The Taconic was laid down under Maritime Commission Contract (MC Hull 1710) at North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp. at Wilmington, N.C. in December of 1944.  She had a standard maritime C-2 hull, 459' 2" in length, 65' in the beam, and displacing 12-13,000 tons under fully loaded conditions.  Geared general electric turbines developed 6,000 HSP, at full speed, to drive the ship at about 16 knots.  She was of the Adirondak class of ships and was sponsored by Mrs. O.W. Turner and launched on 10 February 1945.

Conversion to an Amphibious Force Flagship at the Atlantic Basin Iron Works in Brooklyn, N.Y., led to the Taconic's commissioning there on 17 January 1946.  Capt. C.G. Christie was placed in command.

The Amphibious Force Flagship was a relatively new type of ship which was designed primarily to meet the requirements of all the forces engaged in Amphibious Assault Operations.  Besides furnishing all the communication facilities, the AGC was required to supply forces with aerological, photographic, and cartographic services and also provide facilities for printing and operational displays.  Some of the less familiar spaces had names suggesting the role the AGC played in landing operations- "War Command Room", "Joint Operations", "Commanding General", and "Combat Information Center."

The main deck of the Taconic was used for officer's quarters, ward room and sick bay.  The upper decks were for the Admiral and his Chief of Staff's quarters; living accommodations for the Staff Officers; the Captain and Exec's cabins; Navigational and flag bridges with Allied Tactical and Operational offices.  Below the main deck was located the ship and staff office spaces, crew's mess, crew's living spaces and storerooms.  There were accommodations for a wartime complement of approximately 200 officers and 1200 enlisted.  The principal characteristic of the ship was its extensive radio, radar, and communication equipment for controlling and commanding the complex elements of an amphibious operation.

The messing facilities consisted of crew's mess, chief petty officer's mess, officer's mess, wardroom mess, captain's mess, and admiral's mess, each with its own galley ranges, scullery and ice boxes.

To maintain the health of the crew, a completely equipped sick bay was provided which included 2 wards totaling 20 beds, dispensary, treatment room, pharmacy, operating room, x-ray lab, and a complete dental unit.

For the comfort and morale of all hands, the following services were provided:  library and crew's recreation room, laundry, post office, tailor shop, cobbler shop, 2 barber shops, clothing and small stores sales room, a ship's store (tobacco, candy, etc.), and an ice cream fountain.  When operation and weather conditions permitted, movies were shown topside in the evening.  Otherwise they were shown below decks.

The facilities for printed and photographic reproductions were ideally suited for the production of amphibious sketches and the other graphic material required in a seaborne assault.  In addition to a well-equipped photographic laboratory, there was a print shop for letterpress printing, and a map reproduction unit for printing by the offset lithographic process.  The print shop was equipped with two presses, a power paper cutter, stitcher, paper drill, and necessary equipment for hand type-setting.  The map reproduction equipment consisted of a dark-room type camera, lithographic press and all the necessary plate-making and drafting equipment.

For fire power the ship had a dual purpose anti-aircraft and machine-gun battery totaling 20 barrels, distributed as follows:  two 5 inch/38 double purpose guns, four 40mm twin machine gun mounts, four 20mm twin machine gun mounts, and two 3 pound saluting guns.  To control this battery there were two main battery directors and four 40mm directors.

The engineering plant was a standard maritime arrangement consisting of one set of General Electric turbines, with a double reduction gear, developing a total of 6,000 horsepower at 92 propeller rpm, and two combustion engineering co. boilers with a designed working pressure of 440psi.  Integral superheaters were installed raising steam temperature of 292° F, with a total steam outlet temperature of 750° F.  For electrical power the ship was provided with three 500KW turbo-generators, plus two 100KW emergency diesel generators and two 75KW/AC motor generators.  Fresh water was produced by two sets of Grisco-Russel navy-type low pressure evaporators with maximum output per set of 20,000 gallons every 24 hours.  Air conditioning units, with a total capacity of 11.3 tons of refrigerant, cooled the following spaces: Radio One, Combat Information Center, Joint Operations, Main Communications, Map Reproduction, and War Command Room.  The ship had a total of 24 fuel oil stowage tanks, carrying 831,249 gallons of fuel oil at 95% capacity, giving the ship a cruising radius of 36,800 miles at the economical speed of 11 knots.

Soon after commissioning, in January 1946, the Taconic proceeded on a shake-down cruise of four weeks in the Chesapeake Bay Area.  After this cruise, she underwent post-shakedown repairs and minor alterations at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.  In March of 1946 she became the Flagship of Adm. R.O. Davis, who was commander Amphibious Group 2, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

In June, July and August of 1946, the Taconic participated in Amphibious Warfare Maneuvers in the Chesapeake Bay which involved joint training for Military Academy cadets and midshipmen from the Naval Academy.  This operation was called "CAMID" and was designated as "CAMID I."  Between June 1946 and June 1949, she participated in "CAMID I,II, and III."  Each spring the Amphibious Force Flagship joined the Atlantic Fleet Maneuvers carried out in the Caribbean Area.  The Taconic served alternately as Flagship of the Atlantic Amphibious Force and Amphibious Groups 2 and 4.  She participated in many training exercises in Norfolk's "Camp Pendleton" and Camp LeJune's "Onslow Beach" areas, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the spring of 1947 the Taconic participated in fleet maneuvers around the island of Puerto Rico,  the paramount operation being the large scale bombardment and subsequent 'invasion' of the island of Culebra.  In October she paid a 'Navy Day' visit to Houston, Texas and then participated in "Exercise Seminole", an operation in the Gulf of Mexico.  Upon completion of the exercise, the Taconic was welcome by New Orleans for a 10-day liberty period.  She then sailed for her home port of Norfolk.  (The Taconic remained in service for 20+ years, retaining Norfolk as her home port the entire time.)

In February 1948 the Taconic took a major part in the Atlantic Fleet Spring Maneuvers as Flagship, Commander Joint Expeditionary Force.  After she had participated in the maneuvers, she visited several of the Caribbean islands before returning to Norfolk.

In June 1949, following a yard overhaul at Norfolk, the Taconic took part in "Operation Diaper", the transportation of Navy men and their dependents from the Canal Zone to Norfolk.

The Taconic participated in numerous exercises both with the 2nd and 6th fleets, as well as units of "NATO."  One such exercise was in 1952 as Force Flagship for Comphibgru.4 on a northern cruise.  The Taconic left Norfolk in June for a trek to Thule, Greenland, crossing the Arctic Circle on 24 June amid much fanfare.  She dropped anchor in North Star Bay in the shadow of Mt. Dundas.  The reason for her presence was to provide stores and equipment for the air base at Thule.  The Admiral, with his staff embarked on the Taconic, was in command of the whole operation.  The cruise was marred by an encounter with a very large iceberg- and the Taconic lost!  She arrived safely back in Norfolk on 25 August.

1953 was one year that the Taconic didn't see much of her home port.  During February and March she participated in a Caribbean cruise and operation which took her to Vieques (where Marine landings took place), Venezuela, Trinidad and back to Norfolk in time for Easter.  But she was not to remain there long.  May saw her departing for the Med to relieve the Adirondak in Naples, Italy.  While tied up in Naples, the Taconic served as Flagship for Commander Fleet Air, Eastern Atlantic and Med and acted as communications relay for Southern Europe.  'Basket leave' included trips around Italy, Germany and Austria.  The highlight of this cruise, for many, was an audience with the Pope.  September and October found her joining the 6th Fleet in "NATO" exercises labeled "Operation Weld Fast", where American Marines were joined by forces from Turkey, Greece and Great Britain.  Liberty in Athens concluded her stay and she headed for Norfolk, arriving at the end of October.  (Her trip home was marred by a 'parting gift' of rotten eggs, used to make the infamous bread pudding that made most of the crew extremely sick!)

In 1956, the Taconic again returned to the Med, this time as Flagship of the Task Force carrying the reinforced Second Battalion Eighth Marine Regiment.

After completing her regular shipyard availability in March 1957, Taconic carried President Eisenhower's limousine and staff cars to Bermuda, where she furnished communications support for the meeting between the President and Prime Minister MacMillan of Great Britain.  She participated in "Operation Caribex" in April, as Flagship of Comphibgru.4 and Radm. W.K. Romoser.  The exercise reached its climax with the landing of Marines by air and sea on the coast of Panama.  She then returned to the Med to participate in "Operation Combine".  The Italian and English navies also took part.  The Taconic returned to Norfolk in October.  The Amphibious Flagship Taconic was deployed to the Med on eight different occasions.

In March 1958, Taconic participated in "Lantphibex 1-59" as Flagship for Radm. R.W. Cavenagh.  A landing was conducted at 'Onslow Beach'.  Summer found her back in the Med serving as Flagship for Adm. Holloway, Commander Middle East Force.  She became a floating command post and nerve center for all of the military, and some of the political aspect of the Lebanese intervention.  Off Beirut, she became the principal communications link between U.S. Military Forces in Lebanon, the Eastern Med and Washington.  The Taconic was the first ship to enter Beirut Harbor after the U.S. Forces landed in Lebanon.  The Admiral responsible for the security of his forces, had to be concerned with the whole broad spectrum of Middle East activity.  His Intelligence Officer received all the latest estimates available to Washington, pertinent to the area.  The Operations Officer planned and helped coordinate all operations by sea, land and air, by U.S. Forces.  Taconic provided a system of radio frequencies that enabled the voice of the Supreme Command to be transmitted thousands of miles away.

In November 1959 the Taconic served as communication and support to President Eisenhower during the Pakistan-Afghanistan-India leg of his visit to a number of European and Asian countries.  Part of this tour included a visit to Port Said, Egypt and passage through the Suez Canal for the Taconic.  With a pilot on board, the Taconic, the first of a ten-ship convoy, entered the canal at 1a.m., 24 November.  Light was provided by large searchlights which had been rigged on the bow, hanging over the stem of the ship, so that two sides of the canal were illuminated for a mile ahead.  However, the passage was not without incident.  The following teletype was sent by UPI, Dateline Cairo, 24 November 1959:
Northbound shipping in the Suez Canal was interrupted today when the U.S. Navy Supply Ship Taconic AGC-17 became grounded at the southern entrance of the waterway.  Canal authorities said the grounding resulted from engine and steering gear trouble.  The Taconic held up 14 other ships moving in the northbound convoy.  Officials said they hope to free the vessel at high tide later today.

When not deployed with the 6th Fleet, the Taconic operated with the 2nd Fleet in the Western Atlantic and in the Caribbean.  The bulk of operations consisted of exercises, but on one occasion the Taconic tied up in a Caribbean port and pumped fresh water ashore to a drought affected island.  In 1963 she also patrolled the coast of Haiti during political unrest in that country.  She returned to the Caribbean area for special duty again in May and June of 1965, during similar troubles in the Dominican Republic.

In January 1969, at the beginning of her last year in service, Taconic was overhauled and then redesignated "LCC-17".  Following a shakedown cruise to Cuba, 12 months of operations, and preparations for decommissioning, the Amphibious Force Flagship Taconic was placed out of commission, in reserve, 17 December 1969 at Norfolk, her home port.  She was berthed in the James River reserve fleet until 1979.  The Taconic was sold for scrap in 1979, bringing to a close her busy career.