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USS Broadwater (APA-139)
Encyclopedia
USS Broadwater (APA-139) was a built for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
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...
. Named for Broadwater County, Montana
Broadwater County, Montana
-Economy:Agriculture is one of the primary industries in Broadwater County. RY Timber and Wheat Montana Bakery were the largest private employers according to the 2000 Census.-Demographics:...
, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Broadwater was laid down on 1 September 1944 at Wilmington, California by the California Shipbuilding Corporation
California Shipbuilding Corporation
California Shipbuilding Corporation built 467 Liberty and Victory ships during World War II, including Haskell-class attack transports. California Shipbuilding Corporation was often referred to as Calship...
under a Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 55); launched on 5 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. A. E. Florer; delivered to the Navy on 31 December 1944; and commissioned at Terminal Island, California on 2 January 1945 with Captain George G. Herring, Jr., in command.
Service history
After fitting out and underway tests, Broadwater began shakedown training out of San Pedro, California on 12 January. On the 26th, she commenced amphibious training in the San Diego area. At the conclusion of that assignment on 12 February, the attack transport arrived at the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Long BeachLong Beach Naval Shipyard
thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...
for a post-shakedown availability. On 23 February she put to sea and, the following day, arrived in San Francisco. There, she loaded cargo until 2 March at which time the ship shaped a course 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...
. By the 8th, she was in Hawaiian waters conducting further amphibious training.
On 28 March she embarked elements of several construction battalions and, on the 29th, got underway from 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 6 and 7 April, Broadwater stopped at Eniwetok then continued west. She spent from 13 to 15 April at Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads, Palau is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob. During World War II, it was used by the United States Navy as the location of a floating resupply and repair base....
in the Palau Islands. On 17 April the attack transport anchored in Guiuan harbor 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...
in the Philippine Islands. She remained in the Samar-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...
area for almost two weeks before getting underway for the Marianas on 30 April. The ship arrived at 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 4 May but put to sea again on the 7th. She arrived back in San Francisco on 22 May. After loading cargo and embarking passengers, Broadwater departed San Francisco on 29 May. She made stops at 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 arriving 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,...
in the Philippines on 22 June. There, she unloaded cargo and disembarked troops. On 28 June the ship stood out of Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
bound for 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...
. She arrived 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....
on the northern coast of New Guinea on 3 July and began taking on cargo and passengers. Departing Hollandia on 6 July, the attack cargo ship arrived back in Manila Bay on 10 July. After unloading cargo and disembarking passengers, Broadwater moved to Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
on the 18th and began loading cargo. On 20 July the ship set sail for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She dropped anchor at San Pedro on 8 August.
After almost two weeks of voyage repairs at the California Shipbuilding Corporation, Broadwater began loading occupation troops on 24 August. She started across the Pacific on the 25th, made an overnight stop at Eniwetok on 7 and 8 September, and arrived in Manila on 15 September. Her passengers went ashore at Manila, and Broadwater got underway for Leyte. She reached San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
on the 19th and stayed there until the 23rd. On the 24th, the attack transport anchored in Legaspi harbor, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. She remained at Legaspi until 4 October when she weighed anchor for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. She arrived in 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...
on the 13th. Later that month, the ship headed back to the United States, arriving home early in November.
By late January, 1946 Broadwater had moved to the east coast at Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
to prepare for inactivation. She was decommissioned on 28 February 1946 and was turned over to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration for disposal on 1 March 1946. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 20 March 1946, and she was berthed with the Maritime Commission's National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River, Virginia. She was sold for scrapping in late 1974 or early 1975.