| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | Kanawha River in southwest West Virginia |
| Ordered | as T1-M-A2 tanker hull |
| Laid down | 30 August 1944 |
| Launched | 18 October 1944 |
| Acquired | 13 November 1944 |
| Commissioned | 23 November 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 23 March 1946 |
| Stricken | date unknown |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1964 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1,228 long tons deadweight (DWT) |
| Displacement | 846 tons(lt) 2,270 tons(fl) |
| Length | 220 ft 6 in |
| Beam | 37 ft |
| Draft | 17 ft |
| Propulsion | Diesel direct drive, single screw, 720 hp |
| Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement | 62 |
| Armament | one single 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mount, two 40 mm guns, three single 20 mm gun mounts |
USS Kanawha (AOG-31) was a T1-M-A2 Mettawee-class gasoline tanker acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations.
The fourth ship to be named Kanawha by the Navy, AOG-31 was laid down 30 August 1944 by the East Coast Shipyard, Inc., Bayonne, New Jersey, under a United States Maritime Commission contract; launched 18 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. May T. Norton; transferred to the Navy 13 November; and commissioned 23 November 1944.