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USS George Clymer (APA-27)
Encyclopedia
USS George Clymer (APA-27) was an that saw service with the US Navy
in four wars - World War II
, the Chinese Civil War
, the Korean War
and the Vietnam War
.
George Clymer (AP-57) was laid down as African Planet under a Maritime Commission
contract 28 October 1940 by Ingalls Shipbuilding
of Pascagoula, Mississippi
; launched 27 September 1941; renamed George Clymer 9 January 1942; acquired by the Navy 15 June 1942; and commissioned the same day, Captain Arthur T. Moen in command.
to Norfolk, Virginia
where she arrived 30 July for training in Chesapeake Bay
. She embarked 1,400 men of the 9th Infantry Division and departed 23 October for French Morocco
.
. Just before dawn the first wave of troops hit the beach and encountered resistance from the Vichy French
. Enemy shore batteries
fired on the assembled transports and straddled George Clymer before she opened the range. Hard fighting continued ashore until 11 November. George Clymer debarked troops, unloaded cargo, and treated casualties until 15 November when she sailed to Casablanca
to complete offloading cargo. She departed for the United States the 17th, arriving at Norfolk 30 November.
, New Caledonia
, 18 January 1943; sailed 23 January for the Fiji Islands, and arrived Espiritu Santo
, New Hebrides
, 30 January. Redesignated (APA-27) on 1 February, she sailed in convoy 5 February for Guadalcanal
, Solomons, where she arrived the 7th to debark reinforcements and embark casualties and Japanese prisoners of war. During almost the next 9 months she sailed the Southwest Pacific, carrying cargo and rotating troops from bases in New Zealand
, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, and the Fijis to Guadalcanal. On 19 April she evacuated 38 Chinese
and Fijian women and children, who had hidden from the Japanese for more than a year, from Guadalcanal and transported them to Nouméa.
1 November, she disembarked men of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion
before joining other transports in a combined bombardment of enemy positions on Cape Torokina. She returned to Port Purvis, Florida Island, 3 November; and during the next 2 months she made three runs to Bougainville, carrying reinforcements and cargo from the Fijis and Guadalcanal.
. Steaming via Kwajalein
, she operated off Saipan
from 17 to 30 June while serving as flagship of Rear Admiral L. R. Reifsnider's Southern Attack Group. She reached Eniwetok 4 July; departed 17 July for the assault against Guam
- and arrived off Agat
21 July. After debarking assault troops, she served as receiving ship, boat pool tender, and medical station for the Southern Transport Group. She remained at Guam until 20 August; steamed via Saipan to Hawaii
; and arrived Pearl Harbor
31 August.
, Admiralties
, to the Philippines
, where she landed nearly 1,000 troops at Dulag 21 October during the battle of Leyte
. She returned to Manus 28 October; and, following a troop and cargo-carrying mission to New Britain
and back, she sailed l1 November for the United States
and arrived San Francisco 3 December for overhaul.
. She departed Ulithi
, Carolines
, in convoy 27 March; arrived off Hagushi
1 April; then debarked troops and unloaded cargo before departing 5 April. Steaming via Saipan and Pearl Harbor, she arrived San Francisco 9 May.
After conversion to a transport squadron and relief amphibious force flagship, she transported 1,200 Seabees to Pearl Harbor from 21 to 27 July. After returning to San Francisco 5 August with wounded veterans embarked, she sailed 12 August for the Philippines.
, arriving Wakayama 25 September. Between 3 and 21 October she made a similar voyage from Leyte to Japan; then, as part of the Operation Magic Carpet fleet, between 31 October and 14 November she carried more than 1,200 veterans from Saipan to San Francisco. Between 27 November and 28 December she cruised to Guam and Saipan and returned to San Pedro, California with homebound troops.
as flagship for Transport Division 11 during atomic bomb tests in the Marshall Islands
.
. Arriving Tsingtao, China, 20 January 1948, for more than 6 months she operated along the Chinese coast supporting the Nationalist Chinese troops during the Chinese Civil War. She departed Tsingtao 5 August; embarked troops at Guam, and transported them via the Panama Canal
to Morehead City, North Carolina
, where she arrived 17 September.
George Clymer returned to San Diego 4 October, and during the next 19 months she operated off the coast of Alaska
, the West Coast
, and in Hawaiian waters.
by North Korea
n troops, she departed San Diego 14 July and carried units of the 5th Provisional Marine Brigade to Pusan, South Korea, where she debarked them 2 August to help stem the Communist advance at Masan
. After returning to Yokosuka, Japan, 7 August, she embarked men of the 1st Marine Division at Kobe
for the amphibious invasion at Inchon 15 September. Following the successful landings, she served as amphibious control and hospital ship before returning to Sasebo
29 September with casualties. She returned to Inchon 8 October to embark marines, and on 17 October she sailed for Wonsan
, where she landed troops the 25th. Departing Wonsan 30 October, she steamed via Yokosuka to the United States and arrived San Diego 24 November.
George Clymer departed San Diego 4 June 1951 and, after embarking troops at San Francisco, she sailed 6 June for the Far Fast, arriving Yokosuka 20 June. During the next 10 months she supported the effort to repel Communist aggression in Korea; participated in amphibious landings along the Korean coast; rotated troops between Japan and Korea, and cruised Far Eastern waters from the Sea of Japan
to the South China Sea
to meet the demands of military forces in Asia. On 15 October she rescued nearly 500 survivors from a Japanese merchantman
caught during a typhoon at Uku Shima, Japan. She departed Yokosuka 1 April 1952; returned to the United States for 7 months; then sailed from San Diego 12 November for a third deployment off Korea. After reaching Yokosuka 29 November, she took part in troop-rotation runs between Korea and bases in Japan, Okinawa, and the Philippines. On 27 July 1953, as the armistice which brought an uncertain peace to Korea was signed at Panmunjom, she departed Yokosuka for the United States, arriving San Diego 22 August.
. Capable of carrying combat-ready troops to any beach in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, she provided vital support to the Fleet's operations.
. During the summer of 1965 she deployed to South Vietnam
, where she participated in amphibious landings at Da Nang
and Chu Lai
. She participated in further Vietnamese operations in the spring and summer of 1966.
. She was sold for scrapping to the National Metals & Steel Corporation on 26 July 1968, bringing to an end a long and distinguished 25-year career with the US 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...
in four wars - 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...
, the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
George Clymer (AP-57) was laid down as African Planet under a Maritime Commission
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...
contract 28 October 1940 by Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
of Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
; launched 27 September 1941; renamed George Clymer 9 January 1942; acquired by the Navy 15 June 1942; and commissioned the same day, Captain Arthur T. Moen in command.
World War II
George Clymer sailed 21 June via CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
to 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....
where she arrived 30 July for training in Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. She embarked 1,400 men of the 9th Infantry Division and departed 23 October for French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
.
Invasion of French Morocco
After joining Rear Admiral Monroe Kelley's Northern Attack Group off the Moroccan coast 7 November, at midnight 8 November she debarked assault troops on special net-cutting and scouting missions against garrisons at Mehedia and the fortress KasbaKasba
Kasba is a suburb of the city of Kolkata, India. It is situated in the southern part of the city encircled by the Sealdah South section of the Eastern Railways to the west, Dhakuria and Haltu to the south, the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass to the east and the locality of Tiljala to the...
. Just before dawn the first wave of troops hit the beach and encountered resistance from the Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
. Enemy shore batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
fired on the assembled transports and straddled George Clymer before she opened the range. Hard fighting continued ashore until 11 November. George Clymer debarked troops, unloaded cargo, and treated casualties until 15 November when she sailed to Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
to complete offloading cargo. She departed for the United States the 17th, arriving at Norfolk 30 November.
Transfer to the Pacific
After embarking more than 1,300 Seabees, George Clymer sailed 17 December for the Pacific. One of the first transports to serve in both the Atlantic and Pacific, she reached NouméaNouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, 18 January 1943; sailed 23 January for the Fiji Islands, and arrived Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, 30 January. Redesignated (APA-27) on 1 February, she sailed in convoy 5 February for Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
, Solomons, where she arrived the 7th to debark reinforcements and embark casualties and Japanese prisoners of war. During almost the next 9 months she sailed the Southwest Pacific, carrying cargo and rotating troops from bases in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, and the Fijis to Guadalcanal. On 19 April she evacuated 38 Chinese
China
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...
and Fijian women and children, who had hidden from the Japanese for more than a year, from Guadalcanal and transported them to Nouméa.
Invasion of Bougainville
As flagship of Rear Admiral T. S. Wilkinson's 3rd Amphibious Force, George Clymer departed Guadalcanal 30 October for the invasion of Bougainville. Closing Cape TorokinaCape Torokina
Cape Torokina is a promontory at the north end of Empress Augusta Bay, along the central part of the southeastern coast of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea....
1 November, she disembarked men of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion
Marine Raiders
The Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare, particularly in landing in rubber boats and operating behind the lines...
before joining other transports in a combined bombardment of enemy positions on Cape Torokina. She returned to Port Purvis, Florida Island, 3 November; and during the next 2 months she made three runs to Bougainville, carrying reinforcements and cargo from the Fijis and Guadalcanal.
Invasion of the Marianas
George Clymer continued troop-carrying and supply runs in the Southwest Pacific until 4 June when she departed Guadalcanal for the invasion of the MarianasMariana and Palau Islands campaign
The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager, was an offensive launched by United States forces against Imperial Japanese forces in the Mariana Islands and Palau in the Pacific Ocean between June and November, 1944 during the Pacific War...
. Steaming via Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
, she operated off Saipan
Saipan
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...
from 17 to 30 June while serving as flagship of Rear Admiral L. R. Reifsnider's Southern Attack Group. She reached Eniwetok 4 July; departed 17 July for the assault against 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...
- and arrived off Agat
Agat, Guam
Agat is a village on the island of Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located south of Apra Harbor on the island's western shore. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2000 census....
21 July. After debarking assault troops, she served as receiving ship, boat pool tender, and medical station for the Southern Transport Group. She remained at Guam until 20 August; steamed via Saipan to 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...
; and arrived 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...
31 August.
Invasion of Leyte
Underway again 15 September, George Clymer steamed via Eniwetok and ManusManus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, Admiralties
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, to 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...
, where she landed nearly 1,000 troops at Dulag 21 October during the battle of Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
. She returned to Manus 28 October; and, following a troop and cargo-carrying mission to New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
and back, she sailed l1 November for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and arrived San Francisco 3 December for overhaul.
Invasion of Okinawa
Sailing 26 January 1945, she reached Guadalcanal 11 February and for more than a month trained for the invasion of OkinawaBattle 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 departed 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...
, 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...
, in convoy 27 March; arrived 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...
1 April; then debarked troops and unloaded cargo before departing 5 April. Steaming via Saipan and Pearl Harbor, she arrived San Francisco 9 May.
After conversion to a transport squadron and relief amphibious force flagship, she transported 1,200 Seabees to Pearl Harbor from 21 to 27 July. After returning to San Francisco 5 August with wounded veterans embarked, she sailed 12 August for the Philippines.
After hostilities
She reached Manila 7 September; embarked nearly 1,000 occupation troops of the 33rd Infantry Division; and transported them to JapanJapan
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...
, arriving Wakayama 25 September. Between 3 and 21 October she made a similar voyage from Leyte to Japan; then, as part of the Operation Magic Carpet fleet, between 31 October and 14 November she carried more than 1,200 veterans from Saipan to San Francisco. Between 27 November and 28 December she cruised to Guam and Saipan and returned to San Pedro, California with homebound troops.
Atomic bomb tests
Prior to the Korean War, George Clymer supported various naval operations in the Pacific. From 1 June to 20 August she served at Bikini AtollBikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
as flagship for Transport Division 11 during atomic bomb tests in 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...
.
Chinese Civil War
She conducted training operations along the Pacific coast until 15 December 1947 when she departed San Pedro for the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. Arriving Tsingtao, China, 20 January 1948, for more than 6 months she operated along the Chinese coast supporting the Nationalist Chinese troops during the Chinese Civil War. She departed Tsingtao 5 August; embarked troops at Guam, and transported them via 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...
to Morehead City, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, where she arrived 17 September.
George Clymer returned to San Diego 4 October, and during the next 19 months she operated off the coast of 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...
, 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...
, and in Hawaiian waters.
Korean War
After the invasion of South KoreaSouth 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...
by North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n troops, she departed San Diego 14 July and carried units of the 5th Provisional Marine Brigade to Pusan, South Korea, where she debarked them 2 August to help stem the Communist advance at Masan
Masan
Masan was a formerly a municipal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The city was situated on Masan Bay , approximately 35 km west of Busan. It was known for its textile industry, and it was the site of Hite Brewery's production facilities.During the control of the Mongolians, the...
. After returning to Yokosuka, Japan, 7 August, she embarked men of the 1st Marine Division at Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
for the amphibious invasion at Inchon 15 September. Following the successful landings, she served as amphibious control and hospital ship before returning to Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
29 September with casualties. She returned to Inchon 8 October to embark marines, and on 17 October she sailed for Wonsan
Wonsan
Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...
, where she landed troops the 25th. Departing Wonsan 30 October, she steamed via Yokosuka to the United States and arrived San Diego 24 November.
George Clymer departed San Diego 4 June 1951 and, after embarking troops at San Francisco, she sailed 6 June for the Far Fast, arriving Yokosuka 20 June. During the next 10 months she supported the effort to repel Communist aggression in Korea; participated in amphibious landings along the Korean coast; rotated troops between Japan and Korea, and cruised Far Eastern waters from the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
to the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
to meet the demands of military forces in Asia. On 15 October she rescued nearly 500 survivors from a Japanese merchantman
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
caught during a typhoon at Uku Shima, Japan. She departed Yokosuka 1 April 1952; returned to the United States for 7 months; then sailed from San Diego 12 November for a third deployment off Korea. After reaching Yokosuka 29 November, she took part in troop-rotation runs between Korea and bases in Japan, Okinawa, and the Philippines. On 27 July 1953, as the armistice which brought an uncertain peace to Korea was signed at Panmunjom, she departed Yokosuka for the United States, arriving San Diego 22 August.
1950s
After the termination of hostilities in Korea, George Clymer deployed to the Far East on numerous occasions as an important unit of the 7th FleetUnited States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
. Capable of carrying combat-ready troops to any beach in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, she provided vital support to the Fleet's operations.
Vietnam War
In August 1964 she cruised the South China Sea in an advanced state of readiness following the Gulf of Tonkin incidentGulf of Tonkin Incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, or the USS Maddox Incident, are the names given to two incidents, one fabricated, involving North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin...
. During the summer of 1965 she deployed to South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, where she participated in amphibious landings at Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
and Chu Lai
Chu Lai
Chu Lai is a sea port, urban and industrial area in Dung Quat Bay, Núi Thành district, Quang Nam province of Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai Airport.-Vietnam War:...
. She participated in further Vietnamese operations in the spring and summer of 1966.
Decommission
USS George Clymer was decommissioned on 31 October 1967 at 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...
. She was sold for scrapping to the National Metals & Steel Corporation on 26 July 1968, bringing to an end a long and distinguished 25-year career with the US Navy.