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USS Beckham (APA-133)
Encyclopedia
USS Beckham (APA-133) was a acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
Beckham (APA-133) was laid down on 27 July 1944 at San Pedro, California by the California Shipbuilding Co., under a Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 49); launched on 14 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Frank J. Connolly of Los Angeles, California
; and commissioned at San Pedro, California, on 10 December 1944, Capt. Albin R. Sodergren in command.
. From 6 to 19 January, she carried out amphibious training in Coronado Roads, off San Clemente Island
, and at Oceanside, California
. After availability at San Pedro, Beckham shifted to the San Francisco, California
, area, loaded cargo at Oakland, California
, and got underway on 8 February for the Marshall Islands
. The ship reached Eniwetok atoll on Washington' Birthday and—after discharging cargo for the U.S. Marine Corps
garrison on Engebi Island -- lingered there awaiting onward routing.
Assigned to Task Unit (TU) 12.6.2, Beckham departed Eniwetok on 2 March in a convoy
bound for the Volcano Islands
. At night her men could hear airplane engines as Boeing B 29 "Superfortresses"
winged their way toward Japan
to carry out some of the first massed raids on Tokyo
. The convoy proceeded to, and then marked time in, a rendezvous area approximately 100 miles southeast of Iwo Jima
.
, V Amphibious Corps
commander, announced an end to "all organized resistance" on Iwo Jima. Crowded conditions off the island's east coast prompted Beckham to shift her anchorage a number of times before 18 March when she began taking on board elements of the 4th Marine Division. Underway on 20 March in convoy with task unit TU 51.29.2, Beckham headed for the Marianas
. She reached Apra Harbor
, Guam
, on 22 March, transferred landing craft
to the Pacific Amphibious Forces Replacement Boat Pool, and embarked additional marines. Pushing on via Eniwetok, the ship reached Pearl Harbor
on 4 April.
, she returned to Pearl Harbor on 7 April and devoted the next few days to ship's work and taking on fuel, water, and supplies. She got underway again on 20 April for a week of intensive amphibious exercises at Maalea Bay, Maui. Another few days back at Pearl Harbor followed, and then Beckham shifted to Honolulu harbor on the morning of 4 May. There, she embarked several Army units and sailed on 8 May for the Marshalls in convoy PD-399T.
on 24 May, Beckham and her passengers awaited orders which finally came on 20 June. Underway that day, she headed for the Ryūkyūs
in convoy WOK-27, arrived off Okinawa's Hagushi
beachhead on the afternoon of 24 June, and commenced disembarking troops and unloading cargo.
attacks posed a serious threat to the "fleet that came to stay" as it supported the conquest of Okinawa
. That evening, she went to general quarters
and started her smoke generators as part of an effort to blanket the area with a chemical fog to conceal the fleet. The next night, Beckham again set Condition I watches; and, at 0030 on the 26th, a kamikaze
crashed into the sea close aboard the amphibious command ship , 1,000 yards off Beckham's starboard beam.
on 2 July, she disembarked casualties from Okinawa. Then, after taking on Army and Army Air Force men bound for Pearl Harbor, she got underway for Hawaii
. After her escort was detached on the 10th, Beckham zig-zagged her way to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on the 13th. Shifting to Honolulu on the 23d, the attack transport embarked passengers and loaded cargo and stores before getting underway for Eniwetok on 26 July. Ending the first leg of this voyage to the western Pacific on 3 August, Beckham sailed with task unit TU 96.6.17 and reached Ulithi on the 8th. However, the end of the war in the Pacific overtook her in mid-August while she lay in the Western Carolines
.
(formerly Chemulpo and later Inchon), on 5 September as part of amphibious convoy TU 78.1.15 under Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey
, Commander, 7th Amphibious Force. The escort carrier provided air cover. Elements of the Army's 7th Infantry Division and XXIV Corps were to carry out the landings.
and 30 British, some of whom had been in captivity since the fall of Singapore
in February 1942. Later, 150 British Army officers, also Singapore veterans, were discovered at Seoul
and released.
The attack transport
got underway for the Philippines
on 22 September and reached Guiuan Roadstead, off Samar
, on the 25th. Underway again on 5 October, Beckham skirted another typhoon on the 7th. During her voyage she sighted six floating mines which destroyed. At night, Beckham used her searchlights to spot drifting ordnance. The similarities between mines and the many large, rust-colored jellyfish
which floated just below the surface of the water taxed her lookouts.
, on 14 October, Beckham discharged passengers and cargo for Tientsin before proceeding to the Shantung Peninsula. She disembarked the remainder of her passengers and unloaded cargo at Tsingtao before sailing on the 27th. Beckham arrived at Manila
on the morning of 3 November and sailed for San Francisco on the 6th with 1,970 passengers, a capacity load of military humanity that spilled into the cargo holds and onto the decks. Beckham refueled at Midway Island and entered the Golden Gate
on 26 November. The attack transport then sailed for Hunters' Point
for "minor repairs and reconditioning of underwater hull", repairs that continued into December.
, on 2 January 1946. Departing Samar on 7 January with another full load of returnees, she reached Seattle on the 26th. Troop disembarkation and brief repairs preceded the ship's sailing on 8 February for San Francisco. Reaching there on the 10th, Beckham then shifted to San Pedro, California, four days later.
. Transiting the Panama Canal
on the 24th, she reached her destination on 7 March. Decommissioned at Norfolk on 25 April 1946, Beckham was turned over to the War Shipping Administration
on 29 April 1946. Her name was struck from the Navy List
on 8 May 1946, and she was berthed with the Maritime Commission's National Defense Reserve Fleet
. The former attack transport remained inactive until sold on 5 September 1974 to Sparreboom Shipbrokers to be broken up for scrap.
service.
Beckham (APA-133) was laid down on 27 July 1944 at San Pedro, California by the California Shipbuilding Co., under a Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 49); launched on 14 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Frank J. Connolly of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
; and commissioned at San Pedro, California, on 10 December 1944, Capt. Albin R. Sodergren in command.
World War II service
On 18 December 1944, the attack transport commenced her shakedown in the San Pedro area and, on 3 January 1945, proceeded to San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. From 6 to 19 January, she carried out amphibious training in Coronado Roads, off San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
, and at Oceanside, California
Oceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...
. After availability at San Pedro, Beckham shifted to the 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...
, area, loaded cargo at Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and got underway on 8 February for the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. The ship reached Eniwetok atoll on Washington' Birthday and—after discharging cargo for the U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
garrison on Engebi Island -- lingered there awaiting onward routing.
Assigned to Task Unit (TU) 12.6.2, Beckham departed Eniwetok on 2 March in a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
bound for the Volcano Islands
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
. At night her men could hear airplane engines as Boeing B 29 "Superfortresses"
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
winged their way toward Japan
Empire 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...
to carry out some of the first massed raids on Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The convoy proceeded to, and then marked time in, a rendezvous area approximately 100 miles southeast of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
.
Supporting Iwo Jima operations
On the night of the 13th, Beckham and her consorts moved into their assigned places off Iwo Jima. Beckham stood offshore, witnessing the 25th Marines' mop-up of the last pocket of enemy soldiers in an area studded by caves and emplacements. By 1030 on 16 March, Major General General Harry Schmidt (USMC)Harry Schmidt (USMC)
General Harry Schmidt served as Commanding General of the Fourth Marine Division during the Marshall Islands campaign and the Battle of Saipan, and as Commanding General of the Fifth Amphibious Corps during the battles of Tinian and Iwo Jima, during World War II...
, V Amphibious Corps
V Amphibious Corps
The V Amphibious Corps was a formation of the United States Marine Corps and was composed of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions during World War II. They were the amphibious landing force for the United States Fifth Fleet and were notably involved in the battles for Tarawa and Saipan in 1944...
commander, announced an end to "all organized resistance" on Iwo Jima. Crowded conditions off the island's east coast prompted Beckham to shift her anchorage a number of times before 18 March when she began taking on board elements of the 4th Marine Division. Underway on 20 March in convoy with task unit TU 51.29.2, Beckham headed for the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. She reached Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, on 22 March, transferred landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
to the Pacific Amphibious Forces Replacement Boat Pool, and embarked additional marines. Pushing on via Eniwetok, the ship reached 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...
on 4 April.
Sailing for the Marshall Islands
After disembarking the marines at Kahului on MauiMaui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, she returned to Pearl Harbor on 7 April and devoted the next few days to ship's work and taking on fuel, water, and supplies. She got underway again on 20 April for a week of intensive amphibious exercises at Maalea Bay, Maui. Another few days back at Pearl Harbor followed, and then Beckham shifted to Honolulu harbor on the morning of 4 May. There, she embarked several Army units and sailed on 8 May for the Marshalls in convoy PD-399T.
Disembarking troops at Okinawa
Beckham fueled at Eniwetok before resuming her voyage on 20 May. Reaching UlithiUlithi
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 24 May, Beckham and her passengers awaited orders which finally came on 20 June. Underway that day, she headed for the Ryūkyūs
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
in convoy WOK-27, arrived off Okinawa's 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...
beachhead on the afternoon of 24 June, and commenced disembarking troops and unloading cargo.
Under attack by kamikaze
KamikazeKamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attacks posed a serious threat to the "fleet that came to stay" as it supported the conquest of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
. That evening, she went to general quarters
General quarters
General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage....
and started her smoke generators as part of an effort to blanket the area with a chemical fog to conceal the fleet. The next night, Beckham again set Condition I watches; and, at 0030 on the 26th, a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
crashed into the sea close aboard the amphibious command ship , 1,000 yards off Beckham's starboard beam.
End-of-war operations
Beckham weighed anchor on 28 June and joined convoy OKS-10, bound for the Marianas. Arriving at 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...
on 2 July, she disembarked casualties from Okinawa. Then, after taking on Army and Army Air Force men bound for Pearl Harbor, she 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...
. After her escort was detached on the 10th, Beckham zig-zagged her way to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on the 13th. Shifting to Honolulu on the 23d, the attack transport embarked passengers and loaded cargo and stores before getting underway for Eniwetok on 26 July. Ending the first leg of this voyage to the western Pacific on 3 August, Beckham sailed with task unit TU 96.6.17 and reached Ulithi on the 8th. However, the end of the war in the Pacific overtook her in mid-August while she lay in the Western Carolines
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
.
Post-war activity
Underway for the Ryūkyūs on the 18th, Beckham joined convoy WOK-49 and reached Okinawa's Hagushi beaches on 22 August. She shifted to Buckner Bay on the 27th to fuel. Then, after proceeding via Hagushi to Naha, the attack transport sailed for Jinsen, KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
(formerly Chemulpo and later Inchon), on 5 September as part of amphibious convoy TU 78.1.15 under Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey
Daniel E. Barbey
Vice Admiral Daniel Edward Barbey was an officer in the United States Navy who served in World War I and World War II. A graduate of the Naval Academy, he participated in the 1912 United States occupation of Nicaragua and the 1915 United States occupation of Veracruz. While serving with the War...
, Commander, 7th Amphibious Force. The escort carrier provided air cover. Elements of the Army's 7th Infantry Division and XXIV Corps were to carry out the landings.
Liberating prisoners-of-war in Korea
Beckham anchored off Jinsen on 8 September and commenced unloading men and cargo on the 10th. Her landing craft (LCVP) not only took her cargo ashore, but brought back former Allied prisoners of war who had been incarcerated there, 138 Americans veterans of BataanBataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
and 30 British, some of whom had been in captivity since the fall of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in February 1942. Later, 150 British Army officers, also Singapore veterans, were discovered at Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
and released.
Riding out a typhoon with mines nearby
Beckham sailed for Okinawa with task unit TU 78.12.5 on 13 September and dropped anchor off Hagushi on the 15th. The following morning, she put to sea to ride out a typhoon. Beckham fought her way out of the western anchorage through storm conditions, with torrential rains drastically limiting her visibility. She and her colleagues also encountered difficulties worse than the typhoon—stray mines not yet swept. The ship next to her struck a mine and had to be towed to port on the 18th after the storm had abated. Beckham again dropped anchor off Hagushi that day.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 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...
on 22 September and reached Guiuan Roadstead, off 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 25th. Underway again on 5 October, Beckham skirted another typhoon on the 7th. During her voyage she sighted six floating mines which destroyed. At night, Beckham used her searchlights to spot drifting ordnance. The similarities between mines and the many large, rust-colored jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
which floated just below the surface of the water taxed her lookouts.
China operations
Anchoring in the Gulf of Pohai, ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, on 14 October, Beckham discharged passengers and cargo for Tientsin before proceeding to the Shantung Peninsula. She disembarked the remainder of her passengers and unloaded cargo at Tsingtao before sailing on the 27th. Beckham 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 the morning of 3 November and sailed for San Francisco on the 6th with 1,970 passengers, a capacity load of military humanity that spilled into the cargo holds and onto the decks. Beckham refueled at Midway Island and entered the Golden Gate
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...
on 26 November. The attack transport then sailed for Hunters' Point
Hunters Point, San Francisco, California
Bayview-Hunters Point or The Bayview, is a neighborhood in the southeastern corner of San Francisco, California, United States. The decommissioned Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is located within its boundaries and Candlestick Park is on the southern edge....
for "minor repairs and reconditioning of underwater hull", repairs that continued into December.
Stateside activity
Beckham then moved to San Francisco whence she transported veterans to San Pedro, California, for further routing to Separation Centers. Beckham got underway for the Philippines on 13 December. After brief stops at Midway and Saipan, the ship reached San Pedro Bay, LeyteLeyte
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 2 January 1946. Departing Samar on 7 January with another full load of returnees, she reached Seattle on the 26th. Troop disembarkation and brief repairs preceded the ship's sailing on 8 February for San Francisco. Reaching there on the 10th, Beckham then shifted to San Pedro, California, four days later.
Her last voyage and decommissioning
Beckham commenced her last Navy voyage on 16 February 1946 when she sailed for Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, 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....
. Transiting 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 the 24th, she reached her destination on 7 March. Decommissioned at Norfolk on 25 April 1946, Beckham was turned over to the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
on 29 April 1946. Her name was struck from the Navy List
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 8 May 1946, and she was berthed with the Maritime Commission's National Defense Reserve Fleet
National 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...
. The former attack transport remained inactive until sold on 5 September 1974 to Sparreboom Shipbrokers to be broken up for scrap.
Military awards and honors
Beckham (APA-133) received two battle stars 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.