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USS Kingsbury (APA-177)
Encyclopedia
USS Kingsbury (APA-177/LPA-177) was a Haskell-class
attack transport
acquired by the U.S. Navy
during World War II
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Leonard Buckler; and commissioned 6 December 1944, Comdr. J. H. Hughes in command.
coast, Kingsbury departed San Pedro, California, 9 February 1945. Steaming via Pearl Harbor
and Eniwetok, she arrived Iwo Jima
14 March, embarked battle-weary U.S. Marines
, and returned to Pearl Harbor
5 April via Guam
and Eniwetok. Sailing for Seattle, Washington
, 22 May, she arrived 29 May and embarked 1,507 soldiers before departing 15 June for Iwo Jima
. Arriving 7 July, she debarked her passengers and then departed 10 July with 262 military passengers for Pearl Harbor
where she arrived the 21st.
, Kingsbury cleared Pearl Harbor
1 September and steamed via Saipan
for Sasebo
, Japan, where she arrived 22 September to debark occupation troops of the 5th Marine Division. From 25 September to 14 October she made a circular run between Japan and the Philippines
to transport additional occupation troops: then she returned to the Philippines 26 October for Operation Magic Carpet duty. With 2,077 homebound troops embarked, she departed Tacloban, Leyte
, 30 October and reached San Francisco 17 November. Between 2 December and 9 January 1946 Kingsbury made another trip to and from the Far East
, carrying 935 replacement troops to Manila
and returned 2,058 veterans to the U.S. West Coast
.
, 3 March. She decommissioned at Portsmouth, Virginia
, 19 April. Turned over to custody of the United States Maritime Commission
23 April, her name was struck from the Naval Register 1 May and placed in the Maritime Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Virginia. She was scrapped in 1983.
service.
Haskell class attack transport
Haskell-class attack transports were amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy created in 1944. They were designed to transport 1,500 troops and their combat equipment, and land them on hostile shores with the ships' integral landing craft....
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...
acquired by the U.S. 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...
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
World War II service
Kingsbury (APA-177) was launched 16 November 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, OregonPortland, 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. Leonard Buckler; and commissioned 6 December 1944, Comdr. J. H. Hughes in command.
Landing troops and their equipment on Iwo Jima
After shakedown along the CaliforniaCalifornia
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...
coast, Kingsbury departed San Pedro, California, 9 February 1945. Steaming via 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...
and Eniwetok, she arrived 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...
14 March, embarked battle-weary U.S. Marines
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...
, and returned to 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...
5 April via 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 Eniwetok. Sailing for Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, 22 May, she arrived 29 May and embarked 1,507 soldiers before departing 15 June for 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...
. Arriving 7 July, she debarked her passengers and then departed 10 July with 262 military passengers 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...
where she arrived the 21st.
End-of-war "mopping-up" operations
Supporting U.S. occupation operations in JapanEmpire 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...
, Kingsbury cleared 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...
1 September and steamed via 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...
for 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...
, Japan, where she arrived 22 September to debark occupation troops of the 5th Marine Division. From 25 September to 14 October she made a circular run between Japan and 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...
to transport additional occupation troops: then she returned to the Philippines 26 October for Operation Magic Carpet duty. With 2,077 homebound troops embarked, she departed Tacloban, 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...
, 30 October and reached San Francisco 17 November. Between 2 December and 9 January 1946 Kingsbury made another trip to and from the Far East
Far 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,...
, carrying 935 replacement troops to 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,...
and returned 2,058 veterans to the U.S. 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...
.
Post-war decommissioning
Kingsbury sailed 11 February for the U.S. East Coast, arriving 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....
, 3 March. She decommissioned at Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
, 19 April. Turned over to custody of the United States 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...
23 April, her name was struck from the Naval Register 1 May and placed in the Maritime Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Virginia. She was scrapped in 1983.
Military awards and honors
Kingsbury received one battle star for 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.