The USS Denebola (AF-56) was a Denebola-class stores ship built as the SS Hibbing Victory, a type VC2-S-AP2 Victory ship constructed by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation in Portland, Oregon. Laid down on May 2, 1944, and launched on June 30, 1944, the ship was completed remarkably quickly in just 59 days under the Emergency Shipbuilding program for World War II. She was a 10,600-ton vessel designed to carry stores, refrigerated items, and equipment to fleet ships, remote stations, and staging areas. Originally operated by the Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Company under the War Shipping Administration, Hibbing Victory served in the Pacific Theater during the last months of World War II. She supplied the forces involved in the capture and occupation of the Southern Palau Islands (September–October 1944) and supported the assault on Okinawa in May 1945. After the war, she was laid up in Wilmington, North Carolina, as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet in 1948. Reactivated during the Korean War, she was chartered to the American Foreign Steamship Company, contributing to the war effort by transporting goods, mail, and personnel, including helping move the 140th Medium Tank Battalion between late 1950 and late 1952. Transferring to the U.S. Navy, she was renamed USS Denebola (AF-56) and commissioned on January 20, 1954, after being converted at the New York Naval Shipyard. Throughout her service from the 1950s to the mid-1970s, she frequently deployed with the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, conducting NATO exercises and supporting U.S. Navy operations during crises such as the Lebanon crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Six-Day War. She also operated out of Norfolk, Virginia, participating in local operations and providing logistical support during pivotal moments in Cold War history. Decommissioned in April 1976, USS Denebola was struck from the Naval Register later that year and sold for scrapping in December 1976. Her service record highlights her vital role in logistical support across multiple conflicts and Cold War operations, exemplifying the critical function of supply ships in maintaining naval readiness and power projection.

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