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USS Crosley (APD-87)
Encyclopedia
USS Crosley (APD-87) was a that served in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was laid down as Crosley (DE-226) on 16 October 1943 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
, and launched on 12 February 1944. She was converted to a before her construction was complete, and commissioned on 22 October 1944. During World War II, she was assigned to the Pacific Theater
and participated in the Battle of Okinawa
. She was decommissioned on 15 November 1946 and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Florida
. She was stricken from the Naval Register on 1 June 1960, and transferred to Ecuador
as a power hulk
.
on 21 December 1944 for Pearl Harbor
, arriving there on 16 January 1945. She trained with Underwater Demolition Team
s for the next month before shipping out for San Pedro Bay
, Philippines
, on 14 February, arriving on 4 March. There she took part of rehearsals for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa. The week before the invasion she served as the mother ship for Underwater Demolition Team 17. Once the invasion began on 1 April, Crosley was tasked with patrolling the coastline. She aided victims of kamikaze
attacks on on 2 April and on 12 April. From 20 April 7 June, Crosely escorted convoys between Okinawa and Ulithi
, and Okinawa and Leyte
.
After the war ended, Crosley transported troops of the 40th Infantry Division from Leyte to Jinsen on 28 August 1945 for the occupation of South Korea
. She served as the pilot ship in the harbor of Jinsen until she transported Army soldiers to the port city of Busan
. On 3 October, while patrolling off the coast of Busan, Crosley investigated the Anto Maru, a Japanese junk that was sinking, and rescued the surviving 45 Japanese attempting to avoid internment in Korea. Crosley remained in the area transporting soldiers throughout the region until 29 March 1946, when she departed for the United States. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 15 November 1946, and transferred to Ecuador
as a power hulk.
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...
. She was laid down as Crosley (DE-226) on 16 October 1943 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
, and launched on 12 February 1944. She was converted to a before her construction was complete, and commissioned on 22 October 1944. During World War II, she was assigned to the Pacific Theater
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
and participated in the Battle 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...
. She was decommissioned on 15 November 1946 and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,908. It is the county seat of Clay County....
. She was stricken from the Naval Register on 1 June 1960, and transferred to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
as a power hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
.
Service history
Crosley departed from the Norfolk Naval ShipyardNorfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
on 21 December 1944 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...
, arriving there on 16 January 1945. She trained with Underwater Demolition Team
Underwater Demolition Team
The Underwater Demolition Teams were an elite special-purpose force established by the United States Navy during World War II. They also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War...
s for the next month before shipping out for 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...
, 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 14 February, arriving on 4 March. There she took part of rehearsals for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa. The week before the invasion she served as the mother ship for Underwater Demolition Team 17. Once the invasion began on 1 April, Crosley was tasked with patrolling the coastline. She aided victims of 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....
attacks on on 2 April and on 12 April. From 20 April 7 June, Crosely escorted convoys between Okinawa 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...
, and Okinawa and 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...
.
After the war ended, Crosley transported troops of the 40th Infantry Division from Leyte to Jinsen on 28 August 1945 for the occupation of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. She served as the pilot ship in the harbor of Jinsen until she transported Army soldiers to the port city of Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
. On 3 October, while patrolling off the coast of Busan, Crosley investigated the Anto Maru, a Japanese junk that was sinking, and rescued the surviving 45 Japanese attempting to avoid internment in Korea. Crosley remained in the area transporting soldiers throughout the region until 29 March 1946, when she departed for the United States. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 15 November 1946, and transferred to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
as a power hulk.