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USS Oconto (APA-187)
Encyclopedia
USS Oconto (APA-187) 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.
; launched 20 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. Wallace Neighbor; acquired by the Navy 2 September 1944; and commissioned the same day, Comdr. Paul Jackson in command.
, and sailed 27 October 1944 for New Guinea
, arriving Oro Bay
14 November. Several days later she left for Noumea
, New Caledonia
, where she remained for a month prior to conducting amphibious exercises off Guadalcanal
in preparation for the Lingayen Gulf
landings on Luzon
. Oconto departed Manus
2 January 1945 and, after sailing the length of the Philippines
, offloaded troops and cargo for two days beginning the 11th. Returning south, the transport again loaded troops, at Biak
, Netherlands East Indies, and landed them on Mindoro
. Retiring to Leyte Gulf
12 February, she prepared the following six weeks for her next objective: Okinawa.
and assisted in splashing a second. A respite in order, Oconto sailed to Seattle, Washington
, for three weeks of general repairs and liberty. She left again 21 May, steaming via San Francisco, Oahu
, and other islands for Saipan
, where she embarked reinforcements for Okinawa. Stopping briefly at Ulithi
, she arrived off Okinawa 24 July and spent the next 10 days unloading troops and cargo, dodging Japanese air attacks, and weathering a typhoon.
as rumors of a Japanese surrender increased. She returned to the Philippines
, loaded occupation units, and sailed for Japan
, arriving at Yokohama
on 8 September. After transporting over a thousand liberated prisoners of war to Manila
on the first leg of their journey home, Oconto returned to Japan, then made one supply run to Taku
, China
, before entering Manila Bay
for the last time 8 November. A load of Seabees was transported from Manila to Guam
, and Oconto proceeded to Okinawa to pick up her first homeward bound passengers in eight months. She made one more “magic-carpet” voyage, leaving the U.S. West Coast for Guam
on 11 January 1946.
, then sailed to Norfolk, Virginia
, arriving 20 March. Decommissioning 22 May, she was turned over to the War Shipping Administration
31 May and struck from the Navy List
19 June 1946. Oconto was berthed in the James River, Virginia, as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet
. Her current fate is unknown.
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.
World War II service
Oconto (APA–187), formerly MCV Hull 655, was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 5 April 1944 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Corporation, Vancouver, WashingtonVancouver, 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...
; launched 20 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. Wallace Neighbor; acquired by the Navy 2 September 1944; and commissioned the same day, Comdr. Paul Jackson in command.
Landing troops and their equipment in the Philippines
After fitting out and shakedown off the U.S. West Coast, Oconto loaded mail and troops in 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...
, and sailed 27 October 1944 for New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, arriving Oro Bay
Oro Bay
Oro Bay is a bay in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, located southeast of Buna. The bay is located within the larger Dyke Ackland Bay. A port is operated by PNG Ports Corporation Limited with limited wharf facilities.-History:...
14 November. Several days later she left for Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, where she remained for a month prior to conducting amphibious exercises off Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
in preparation for the 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...
landings on 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...
. Oconto departed 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 and, after sailing the length of 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...
, offloaded troops and cargo for two days beginning the 11th. Returning south, the transport again loaded troops, at Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
, Netherlands East Indies, and landed them on Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
. Retiring to Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
12 February, she prepared the following six weeks for her next objective: Okinawa.
End-of-war operations
This landing proved to be the most trying yet for Oconto. During her time off the beach from 1 to 4 April, there were numerous air raids, as she downed her first kamikazeKamikaze
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....
and assisted in splashing a second. A respite in order, Oconto sailed to 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...
, for three weeks of general repairs and liberty. She left again 21 May, steaming via San Francisco, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, and other islands 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...
, where she embarked reinforcements for Okinawa. Stopping briefly at 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 off Okinawa 24 July and spent the next 10 days unloading troops and cargo, dodging Japanese air attacks, and weathering a typhoon.
“”Mopping up” operations
Departing for the U.S. West Coast on 6 August, Oconto’s eastward progress stopped at 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...
as rumors of a Japanese surrender increased. She returned 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...
, loaded occupation units, and sailed for 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...
, arriving at Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
on 8 September. After transporting over a thousand liberated prisoners of war 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,...
on the first leg of their journey home, Oconto returned to Japan, then made one supply run to Taku
Taku Forts
The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...
, 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...
, before entering Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
for the last time 8 November. A load of Seabees was transported from Manila 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...
, and Oconto proceeded to Okinawa to pick up her first homeward bound passengers in eight months. She made one more “magic-carpet” voyage, leaving the U.S. West Coast 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...
on 11 January 1946.
Post-war decommissioning
Oconto returned to 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...
, then sailed to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, 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....
, arriving 20 March. Decommissioning 22 May, she was turned over to the 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....
31 May and 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....
19 June 1946. Oconto was berthed in the James River, Virginia, as part of 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...
. Her current fate is unknown.