MCCULLOUGH-JAMES

James McCullough served in the US Navy from 14 Mar 1946 to 16 Jan 1948. His highest rank was Seaman 1st Class (Storekeeper). Some of his assignments were Basic Training- Great Lakes, IL (March-May 1946); Storekeeper “A” School- Great Lakes, IL (May-Sept 1946); USS PORTMOUTH (CL-102); Atlantic Fleet (late 1946-mid 1947); (Mediterranean area cruise); and USS TACONIC (AGC-17); Atlantic Fleet (mid 1947-1948) (Gulf area cruise).

The USS PORTSMOUTH was laid down by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., 28 June 1943; launched 20 Sep 1944; and commissioned 25 Jun 1945. Following shakedown off Cuba, PORTSMOUTH, based at Norfolk, was employed with the Operational Development Force until the spring of 1946. In May she departed on a goodwill cruise to Africa and after visiting Capetown, Lagos, Freetown, Monrovia, Dakar, and Casablanca, steamed into the Mediterranean for calls at Naples, and Palermo before heading home.

On 25 Nov 1946 PORTSMOUTH got underway to return to the Mediterranean again. Arriving at Naples 7 Dec 1946, she shifted around the peninsula to Trieste at the end of the month and until Feb 1947 cruised in the politically turbulent Adriatic. The following month she returned for another two weeks at Trieste and in April she sailed for the United States. The following November she again steamed east to the Mediterranean, returning to the east coast for overhaul at Boston 11 Mar 1948. On completion of overhaul she resumed type exercises off the eastern seaboard and conducted Naval Reserve training cruises to the Caribbean. On 9 Mar 1949 she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for inactivation overhaul. Decommissioned 15 Jun 1949, she joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in Dec 1970. She was sold for scrapping in Mar 1974.

The USS TACONIC (AGC-17) is an Adirondack-class amphibious force command ship. It was originally laid down in Dec 1944 at Wilmington, North Carolina, under Maritime Commission contract as (MC hull 1710). Acquired by the U.S. Navy, she was completed and commissioned on 17 Jan 1946, at Brooklyn, New York. Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, TACONIC trained cadets and midshipmen in the Atlantic and the Caribbean for the next few years. Following overhaul in 1949, TACONIC was assigned deployments with either the Second and Sixth Fleets. In the summer of 1958, she served as flagship to Commander, Middle East Force, during the Lebanon Crisis. President Dwight D. Eisenhower also utilized TACONIC in the late 1950’s for personal transportation. In the mid-Sixties, she served off Haiti and the Dominican Republic during periods of unrest. In Jul 1969, she was redesignated as LCC-17. Decommissioned on 17 Jul 1969, TACONIC was in the reserves until Dec 1976 and was later sold for scrap in 1982.