The USS Neches (AO-5) was a fleet oiler constructed by the Boston Navy Yard, laid down on June 8, 1919, and launched on June 2, 1920. Sponsored by Miss Helen Griffin, daughter of Rear Admiral Robert Griffin, she was commissioned on October 25, 1920. Initially classified as Fuel Ship No. 17, she served along the East Coast with the Atlantic Fleet, performing vital fleet fuel duties, participating in tactical exercises, carrying mail, and towing targets. She also made multiple trips to Port Arthur, Texas, for fuel oil and gasoline. In early March 1922, she refueled at Fall River, Massachusetts, then moved to Norfolk, Virginia, before relocating to her new home port at Mare Island, California, and subsequently San Diego. During her service life, she underwent an overhaul at Mare Island starting May 1, 1926, where a hydraulic gasoline stowage system was installed. Over the next 15 years, Neches was a busy vessel, fueling fleet units, developing tactical procedures, and supplying oil to bases in the Panama Canal Zone, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. Neches was present at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. She arrived there on December 10, rapidly off-loading her cargo, and soon returned to San Pedro to resupply for further operations. She later towed the damage control hulk DCH 1, formerly USS Walker, which was scuttled by gunfire from Neches on December 28, 1941. On January 22, 1942, Neches departed Pearl Harbor as the refueling ship for the USS Lexington task force. Early in her voyage, she was attacked by a Japanese submarine, I-72. At approximately 03:10, she was struck by a dud torpedo, followed by a second torpedo at 03:19 that caused extensive flooding. Despite returning fire on the submarine, Neches was hit again at 03:28, sustaining further damage. The ship gradually listed and sank at 04:37, about 120 nautical miles west of Pearl Harbor, with the loss of 57 crew members. Survivors, including her commanding officer, Commander William Bartlett Fletcher, Jr., were rescued over the following hours. Fletcher, the son of Rear Admiral William Bartlett Fletcher, Sr., survived and later achieved the rank of rear admiral. The sinking of USS Neches marked a significant event in early U.S. naval operations during World War II, exemplifying the perils faced by support vessels in wartime.

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