The USS Procyon (AF-61) was an Alstede-class stores ship that served with the United States Navy from 1961 to 1972, having previously operated in commercial service from 1943 to 1961. The vessel was originally laid down on 15 April 1942 as MC hull No. 188 by the Moore Dry Dock Company in Oakland, California. She was launched on 1 July 1942 under the name SS Flying Scud, sponsored by Mrs. Carl W. Flesher. During her early commercial career, she was operated by the United Fruit Company from August 1943 to September 1946 under a General Agency Agreement with the Maritime Commission, and subsequently by Pacific Far East Lines, Inc., under a bareboat charter from September 1946 to October 1948. She then transferred to the General Steamship Corporation and was laid up at Suisun Bay, California, in October 1948, before being re-chartered by Pacific Far East Lines in December 1948. The vessel was placed in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay in February 1956. The U.S. Navy acquired her on 8 August 1961, and after conversion at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, she was commissioned as USS Procyon (AF-61) on 24 November 1961. The ship was designated to carry supplies, primarily provisions, to support U.S. naval operations. Following her commissioning, Procyon participated in testing Fast at Sea Transfer (FAST) equipment before deploying to the Western Pacific in June 1962. She operated primarily around Sasebo, Japan, supporting the U.S. 7th Fleet, and undertook multiple WestPac deployments, including support during the Vietnam War, where she provided logistical support off the coast of Vietnam, including Yankee Station and Operation Market Time patrols. USS Procyon earned ten campaign stars for her service during the Vietnam War. She remained in service with the Pacific Fleet until her decommissioning on 4 February 1972. The ship was struck from the Naval Register in 1976, returned to the Maritime Administration in 1981, and ultimately scrapped in Taiwan in 1986. Her service record highlights her role in logistical support during a significant period of U.S. naval operations in the Pacific and Vietnam.

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