USS Vega (AK-17) was a Sirius-class cargo ship of the United States Navy, originally constructed as the Lebanon, a steel-hulled Type 1022 freighter built by the American International Shipbuilding Co. at Hog Island, Pennsylvania. Laid down on 8 July 1918 and launched on 18 July 1919, the vessel was acquired by the Navy on 2 December 1921, renamed Vega, and commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 21 December 1921. Vega’s design featured a single screw propulsion system, typical of early 20th-century cargo ships, and she was tasked with logistical support across vast oceanic regions. Throughout her service, she operated primarily in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, undertaking cargo runs that included visits to east and west coast ports, the Far East, and the Caribbean. Notably, from 1922 to 1924, she completed six round-trip voyages from San Francisco to Asiatic waters. During the summers of 1925 to 1928, Vega supported Alaskan naval stations, carrying supplies and stores, and was involved in missions supporting Marine peacekeeping efforts in Nicaragua, transporting general freight, heavy guns, and ordnance parts. On December 7, 1941, Vega was at Honolulu, Hawaii, laden with ammunition for the Naval Ammunition Depot and an Army derrick barge, when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. She went to general quarters and engaged her anti-aircraft guns, surviving the attack unscathed. Following this, she supported operations in Hawaii and the west coast, transporting cargo including civilian automobiles, pineapples, and dependents’ gear, before operating out of Tacoma and Seattle from 1942 to early 1944, providing vital supplies to the Aleutian Islands during the Pacific campaign. In 1944, Vega supported major amphibious operations in the Marianas, Caroline Islands, and Okinawa, delivering construction materials, pontoon barges, and ammunition. She notably shot down a Japanese twin-engine bomber during a raid at Okinawa. After the war, she was decommissioned on 15 January 1946, struck from the Navy List in March, and sold for scrapping in August 1946. Throughout her service, Vega earned four battle stars and the Combat Action Ribbon for her role in World War II, marking her as a vital logistical vessel in the Pacific theater.

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