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USS La Porte (APA-151)
Encyclopedia
USS La Porte (APA-151) 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.
La Porte (APA-151) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 15 May 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Group, Portland, Oregon
; launched 30 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Charles N. Niles; and commissioned 14 August 1944, Comdr. Marion C. Thompson in command.
, 22 October 1944 to join the Pacific amphibious forces. Arriving Milne Bay
8 November for training operations, the attack transport
sailed from Manus
2 January 1945 for Luzon
. La Porte steamed into Lingayen Gulf
9 days later and debarked troops and equipment despite attacks of enemy aircraft. Her mission completed, she returned Leyte
16 January to prepare for the invasion of Okinawa.
. Troops hit the beach 1 April to begin the invasion which placed an Allied garrison next door to Japan
. Two days later a kamikaze
dived at the sitting transport, but accurate fleet antiaircraft fire splashed the raider before he reached his mark. Departing Okinawa 5 April La Porte arrived San Francisco 3 weeks later for a brief replenishment period.
. She arrived San Francisco 10 August: and, after hostilities with Japan ended, La Porte prepared for occupation duty in the Far East
. With 1,146 replacements on board, the transport departed San Francisco for the Far East and debarked troops at Leyte
15 September. During the next 2 months, La Porte operated in the western Pacific Ocean
, transferring troops into the occupied territories of Japan and liberated areas of China
. She embarked homeward bound servicemen and sailed from Manila
25 November, arriving Seattle, Washington
, 3 weeks later.
, 14 February 1946 and decommissioned there 25 March 1946. She was returned to War Shipping Administration
(WSA) 3 days later. She was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
and was berthed at James River, Virginia. She was struck from the Navy list
on (date unknown) and is presumed scrapped (date unknown).
References: From a report complied by Elliott L Brainard, Ens D, USNR, from the writing of our Skipper, Marion C Thompson, Captain, US Navy, at Anchorage "C", Hampton Roads, Virginia, and from 6-2-47 Stencil, Ships Section, Office of Public Information, Navy Department
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 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.
La Porte (APA-151) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 15 May 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Group, 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...
; launched 30 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Charles N. Niles; and commissioned 14 August 1944, Comdr. Marion C. Thompson in command.
World War II service
After shakedown, La Porte departed San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, 22 October 1944 to join the Pacific amphibious forces. Arriving Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
8 November for training operations, the 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...
sailed from Manus
Manus 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...
2 January 1945 for 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...
. La Porte steamed into Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
9 days later and debarked troops and equipment despite attacks of enemy aircraft. Her mission completed, she returned 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...
16 January to prepare for the invasion of Okinawa.
Under attack, landing troops on Okinawa
Loaded with 1,500 troops, La Porte departed San Pedro Bay 27 March as part of the largest amphibious operation of the Pacific warPacific 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...
. Troops hit the beach 1 April to begin the invasion which placed an Allied garrison next door to Japan
Empire 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...
. Two days later a 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....
dived at the sitting transport, but accurate fleet antiaircraft fire splashed the raider before he reached his mark. Departing Okinawa 5 April La Porte arrived San Francisco 3 weeks later for a brief replenishment period.
End-of-war operations
Returning to Ie Shima 14 July, the transport unloaded 1,300 Army Engineer replacements before she once again sailed for the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She arrived San Francisco 10 August: and, after hostilities with Japan ended, La Porte prepared for occupation duty in 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,...
. With 1,146 replacements on board, the transport departed San Francisco for the Far East and debarked troops at 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...
15 September. During the next 2 months, La Porte operated in the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, transferring troops into the occupied territories of Japan and liberated areas of China
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...
. She embarked homeward bound servicemen and sailed from 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,...
25 November, arriving 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...
, 3 weeks later.
Post-war decommissioning
La Porte arrived 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....
, 14 February 1946 and decommissioned there 25 March 1946. She was returned to War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
(WSA) 3 days later. She was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
and was berthed at James River, Virginia. She was struck from the Navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on (date unknown) and is presumed scrapped (date unknown).
Military awards and honors
The U.S.S. La Porte received two battle stars in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and one battle star in the Philippine Liberation Theater for World War II service.References: From a report complied by Elliott L Brainard, Ens D, USNR, from the writing of our Skipper, Marion C Thompson, Captain, US Navy, at Anchorage "C", Hampton Roads, Virginia, and from 6-2-47 Stencil, Ships Section, Office of Public Information, Navy Department