The USS Stag (AW-1) was a water distilling ship constructed during World War II, serving as a vital support vessel for the U.S. Navy’s Pacific fleet. Originally laid down as the SS Norman O. Pedrick, a Maritime Commission type (Z-ET1-S-C3) tanker hull (MC hull 1932), she was built by the Delta Shipbuilding Company in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was launched on 7 January 1944 and acquired by the Navy on 16 February 1944, commissioning immediately as USS Stag (IX-128). Conversion to a water distilling ship was carried out by Tampa Shipbuilding Company between March and July 1944. After her shakedown off Galveston, Texas, she proceeded through the Panama Canal to the Southwest Pacific, arriving at Finschhafen, New Guinea, in October 1944. Her primary role was to supply fresh water to fleet units and merchant ships. Following her arrival in New Guinea, she moved to Hollandia and was assigned to Service Squadron 9, Service Force of the 7th Fleet. Her operations extended across the Philippine Archipelago, including Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, Subic Bay, Mindoro, and Manila, where she continued to supply water until mid-1945. In May 1945, Stag supplied water to units at Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies, maintaining her vital logistical role in the Pacific theater until the end of the year. After the cessation of hostilities, she returned to the United States, arriving at Norfolk, Virginia, in early 1946. She was decommissioned on 30 April 1946 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register shortly thereafter. The vessel was transferred to the Maritime Commission, renamed SS Norman O. Pedrick, and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River. She remained in reserve until being scrapped in 1970 in Spain. As a lead vessel of her class, USS Stag played an essential role in the logistical support operations crucial to maintaining fleet effectiveness in the Pacific during World War II, exemplifying the importance of auxiliary ships in naval warfare logistics.

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