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USS Lander (APA-178)
Encyclopedia
USS Lander (APA-178/LPA-178) was a Haskell-class
attack transport
. Her dangerous task was to deliver troops to the battle front, and to recover and care for the wounded. She served her country in the Pacific Ocean
in the war against the Empire of Japan
and returned home post-war with two battle stars to her credit.
Lander (APA-178) was laid down 9 October 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oregon
, under a Maritime Commission contract; launched 19 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. H. C. McVean, Jr.; acquired by the Navy 8 December 1944; and commissioned 9 December 1944 at Astoria, Oregon
, Capt. John D. Sweeney in command.
, Lander operated off the California
coast until she departed San Pedro, California, 9 February 1945 for the western Pacific.
, the attack transport reached Eniwetok 28 February, joined units of task force
TF 51, and sailed 2 March for Iwo Jima
. She sighted the embattled island 6 March and cruised in a holding area before dropping anchor 14 March. She embarked U.S. Marine casualties and loaded cargo, then sailed for Guam
20 March. Arriving the 22d, she embarked additional marines and departed the next day for Pearl Harbor
where she arrived 4 April.
and Ulithi
, she arrived Okinawa 7 June and landed her troops as reinforcements. After embarking 220 military passengers and 560 enemy prisoners, she sailed 11 June and transferred troops and POW’s at Ulithi 17 June. Departing the 18th, Lander embarked additional passengers at Manus
, Admiralties; Eniwetok, Roi Namur, and Kwajalein
, Marshall Islands
; and Pearl Harbor before arriving San Francisco 17 July.
to the Philippines
and arrived Manila
7 September. On two cruises from 20 September to 21 October, she carried occupation troops and equipment between the Philippines
and Japan
. After joining the “Operation Magic Carpet” fleet 24 October, she sailed from Matsuyama, Japan
, 27 October; embarked 1,934 homebound veterans at Saipan
; and departed 1 November for San Francisco, California
, where she arrived 14 November.
Sailing for the western Pacific 29 November, she embarked military passengers at Guam
15 December and returned them to San Pedro, California, 28 December. Lander departed for San Francisco 21 January 1946. then sailed 28 January for the U.S. East Coast.
, 16 February, she decommissioned 29 March. Transferred to the Maritime Commission 1 April, she was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
and was berthed at James River
, Virginia
. She was redesignated Amphibious Transport (LPA-178) on 14 August 1968 and was struck from the Naval Register 1 September 1983. On 17 September 1983, she was disposed of by MARAD
. Her fate is unknown.
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...
. Her dangerous task was to deliver troops to the battle front, and to recover and care for the wounded. She served her country in the 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...
in the war against the Empire of 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...
and returned home post-war with two battle stars to her credit.
Lander (APA-178) was laid down 9 October 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., 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; launched 19 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. H. C. McVean, Jr.; acquired by the Navy 8 December 1944; and commissioned 9 December 1944 at Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
, Capt. John D. Sweeney in command.
World War II Pacific Theatre operations
After shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
, Lander operated off the 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...
coast until she departed San Pedro, California, 9 February 1945 for the western Pacific.
Supporting Iwo Jima operations
Steaming via Pearl HarborPearl 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...
, the attack transport reached Eniwetok 28 February, joined units of task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
TF 51, and sailed 2 March 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...
. She sighted the embattled island 6 March and cruised in a holding area before dropping anchor 14 March. She embarked U.S. Marine casualties and loaded cargo, then sailed for 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...
20 March. Arriving the 22d, she embarked additional marines and departed the next day 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 4 April.
Supporting Okinawa operations
Carrying troops and cargo, the attack transport departed 20 May for the Ryukyus. Steaming via the Marshall IslandsMarshall 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...
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...
, she arrived Okinawa 7 June and landed her troops as reinforcements. After embarking 220 military passengers and 560 enemy prisoners, she sailed 11 June and transferred troops and POW’s at Ulithi 17 June. Departing the 18th, Lander embarked additional passengers at 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...
, Admiralties; Eniwetok, Roi Namur, and 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...
, 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...
; and Pearl Harbor before arriving San Francisco 17 July.
End-of-war activity
As the war drew to a close, Lander transported 1,436 troops to Eniwetok, arriving 17 August. Proceeding 25 August, she steamed via UlithiUlithi
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...
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...
and arrived 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,...
7 September. On two cruises from 20 September to 21 October, she carried occupation troops and equipment between 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...
and Japan
Japan
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...
. After joining the “Operation Magic Carpet” fleet 24 October, she sailed from Matsuyama, Japan
Japan
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...
, 27 October; embarked 1,934 homebound veterans at 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...
; and departed 1 November for San Francisco, California
San 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...
, where she arrived 14 November.
Sailing for the western Pacific 29 November, she embarked military passengers at 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...
15 December and returned them to San Pedro, California, 28 December. Lander departed for San Francisco 21 January 1946. then sailed 28 January for the U.S. East Coast.
Post-war decommissioning
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....
, 16 February, she decommissioned 29 March. Transferred to the Maritime Commission 1 April, 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
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. She was redesignated Amphibious Transport (LPA-178) on 14 August 1968 and was struck from the Naval Register 1 September 1983. On 17 September 1983, she was disposed of by 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...
. Her fate is unknown.
Military awards and honors
Lander received two battle stars 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.