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USS Montrose (APA-212)
Encyclopedia
USS Montrose (APA-212) was a Haskell class
attack transport
that saw service with the US Navy
in World War II
, the Korean War
and Vietnam War
.
Montrose was named after a county in Colorado
. She was laid down under Maritime Commission
Contract 17 June 1944, by Permanente Metals Corporation of Richmond, California
; launched 13 September 1944, and commissioned 2 November 1944, Comdr. H. G. Davis in command.
, and steamed to the Philippines
, arriving at Leyte
21 February to prepare for the invasion of the Okinawa.
26 March, and on 2 April, shot down two kamikaze
s. She steamed to Menna-shima off Okinawa
15 April, and disembarked units of the 306th Field Artillery. Four days later she took part in a diversionary feint on the southwest tip of Okinawa, returning to Menna Shima 23 April. Leaving the Ryukus
she sailed to Ulithi
with Army casualties, en route to San Francisco to embark more troops. She debarked these units at Manila
27 July.
. From 25 August to 24 October, Montrose was busy carrying occupation troops to Sasebo
, Kyūshū
. She was decommissioned on 26 October 1946, and was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet
at Stockton, California
.
, Montrose recommissioned 12 September 1950, and arrived Yokosuka, Japan
, 8 January 1951 to help repel the invasion by North Korea
. She took troops to Inchon early in 1951; and, in April, after a run to Hong Kong
, she steamed for the California
coast. She returned to Yokosuka 30 July 1952, and joined TF 90, supporting operations off Korea, until returning to San Diego 6 December. She returned to Japan in March 1954 and took part in training exercises from Iwo Jima
to Korea.
, she sailed to Saigon. Leaving Saigon 9 August, she proceeded to Haiphong
to evacuate refugees from there to Saigon as part of operation "Passage to Freedom." By 12 September Montrose had evacuated 9,060 people. She sailed home, arriving San Diego 21 November.
n amphibious
forces and operated off the Japanese coast, until steaming to San Diego in November. She spent the early part of 1956 in training, before proceeding to the Far East
for operations in the Bay of Siam
in October. She arrived San Diego 13 April 1957, and operated off the California coast for the next 5 months.
In September she took part in cold weather landing exercises near Kodiak
, Alaska
, then remained on the west coast
until 12 June, when she sailed for Japan. Between 1958 and 1965, she operated off the California coast, and made several voyages to the Far East.
becoming more precarious, Montrose left San Diego 23 August 1965, to begin training off Okinawa. In November, she conducted several successful strikes against the Vietcong, the first attack coming at Lang Keaa. The following month she participated in a massive attack on the Vietcong near Da Nang
. She sailed 25 January 1966 for Gu Lao Re, and assisted in an attack on a Vietcong stronghold there.
She arrived 14 April at San Diego, and returned for her 12th deployment in the western Pacific early in 1967. She anchored at the mouth of Long Tau River, South Vietnam, on 23 March, and took part in the establishment of a powerful riverine force. While delivering supplies at Dong Ha
25 May, Montrose came under hostile fire. She arrived 16 September 1968 at San Diego, and began preparation for a return trip to the western Paciflc into 1969.
in 1970.
service, giving her a career total of ten battle stars.
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...
that saw service 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 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 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...
.
Montrose was named after a county in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. She was laid down under 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 17 June 1944, by Permanente Metals Corporation of Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
; launched 13 September 1944, and commissioned 2 November 1944, Comdr. H. G. Davis in command.
World War II
After shakedown off California, Montrose embarked troops at Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, 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...
, and steamed 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...
, arriving 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...
21 February to prepare for the invasion of the Okinawa.
Invasion of Okinawa
Montrose participated in the landings in Kerama RettoKerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
26 March, and on 2 April, shot down two 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....
s. She steamed to Menna-shima off Okinawa
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...
15 April, and disembarked units of the 306th Field Artillery. Four days later she took part in a diversionary feint on the southwest tip of Okinawa, returning to Menna Shima 23 April. Leaving the Ryukus
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
she sailed to 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...
with Army casualties, en route to San Francisco to embark more troops. She debarked these units at 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,...
27 July.
After hostilities
For the next 2 months she shuttled troops between the Philippines and HawaiiHawaii
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...
. From 25 August to 24 October, Montrose was busy carrying occupation troops 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...
, Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. She was decommissioned on 26 October 1946, and was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet
United States Navy reserve fleets
The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and sufficiently working as to be reactivated quickly in an...
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...
.
Korean War
After hostilities broke out in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Montrose recommissioned 12 September 1950, and arrived Yokosuka, 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...
, 8 January 1951 to help repel the invasion by North Korea
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...
. She took troops to Inchon early in 1951; and, in April, after a run to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, she steamed for 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. She returned to Yokosuka 30 July 1952, and joined TF 90, supporting operations off Korea, until returning to San Diego 6 December. She returned to Japan in March 1954 and took part in training exercises from 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...
to Korea.
Operation Passage to Freedom
When war threatened in IndochinaIndochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
, she sailed to Saigon. Leaving Saigon 9 August, she proceeded to Haiphong
Haiphong
, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...
to evacuate refugees from there to Saigon as part of operation "Passage to Freedom." By 12 September Montrose had evacuated 9,060 people. She sailed home, arriving San Diego 21 November.
Transport and training missions
In March 1955, Montrose travelled again to Japan, disembarking members of the 3rd Marine Division. Between April and November she helped train 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...
n amphibious
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
forces and operated off the Japanese coast, until steaming to San Diego in November. She spent the early part of 1956 in training, before proceeding to 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,...
for operations in the Bay of Siam
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand , also known in to Malays as Teluk Siam literally meant Gulf of Siam, is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.-Geography:...
in October. She arrived San Diego 13 April 1957, and operated off the California coast for the next 5 months.
In September she took part in cold weather landing exercises near Kodiak
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
, 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...
, then remained on 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...
until 12 June, when she sailed for Japan. Between 1958 and 1965, she operated off the California coast, and made several voyages to the Far East.
Vietnam War
With the situation in South VietnamSouth 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...
becoming more precarious, Montrose left San Diego 23 August 1965, to begin training off Okinawa. In November, she conducted several successful strikes against the Vietcong, the first attack coming at Lang Keaa. The following month she participated in a massive attack on the Vietcong near 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...
. She sailed 25 January 1966 for Gu Lao Re, and assisted in an attack on a Vietcong stronghold there.
She arrived 14 April at San Diego, and returned for her 12th deployment in the western Pacific early in 1967. She anchored at the mouth of Long Tau River, South Vietnam, on 23 March, and took part in the establishment of a powerful riverine force. While delivering supplies at Dong Ha
Dong Ha
Đông Hà is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around . Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor . It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station...
25 May, Montrose came under hostile fire. She arrived 16 September 1968 at San Diego, and began preparation for a return trip to the western Paciflc into 1969.
Final decommission
Montrose was struck from the Naval register on 2 November 1969 and returned to the Maritime Administration, who sold her for scrapping to the Ziddell Corporation of 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...
in 1970.
Decorations
Montrose received one battle star for World War II service, three for Korean War service and six for Vietnam WarVietnam 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...
service, giving her a career total of ten battle stars.