Ship of the Month
USS Rankin (AKA-103)
One sunny morning back in April, an unusual working party was assembled aboard the attack cargo ship USS Rankin (AKA-103). Specially selected and called topside for a painting detail were Glennie Dingle, FN, Clark H. Singleton, GM2, and William A. Foster, BT3—all five-year men aboard the Atlantic Fleet ship.     The occasion was the emblazoning of a gold 'E' on Rankin's stack to honor her incredible five straight Battle Efficiency Awards—the first time that such a feat had been accomplished in the history of the Atlantic Fleet. And the three proudly  wielding the brushes had been aboard Rankin all during that period of outstanding service, charter members of a dedicated crew.	Not only has Rankin's achievement established a record but it has also been instrumental in necessitating the authorization for a uniform change. By special order of Admiral Robert E. Dennison, Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet, Rankin sailors are permitted to wear a gold 'E' on their arms. (At a captain's inspection recently a visiting officer was heard to comment "With all these gold-marked sleeves, this line up looks like morning quarters at the Newport War College.")     Built in Boston, Mass., Rankin was first put in service in early 1945 and got to the Pacific theater during the closing months, of WWII—just in time to brave the Kamikazes and participate in the invasion of Okinawa. After the war the	10,000 ton, 459 foot AKA was placed in the reserve fleet and there she lay until 1952 when she was again put in service.     In the years since recommissioning she has compiled a truly fantastic record. The Battle Efficiency 'E' has been hers in six of the eight years—including an unprecedented five straight from 1956 through 1960. During that time she won every award open to an Amphibious ship—the Engineering Red 'E', the Communications Green 'E', Gunnery Awards for both her 40MM batteries and her 5-inch mount, and the Assault Boat Coxswain Insignia. In 1958 she added the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Award to her already imposing array, making that a grand slam year in which Rankin held every possible award simultaneously.
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Although Rankin is an auxiliary ship, it would be an error to assume that she is short on offensive potential. While it is true that he carries no sleek missiles pointed menacingly toward the sky nor can she launch screaming jets to rain destruction on an enemy, she does possess a main battery as powerful in its way as any afloat—her deck-load of sixteen landing craft poised to carry an amphibious attack force of Marines to an enemy beach.     The assault squadron is made up of eight LCM's (Landing Craft, Mechanized), six LCVP's (Landing Craft, Vehicle Personnel) and two LCPL's (Landing Craft, Personnel, Large). After getting the men ashore during a landing it is also the Rankin's job to provide them with their heavy equipment and, with her booms manned by sailors killed in special Amphibious operations, all seven cargo hatches are kept busy disgorging guns, vehicles and supplies in the order they're needed by the invasion troops.     This is made possible by the tech-nique, elevated to a fine art aboard Rankin, known as combat loading. While other auxiliaries are loaded to capacity to take advantage every available pace, attack cargo ships are never loaded to their Plimsoll marks. Instead cargo is arranged in such a way that any piece of equipment can be made immediately available and sent beachward as soon as the landing force needs it.     The skill required to load this way and the hours of drill needed to develop the necessary sureness at cargo handling, makes for a rough schedule for Rankin men—but it pays off in the satisfaction that proceeds from the knowledge that they are always ready where they are needed, and always capable of doing the little bit more that often makes the big difference.	GOLD "E": From left to right Glennie Dingle FN, Clark Singleton, GM2, and William Foster, BT3, proudly finish painting the gold "E." LUNCH BREAK: Hatch crews, used to working around the clock during battle conditions, grab a bite of lunch as the unloading continues around them.

.     As can be surmised from the foregoing, duty on the Rankin is not glamorous. It is simply hard work, sometimes dangerous and usually prolonged almost beyond endurance.     Such being the story of an attack cargo ship, a ship devoid of the prodigious weapons, the capabilities, comforts and conveniences of more modern ships— how has Rankin managed to win and keep on winning an award that is the envy of the fleet?     The present CO, CAPT T. F. Howe, is but one of six who have commended Rankin during her 'E' years, and the	faces of the crewmen are different, too, but still it is not difficult to perceive the motivating force that has made winning awards commonplace for Rankin.     The reason for her impressive record is—ATTITUDE. The Rankin has made a tradition of excelling.     An esprit-de-corps has been devel-oped and the newcomer, knowingly or not, absorbs a desire for collective excellence, and for the continuance of Rankin's pre-eminence.     He is offered those two indispens-ables to high morale: pride and a challenge. No one who comes aboard	wants to prove less capable or less worthy than his predecessor, and, since Rankin has never been second best, no one is about to let her start slipping now.    Rankin's assault boats are marked with the large identification letters RN, and for years Rankin men have proudly boasted that they stand for 'Ready Now'. Determined to maintain their high standards and keep the gold 'E' they recently added a secondary meaning— 'Relax Never'. With a spirit like that and the determination to back it up, Rankin's stack is liable to remain a gaudy gold for at least another decade. 555
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