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USS Lenawee (APA-195)
Encyclopedia
USS Lenawee (APA-195) was a built and used by the US Navy
in World War II and saw further service during the Korean War
and Vietnam War
. She was a Victory ship
design, VC2-S-AP5. She was named after Lenawee County, Michigan
, USA.
, Vancouver, Washington
, under Maritime Commission contract; launched on 11 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Olaf Haugen; and commissioned on 11 October 1944, Commander
Carson R. Miller in command.
Built to transport assault troops to hostile shores, Lenawee picked up her complement of landing craft
at San Francisco and departed 26 November 1944 for the Pacific theater
. Following amphibious training in the Hawaiian Islands
, she sailed 27 January 1945 for Saipan
. In the Marianas
the final rehearsals for her entrance into the battle zone were held, and 1,503 troops of the 5th Marines and the 67th Naval Construction Battalion embarked. After a 3-day voyage, she arrived at Iwo Jima
on D-Day
, 19 February; her boats helped place the first wave of Marines
ashore before debarking her own troops 3 days later. Withdrawn on the 27th, she retired to Guam
to discharge Marine casualties and prepare for the final large-scale amphibious operation of World War II.
Sailing south to Espiritu Santo
, she embarked over 1,000 troops of the Army 27th Division to reinforce the Okinawa invasion
forces. Landing troops and cargo each day and retiring to open sea each night, she suffered no damage from kamikaze
attacks during the stay in the area 9 to 14 April.
As part of Commodore
J. B. McGovern's Transport Squadron 16, she transported troops from the Philippines
to Japan and was present in Tokyo Bay
with 1,135 troops of the 1st Cavalry when the Japanese surrendered
2 September. Returning to her home port, San Francisco, 31 October, Lenawee made two "Magic Carpet"
voyages to the western Pacific before decommissioning at Stockton, California
, 3 August 1946, and entering the Reserve Fleet
.
. Her first voyage began 22 March 1951 when she departed for Yokosuka, Japan. Operating mainly among the Japanese Islands
, she twice transported men and supplies to the Korean theater before returning home 27 November. Again in May 1953 Lenawee returned to transport duties in Korean waters and was at Inchon in July when the final truce was signed.
The Chinese offshore islands and Vietnam
proved to be the new crisis areas in the Far East. Following a period of amphibious training early in December 1954 with Korean marines, Lenawee joined in the evacuation of Chinese Nationalist
civilians and troops from the Tachen Islands to Formosa
, on her last trip carrying U.S. Ambassador
to China Karl L. Ranking for a first hand observation.
Even without such crises, the Navy never loses its alertness, continually training for any eventuality. Each year amphibious operations were held with marines either off the California
coast, in the Hawaiians, or elsewhere in the Pacific. Joint exercises were also held with Philippine troops in 1957, with British forces off Borneo
in 1959, with Korean marines in a cold weather operation in 1962, and in 1965 with units of the Royal Thai Navy
.
became a regular scene of operations for Lenawee. Following the North Vietnamese PT boat
attacks on and in August 1964, she prepared for her 10th Far Eastern tour since recommissioning. The people-to-people project was not neglected as a result of this new crisis, for the ship carried 10,000 pounds of textbooks and medical supplies to the Philippines and Vietnam after she departed San Diego 7 November 1964. With TF 76
, she stood-by laden with marines in the South China Sea from 12 December until 10 April 1965, when 3rd Division Marines were landed at Da Nang
. Five days later, her boats landed men of the 4th Marines at Hue. Reloading at Okinawa, Lenawee returned to debark additional troops of the 4th Marines in an assault landing at Chu Lai
7 May. On the 24th she brought 2,001 tons of ammunition to these same men. One month later she was en route for a short stay in her home port. On 9 August 1965 she departed California with Battalion Landing Team 1/1
on the first nonstop voyage made by an attack transport direct to Da Nang, arriving the 28th. Returning to San Diego 28 October, Lenawee spent the remainder of the year and the first 8 months of 1966 off the West Coast
. She conducted type training and participated in various amphibious exercises until departing on her last deployment 4 September 1966.
Lenawee carried marines to Okinawa, successfully weathering typhoon "Ida" on the way; then, after a stop in Japan, transported Republic of Korea troops from Pusan to Da Nang. She ferried U.S. servicemen from Okinawa to Vietnam and back in December, before returning to the West Coast, arriving at San Diego 8 January 1967 to begin preparations for inactivation.
at Suisun Bay, California, on 29 June 1967. Title was transferred to the Maritime Administration on 23 April 1968, and she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
30 June 1968. Ex-Lenawee was sold for $129,089.78 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for scrapping on 17 August 1975. At 1337 PDT, on 28 July 1975 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker's yard
.
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 World War II and saw further service during 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 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...
. She was a Victory ship
Victory ship
The Victory ship was a type of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace shipping losses caused by German submarines...
design, VC2-S-AP5. She was named after Lenawee County, Michigan
Lenawee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 98,890 people, 35,930 households, and 26,049 families residing in the county. The population density was 132 people per square mile . There were 39,769 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
, USA.
World War II service
Lenawee was laid down on 26 May 1944 by Kaiser Shipbuilding CompanyKaiser Shipyards
The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located mostly on the U.S. west coast during World War II. They were owned by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, a creation of American industrialist Henry J...
, Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
, under Maritime Commission contract; launched on 11 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Olaf Haugen; and commissioned on 11 October 1944, Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Carson R. Miller in command.
Built to transport assault troops to hostile shores, Lenawee picked up her complement of landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
at San Francisco and departed 26 November 1944 for the Pacific theater
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
. Following amphibious training in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, she sailed 27 January 1945 for 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...
. In the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
the final rehearsals for her entrance into the battle zone were held, and 1,503 troops of the 5th Marines and the 67th Naval Construction Battalion embarked. After a 3-day voyage, she arrived at 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...
on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, 19 February; her boats helped place the first wave of 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...
ashore before debarking her own troops 3 days later. Withdrawn on the 27th, she retired to 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...
to discharge Marine casualties and prepare for the final large-scale amphibious operation of World War II.
Sailing south to 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....
, she embarked over 1,000 troops of the Army 27th Division to reinforce the Okinawa invasion
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...
forces. Landing troops and cargo each day and retiring to open sea each night, she suffered no damage from 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 during the stay in the area 9 to 14 April.
As part of Commodore
Commodore (USN)
Commodore was an early title and later a rank in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard and a current honorary title in the U.S. Navy with an intricate history. Because the U.S. Congress was originally unwilling to authorize more than four ranks until 1862, considerable importance...
J. B. McGovern's Transport Squadron 16, she transported troops from 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 Japan and was present in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
with 1,135 troops of the 1st Cavalry when the Japanese surrendered
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
2 September. Returning to her home port, San Francisco, 31 October, Lenawee made two "Magic Carpet"
Operation Magic Carpet (World War II)
Operation Magic Carpet was the post-World War II effort by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and CBI theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ships, and troop transports began repatriating soldiers from...
voyages to the western Pacific before decommissioning at Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, 3 August 1946, and entering the Reserve Fleet
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
.
Korean War
The outbreak of the Korean War caused her to recommission 30 September 1950, Capt. E. M. Brown in command. With San Diego as her home port, she operated part of each year, except 1952 and 1956, in 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,...
. Her first voyage began 22 March 1951 when she departed for Yokosuka, Japan. Operating mainly among the Japanese Islands
Japanese Archipelago
The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
, she twice transported men and supplies to the Korean theater before returning home 27 November. Again in May 1953 Lenawee returned to transport duties in Korean waters and was at Inchon in July when the final truce was signed.
The Chinese offshore islands and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
proved to be the new crisis areas in the Far East. Following a period of amphibious training early in December 1954 with Korean marines, Lenawee joined in the evacuation of Chinese Nationalist
Chinese nationalist
Chinese nationalist can refer to:* Chinese nationalism* Kuomintang - Chinese Nationalist Party in Taiwan....
civilians and troops from the Tachen Islands to Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, on her last trip carrying U.S. Ambassador
Ambassadors from the United States
This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to individual nations of the world, to international organizations, to past nations, and ambassadors-at-large.Ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
to China Karl L. Ranking for a first hand observation.
Even without such crises, the Navy never loses its alertness, continually training for any eventuality. Each year amphibious operations were held with marines either 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, in the Hawaiians, or elsewhere in the Pacific. Joint exercises were also held with Philippine troops in 1957, with British forces off Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
in 1959, with Korean marines in a cold weather operation in 1962, and in 1965 with units of the Royal Thai Navy
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy is the navy of Thailand and part of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, it was established in the late 19th century. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse is "The Father of Royal Thai Navy". Similar to the organizational structure of the United States, the Royal Thai Navy includes the...
.
Vietnam War
Beginning in 1963 the South China SeaSouth 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...
became a regular scene of operations for Lenawee. Following the North Vietnamese PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
attacks on and in August 1964, she prepared for her 10th Far Eastern tour since recommissioning. The people-to-people project was not neglected as a result of this new crisis, for the ship carried 10,000 pounds of textbooks and medical supplies to the Philippines and Vietnam after she departed San Diego 7 November 1964. With TF 76
Task Force 76
Expeditionary Strike Group SEVEN/Task Force 76 is a United States Navy task force. It is at one and the same time operationally a Task Force of the United States Seventh Fleet and administratively, the USN's only permanently forward-deployed Expeditionary Strike Group...
, she stood-by laden with marines in the South China Sea from 12 December until 10 April 1965, when 3rd Division Marines were landed 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...
. Five days later, her boats landed men of the 4th Marines at Hue. Reloading at Okinawa, Lenawee returned to debark additional troops of the 4th Marines in an assault landing at 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:...
7 May. On the 24th she brought 2,001 tons of ammunition to these same men. One month later she was en route for a short stay in her home port. On 9 August 1965 she departed California with Battalion Landing Team 1/1
1st Battalion 1st Marines
1st Battalion 1st Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton, California consisting of anywhere from 800 to 2,000 Marines and Sailors, but the number fluctuates depending on the Battalion's mission...
on the first nonstop voyage made by an attack transport direct to Da Nang, arriving the 28th. Returning to San Diego 28 October, Lenawee spent the remainder of the year and the first 8 months of 1966 off 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...
. She conducted type training and participated in various amphibious exercises until departing on her last deployment 4 September 1966.
Lenawee carried marines to Okinawa, successfully weathering typhoon "Ida" on the way; then, after a stop in Japan, transported Republic of Korea troops from Pusan to Da Nang. She ferried U.S. servicemen from Okinawa to Vietnam and back in December, before returning to the West Coast, arriving at San Diego 8 January 1967 to begin preparations for inactivation.
Fate
Lenawee decommissioned 20 June 1967. She was berthed in the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve FleetNational 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...
at Suisun Bay, California, on 29 June 1967. Title was transferred to the Maritime Administration on 23 April 1968, and she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
30 June 1968. Ex-Lenawee was sold for $129,089.78 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for scrapping on 17 August 1975. At 1337 PDT, on 28 July 1975 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker's yard
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
.