USS Bronx (APA-236) was a that was built for service with the US Navy in World War II. Commissioned just weeks after the end of the war, she never saw hostilities.

Bronx was named after Bronx, New York. She was launched 14 July 1945 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation of Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. John W. Greenslade, wife of Vice Admiral John W. Greenslade

John Greenslade

John Wills Greenslade was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy. Admiral Greenslade enjoyed a significant military career during World War II. From 1941-1944 Greenslade was Commandant, Twelfth Naval District, with additional duty as Commandant, Pacific Southern Naval Coastal Frontier...

; acquired by the Navy 27 August 1945; and commissioned the same day Captain E. J. Anderson, USNR, in command.

Operational history

Bronx got underway from San Pedro, California, for 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,...

, Philippine Islands, 30 October 1945. At Manila she embarked Army personnel for the return trip to San Francisco. She returned to the Philippines in January and brought Naval personnel back to the West Coast

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

. On 4 April 1946 she stood out for Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, China. From here she steamed to Tsingtao and Taku

Taku Forts

The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...

, China, where she embarked Marine and Naval personnel for transportation to San Francisco.

Bronx sailed to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 7 June and received on board military personnel en route to San Francisco. During August she took part in training maneuvers near San Diego. On 28 September and again on 24 October, she departed carrying troops to Olympia, Washington

Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...

.

She continued these coastwise operations until 9 January 1947 when she got underway for 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...

 with troops. From there she proceeded to Okinawa, China, and 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...

 carrying passengers and cargo. The ship weighed anchor for San Francisco 22 May 1947. She then operated at various ports in 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...

 until January 1948.

On 5 January 1948 she set sail for Tsingtao, China, via Pearl Harbor, transporting cargo. After stopping at Shanghai, she proceeded to Guam and then back to Tsingtao.

Bronx got underway for San Francisco 4 May laden with cargo. She operated along the West Coast transporting men and supplies until 18 January 1949 when she steamed to Kodiak Island

Kodiak Island

Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...

, Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

, for landing exercises.

Decommission

On 18 February she departed for San Francisco with personnel and equipment. Upon arrival at San Francisco she commenced her pre-inactivation overhaul. Bronx was placed out of commission in reserve 30 June 1949. On 15 August 1958, she was transferred to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...

. She was later redesignated an Amphibious Transport (LPA-236), on 1 January 1969. On 7 November 1979, she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet in exchange for the SS Santa Rita

SS Santa Rita

SS Santa Rita was a refrigerated cargo ship built for the United States Maritime Commission by Federal Shipbuilding of Kearny, New Jersey in 1941. Operated by the Grace Line, Santa Rita en route from Cape Town to Charleston, South Carolina, when she was attacked by on 9 July 1942...

. Nominally delivered to States SS Co., Bronx was simultaneously transferred to Nissho-Iwai American Corp. for scrapping in Korea

Korea

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...

. , MARAD

Marad

Marad was an ancient Sumerian city. Marad was situated on the west bank of the then western branch of the Upper Euphrates River west of Nippur in modern day Iraq and roughly 50 km southeast of Kish, on the Arahtu River.The city's ziggurat E-igi-kalama was dedicated to Ninurta the god of...

does not list any artifacts for the Bronx.