her water distilling and issuing duties there. Wildcat got underway for Manila on the morning of 25 April, but grounded on a pinnacle near the approach channel to San Pedro Bay at 0855. After she was refloated, she proceeded to Manicani Island, Samar, where she was dry-docked in ABSD-5 on 31 May for repairs to her damaged hull. She remained there until 4 July, when she shifted to YFD-21 for the remainder of the repairs. Upon completion of that hull work, Wildcat undocked on 19 July, headed for Manila on 24 July, and arrived on 26 July to assume duties there as station ship. Anchored in Manila Bay when news of Japan's final capitulation came on V-J Day (15 August 1945), Wildcats sailors witnessed the "riotous celebrations, skyrockets and light displays" which accompanied that welcome news. Wildcat later moved to Subic Bay, Luzon, but returned to Manila on 5 September to resume distilling and distributing potable water to the various ships and small craft. The distilling ship remained in Philippine waters through the autumn of 1945 and headed home to the United States in December. Wildcat was slated to be returned to the War Shipping Administration for disposal at Norfolk, Virginia, in mid-1946, but the ship was retained for use in Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. Wildcat subsequently performed support tasks with Joint Task Force 1 in the summer of 1946. Declared "radiologically cleared," (free from radioactive contamination) the distilling ship was released from "Crossroads" on 11 September 1946. Decommissioned at the 13th Naval District on 17 January 1947 and returned to the War Shipping Administration that day, the erstwhile water distilling ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 10 June 1947. She was laid up at Olympia, Washington, with the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Wildcat was eventually broken up for scrap sometime in the mid-1970s. References Stag-class distilling ships World War II distilling ships of the United States World War II auxiliary ships of the United States 1944 ships Ships built in New Orleans