USS Osage (LSV-3/AN-3/AP-108/MCS-3) was the lead ship

Lead ship

The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...

 of her class of vehicle landing ship built for the United States 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...

 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...

. She was named after , an "old monitor of the navy".

Laid down as AN-3 on 1 June 1942 at Pascagoula, Mississippi

Pascagoula, Mississippi

Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...

 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation; redesignated as a transport, AP-108, on 1 May 1943; launched on 1 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Dorothy K. McHenry, wife of Lt. John A. McHenry, Officer in Charge of Construction (for both U.S. Navy and Maritime Commission vessels), Pascagoula; redesignated as a vehicle landing ship, LSV-3, 21 April 1944; and commissioned alongside Outfitting Dock No.2, Tampa Shipbuilding Company

Tampa Shipbuilding Company

Tampa Shipbuilding Company, or TASCO, was a shipyard in Tampa, Florida. Started in 1917, it had three shipways in the years before World War II. It grew larger because of its involvement in the United States Maritime Commission's pre-war long-range shipbuilding program. During the war it...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, on 30 December 1944 with Captain Harry H. Keith in command.

February–April 1945

Following shakedown out of Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

 Osage embarked 703 officers and men of Casual Draft 2610 of the 126th Naval Construction Battalion and loaded 29 amphibian trucks (DUKW

DUKW

The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...

) at New Orleans. Transiting the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 on 8 February 1945 she continued on to 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...

 for further amphibious training, conducted off Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

. On 17 March she sailed with vehicles and various units of the 10th Army units embarked, in company with attack transport and the submarine chaser

Submarine chaser

A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...

s and . 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 joined Task Force 51 and continued on to Okinawa, arriving on 11 April. Despite repeated enemy air attacks, during which she frequently interrupted unloading operations to go to general quarters, laying smoke each night and opening fire as necessary to drive off 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...

ese planes when in range, Osage completed offloading within five days and on the 16th sailed 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...

 for provisioning, proceeding in company with the .

April–August 1945

Moving then to Peleliu

Peleliu

Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....

, in the Palaus, she reached that place on 28 April 1945. She stood out the following day 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...

, Marianas Islands, and steamed unaccompanied, loaded with tank landing vehicles (LVTs) of the 726th Amphibious Tractor Battalion, and 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...

 of the 4th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, USMC. Reaching her destination on 1 May, Osage unloaded trucks and disembarked troops, and after fueling and provisioning sailed from Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...

 to return to 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...

, arriving on 4 May, where she launched the remaining vehicles via her stern ramp, and began a period of post-voyage repairs to her main and auxiliary engines. For a little over a month, Osage awaited orders at Saipan, painting ship and conducting inspections and training, after which time she received orders to proceed to 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...

. Sailing on 6 June, the ship crossed the equator

Line-crossing ceremony

The ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite in the Royal Navy, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Marine Corps, and other navies that commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the Equator. Originally, the tradition was created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates...

 on 10 June at approximately 164º0' E, observing the event with appropriate ceremonies, during which time some 400 "pollywogs" received initiation into the realm of "King Neptune

Neptune (mythology)

Neptune was the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology and religion. He is analogous with, but not identical to, the Greek god Poseidon. In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, each of them presiding over one of the three realms of the universe,...

." Arriving at her destination on 15 June 1945 Osage received engine repairs at Nouméa, culminating in trials on 25 June, then embarked the men and loaded the vehicles and equipment of the 47th Naval Construction Battalion, taking departure for Guam on 6 July. Unloaded and ready for sea four days later, she departed Guam on 11 July, and after a brief pause at Saipan to load supplies, pushed on for San Francisco, reaching her destination on 25 July for voyage repairs at the Kaiser yard at 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...

. During that period of yard work, that coincided with the cessation of hostilities with Japan, she received repairs to her engines, a drydocking, general repairs, and a revision of her paint scheme from "green and black camouflage to over-all gray." She was ultimately reported "ready for sea" on 22 August.

August–October 1945

Five days later, on 27 August 1945, with approximately 1,400 officers and enlisted men (United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

) embarked, replacements for troops in the forward areas, Osage sailed for 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...

, in the Western Carolines, arriving there on 10 September where she refueled, then continued her voyage 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...

, reaching Tacloban two days later to disembark almost half of her embarked soldiers. Underway for 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 14 September, the ship reached her destination two days later to disembark the balance of her passengers. Sailing on 21 September with nine officers and 496 enlisted infantry, field artillery, engineering, signal, quartermaster and chemical warfare division passengers, she reached Batangas

Batangas

Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...

 later the same day, where she loaded 61 army vehicles. Having completed her work in the Philippines, Osage sailed for 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...

 in company with the attack cargo ship and attack transport , the trio later joining with Task Group 34.8 to comprise a convoy of 23 ships and two escorts. The ship arrived 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...

 on 3 October, to discharge her passengers and cargo 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...

. Ordered thence to perform "Magic Carpet" duty, transporting veterans back to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Osage sailed for Okinawa on 7 October. Receiving typhoon warnings while en route, the ship steered courses and speeds designed to evade the bad weather, and stood in to Buckner Bay on 11 October, where she embarked some 75 officers and over 1,600 enlisted men on 13 October for transportation to San Francisco and release from the naval service. She sailed for the west coast the same day.

October 1945–June 1946

Osage arrived at her destination on 26 October 1945 but would soon be underway on a return voyage 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,...

 on 10 November. Calling first at Shanghai, China and then Buckner Bay, the ship returned to the West Coast immediately thereafter. Then, following a period of repairs at Portland

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...

 that ended in mid-January 1946, the ship remained at San Pedro

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California

San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...

 until 1 May, when she sailed for Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

. Although she had been earmarked for conversion to a net cargo ship, she remained a vehicle cargo ship due to the selection of Montauk for the change. After transiting the Panama Canal (9 to 12 May), Osage shed her port propeller

Propeller

A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...

 on 12 May. She then put in to New Orleans (16 May to 9 June), then moved to Mobile for overhaul, the availability of funds dictating when urgent repairs could be accomplished.

Decommissioning and sale, 1947–1975

Osage was towed to Orange, Texas

Orange, Texas

Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...

 by , where she was inactivated and placed out of commission, in reserve on 16 May 1947. Redesignated as a mine warfare command and support ship, MCS-3, effective 18 October 1956, Osage remained in reserve until delivered to the custody of the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Beaumont, Texas

Beaumont, Texas

Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...

 on 19 September 1960. Stricken 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...

 on 1 September 1961 the ship was delivered to the Maritime Administration, on permanent transfer, on 1 September 1962. Returned to the Navy for stripping on 8 November 1972 incident to her future disposal, she was returned to the Maritime Administration on 27 November 1973. Sold to Luria Brothers and Company, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

 on 11 December 1974, the ship was delivered to her purchasers on 6 January 1975 to be broken up.

Osage received one battle star for service in World War II.