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USS Audubon (APA-149)
Encyclopedia
USS Audubon (APA-149) was a Haskell-class
attack transport
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
Audubon (MCV hull 814) was laid down on 21 October 1944 by the Kaiser Shipyards
Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington
; launched on 3 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Fons Hughes; acquired by the Navy on 19 December 1944; designated APA-149; and commissioned on 20 December 1944, Capt. J. F. Goodwin in command.
. Upon her arrival, her passengers disembarked, and she began loading more cargo. The attack transport
got underway for Eniwetok on 29 March, reached that atoll
on 6 April, and continued on to Ulithi
on the 11th. There, Audubon took U.S. Army passengers and equipment on board and sailed for Okinawa. She anchored off Hagushi
Beach, on 26 April and began discharging her passengers and cargo.
. After a brief stop there, the ship got underway for Hawaii
. Having topped off her fuel and provisions at Pearl Harbor
, she sailed on to San Francisco, California
, where she arrived on 22 May. The ship was next ordered to Leyte
, Philippines
. She made intermediate stops at Pearl Harbor
, Eniwetok, and Ulithi
before reaching Leyte on 30 June. On 9 July, the ship proceeded to Guadalcanal
to transport Army troops to the Philippines. Following a fuel stop at Hollandia
, New Guinea
, on 17 July, she arrived at Leyte
on 26 July. After disembarking most of her passengers, the ship moved on to Cebu
on 29 July and the remaining contingent left the ship. Audubon paused at Samar
on 2 August, then got underway to return to the United States
.
capitulation, Audubon was in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor
. The transport pulled into San Francisco on 19 August and began a period of voyage repairs. Upon their completion, Audubon joined Operation Magic Carpet and sailed on 31 August, headed for the Philippines
. She arrived at Leyte
on 18 September, then shifted to Samar
on the 20th. While at Samar, Audubon developed mechanical problems which necessitated a period of drydocking. In early October, the ship was ordered back to California
. On 22 October, she began an availability period at San Pedro, California.
Audubon sailed once again for the Philippines on 11 November. After negotiating heavy seas, the attack transport arrived at Manila
on 1 December. Thirty-six hours later, she sailed with almost 2,000 passengers embarked and reached San Francisco on 20 December.
Audubon began 1946 making preparations for a trip to Yokosuka, Japan. However, just before she was due to leave, he; orders were cancelled; and she sailed on 11 January for the east coast of the United States. She transited the Panama Canal
on 20 January and reached Norfolk, Virginia
, on 27 January.
, and laid up in the James River, Virginia. She was sold on 9 April 1973 to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., of New York City
, and scrapped.
service
Haskell class attack transport
Haskell-class attack transports were amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy created in 1944. They were designed to transport 1,500 troops and their combat equipment, and land them on hostile shores with the ships' integral landing craft....
attack transport
Attack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
Audubon (MCV hull 814) was laid down on 21 October 1944 by the Kaiser Shipyards
Kaiser Shipyards
The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located mostly on the U.S. west coast during World War II. They were owned by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, a creation of American industrialist Henry J...
Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
; launched on 3 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Fons Hughes; acquired by the Navy on 19 December 1944; designated APA-149; and commissioned on 20 December 1944, Capt. J. F. Goodwin in command.
World War II service
Following shakedown at San Pedro, California, the attack cargo ship sailed on 24 February for Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. Upon her arrival, her passengers disembarked, and she began loading more cargo. The attack transport
Attack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
got underway for Eniwetok on 29 March, reached that atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
on 6 April, and continued on to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
on the 11th. There, Audubon took U.S. Army passengers and equipment on board and sailed for Okinawa. She anchored off Hagushi
Hagushi
Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American supplies during the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. The bay, at the mouth of the Bishi River , was the dividing line between the First and Sixth US Marine divisions, which landed on the Hagushi beaches to the north, and the Seventh...
Beach, on 26 April and began discharging her passengers and cargo.
From Okinawa to Saipan to Guadalcanal to the Philippines
Audubon departed Okinawa on 30 April and headed for SaipanSaipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
. After a brief stop there, the ship got underway for Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Having topped off her fuel and provisions at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, she sailed on to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where she arrived on 22 May. The ship was next ordered to Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She made intermediate stops at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Eniwetok, and Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
before reaching Leyte on 30 June. On 9 July, the ship proceeded to Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
to transport Army troops to the Philippines. Following a fuel stop at Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, on 17 July, she arrived at Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
on 26 July. After disembarking most of her passengers, the ship moved on to Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
on 29 July and the remaining contingent left the ship. Audubon paused at Samar
Samar
Samar, formerly and also known as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catbalogan City and covers the western portion of Samar as well as several islands in the Samar Sea located to the west of the mainland...
on 2 August, then got underway to return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
End-of-war operations
At the time of the JapaneseEmpire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
capitulation, Audubon was in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. The transport pulled into San Francisco on 19 August and began a period of voyage repairs. Upon their completion, Audubon joined Operation Magic Carpet and sailed on 31 August, headed for the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She arrived at Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
on 18 September, then shifted to Samar
Samar
Samar, formerly and also known as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catbalogan City and covers the western portion of Samar as well as several islands in the Samar Sea located to the west of the mainland...
on the 20th. While at Samar, Audubon developed mechanical problems which necessitated a period of drydocking. In early October, the ship was ordered back to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. On 22 October, she began an availability period at San Pedro, California.
Audubon sailed once again for the Philippines on 11 November. After negotiating heavy seas, the attack transport arrived at Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
on 1 December. Thirty-six hours later, she sailed with almost 2,000 passengers embarked and reached San Francisco on 20 December.
Audubon began 1946 making preparations for a trip to Yokosuka, Japan. However, just before she was due to leave, he; orders were cancelled; and she sailed on 11 January for the east coast of the United States. She transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on 20 January and reached Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, on 27 January.
Post-war decommissioning
The ship was decommissioned on 19 February 1946, returned to the Maritime Commission on 13 March 1946, placed in the National Defense Reserve FleetNational Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
, and laid up in the James River, Virginia. She was sold on 9 April 1973 to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and scrapped.
Military awards and honors
Audubon earned one battle star for her World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service