High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! USS Aurelia (AKA-23) was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship named after the minor planet 419 Aurelia. The origin of the name is unknown. USS Aurelia served as a commissioned ship for 17 months. Aurelia (AKA-23) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1884) on 5 February 1944 at Providence, R.I., by the Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc.; launched on 4 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Roy P. Mills; and acquired and commissioned on 14 October 1944, Lt. Comdr. E. G. MacMurdy in command. In early November 1944, the attack cargo ship got underway for shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay. She arrived at Norfolk, Va., on the 23d to embark troops and load cargo, sailed on the 28th for Hawaii via the Panama Canal and reached Pearl Harbor on 17 December.