USS Stag (AW-1)

USS Stag (AW-1)

USS Stag (AW-1) was one of four water distilling ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. The lead ship in her class, she was named for a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae.

Originally laid down as the SS Norman O. Pedrick on 13 November 1943 a Maritime Commission type (Z-ET1-S-C3) tanker hull (MC hull 1932) under Maritime Commission by the Delta Shipbuilding Company of New Orleans, Louisiana; launched on 7 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Parks B. Pedrick; acquired by the Navy from the War Shipping Administration under a bareboat charter on 16 February 1944; and commissioned the same day as USS Stag (IX-128) with Lieutenant Emery A. Winckler in command.