The USS Elk (IX-115) was an Armadillo-class tanker built for the United States Navy during World War II. Originally laid down as William Winter by the California Shipbuilding Corporation in Wilmington, Los Angeles, she was launched on November 6, 1943, and delivered directly to the Navy on November 26, 1943, the same day she was commissioned. As an unclassified miscellaneous vessel, she was designated IX-115 and served primarily as a station and fueling tanker during critical operations in the Pacific Theater. Constructed as a tanker, the USS Elk had a vital role in supporting naval operations by transporting and dispensing petroleum products. Her service began with a departure from San Pedro, Los Angeles, on January 12, 1944, heading to Kwajalein, where she served as a station tanker during the assault and occupation of the Marshall Islands. Between February and April 1944, she fueled ships at Kwajalein, and subsequently supported the Marianas campaign by transporting petroleum between Majuro, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok. From June, she operated out of Majuro, fueling destroyers of the Security Patrol tasked with guarding the waters around bypassed Japanese-held islands such as Wotje, Mili, and Jaluit. In September 1944, Elk supplied fuel at Tarawa before moving to Ulithi, arriving on October 15, to support the fast-moving Third and Fifth Fleet operations. Her duties included fueling ships engaged in air and surface strikes against Japanese bases. She continued her support role through 1945, arriving at Okinawa in April to fuel destroyers on the radar picket line. When the war ended, Elk was at Leyte preparing to sail to Okinawa, and later she was stationed at Sasebo, Japan, for occupation duties in September 1945. Decommissioned on May 17, 1946, at Norfolk, Virginia, Elk was returned to the Maritime Commission and received one battle star for her service in World War II. Post-war, she was sold multiple times, renamed several times (Seapearl, Korthi, Aandros County, Kalamas), and ultimately ran ashore near Cape Arago Lighthouse, Oregon, on September 3, 1960. She was scrapped in Oakland, California, in 1962. The USS Elk’s service exemplifies the logistical backbone that supported major naval campaigns across the Pacific during the war.

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