1955. Constructed under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2195) by Pennsylvania Shipyards in Beaumont, Texas, she was laid down on January 17, 1944, launched on May 4, 1944, and commissioned on January 14, 1945, after conversion at Todd Shipyards in Galveston, Texas. The ship’s primary role was to serve as a stores ship, transporting provisions to naval vessels and shore activities across the Pacific theater. Following her shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico and initial availability, Arequipa departed Galveston on January 31, 1945, and proceeded to Mobile, Alabama, to load supplies. She set out on February 7 as part of Service Squadron 9, engaging in logistical support across the Pacific, including the Philippine Islands, Admiralty Islands, and the Netherlands East Indies. Over her operational period, she serviced 905 ships and 41 shore activities, traveling over 35,000 miles by the end of October 1945. Notably, on December 19, 1945, she entered drydock at Manicani Island in Leyte Gulf for repairs. After overhaul, Arequipa returned to the U.S., resupplying ships from San Francisco to various Pacific locations, Japan, and China. Her service continued almost uninterrupted from May 1946 to November 1954, with periodic maintenance. In late 1954, she underwent a pre-inactivation overhaul at Pearl Harbor, and by June 1955, she moved to San Diego to join the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was decommissioned on August 25, 1955, and her name was struck from the Navy list in September 1961. In 1972, she was sold to Star-Kist Foods, Inc., for non-transportation use. She was later scuttled off San Diego as an artificial reef after a former crewman, Don King, toured her. The USS Arequipa earned one battle star for service during the Korean War, highlighting her role in naval logistics during a critical period of conflict.

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