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USS Sandoval (APA-194)
Encyclopedia
USS Sandoval (APA-194/LPA-194) 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 on 2 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Jack Crane; acquired by the Navy on loan charter on 7 October 1944; and commissioned the same day, Comdr. R. C. Scherrer in command.
Toward the end of October, Sandoval took on landing craft
at San Francisco, California
, then moved further south for shakedown
training off southern California
. In mid-November, she transported troops and cargo to Hawaii
where she joined her squadron, Transport Squadron 16. Amphibious training followed with the 3d Battalion, 27th Regiment, 5th Marine Division, embarked; and, on 27 January 1945, she continued west, via Saipan
, to Iwo Jima
.
and caused minor injuries to boat crew members. But, despite heavy resistance, the 27th Regiment took the cliffs overlooking the western beaches by mid-afternoon; and Sandoval moved in again to take on casualties and discharge critical cargo. Offloading continued until after 1800 when she retired for the night. At daybreak, she returned; and, for the next few days, maintained that pattern of operations. On the 27th, she transferred her remaining provisions and stores to other ships in the area and joined task unit TU 51.16.7 to return to Saipan
.
on 2 March; shifted to Guam
on the 3d; disembarked casualties; and, on the 5th, sailed for Tulagi
where her damaged landing craft were replaced. At mid-month, she loaded troops and cargo of the Army's 105th Regiment, U.S. 27th Division, at Espiritu Santo
; and, on the 25th, sailed for Ulithi
and the Ryukyus. On 9 April, the transport anchored at Kerama Retto
. On the 10th, she shifted to the Hagushi
beaches of Okinawa to land her reinforcement troops; and, on the 19th, she departed the area to return to the Marianas to take on more men and supplies for the Okinawa
campaign.
) units and equipment embarked. On the 27th, she arrived in Nakagusuku Wan while an enemy air attack was in progress. After the raid, she commenced offloading and continued the work throughout the day despite interruptions by later raids. At daybreak on the 28th, she resumed offloading. Soon after 0730, however, the operation was interrupted by another Japanese air raid; and, at 0737, the APA's guns opened fire on a Tony
coming in low, about 50 feet (15.2 m), range 2000 yards (1,828.8 m). The kamikaze
crashed into the portside of the wheelhouse.
Five, including the executive officer, were killed; 29, including the commanding officer
, were wounded. Three of the latter died later. The navigator, Lt. K. V. Kerth, USNR
, assumed command. Flames lit the bridge. Central fire control was lost. Radar
and interior communications were knocked out. At 0755, a second enemy plane came in firing; crossed the bow at 500 feet (152.4 m) and crashed 2000 yards (1,828.8 m) away. By 0800, the bridge fire was under control. Fifteen minutes later, a third kamikaze
came in, missed Sandoval and crashed the foredeck of SS Joseph Snelling, 600 yards (548.6 m) off the APA's starboard quarter. At 0830, the fire on the bridge was extinguished. After 0900, central fire control was regained, and repair parties began clearing the wreckage. At 1040, the ship was secured from general quarters
.
Two days later, cargo operations were completed, and the remaining Seabee
personnel were disembarked. On the 31st, Sandoval headed for Saipan
, Pearl Harbor
, and San Francisco, California
.
; took on occupation troops at Luzon
; and, on 14 October, disembarked them at Yokohama
. By the end of the month, she had completed a second Luzon
-Honshū
run in support of the occupation of Japan
; and, in November, she joined the "Operation Magic Carpet" fleet to carry veterans back to the United States
.
Sandoval completed her last "Magic Carpet" run at San Francisco on the 29th. Then, for a brief time, she provided services to small craft in the San Francisco Bay
area. In March, she reported to the 19th (Inactive) Fleet; and, on 19 July 1946, she was decommissioned and berthed at Stockton, California
.
, Sandoval was ordered activated to support the United Nations
effort in Korea
. Recommissioned on 22 September 1951, she joined the Pacific Fleet's Amphibious Force in mid-October; and, after operations off the U.S. West Coast
, she sailed west on 3 March 1952.
(POW) riots on that island. In May and early June, she conducted amphibious training exercises; and, at mid-month, she headed south to the Philippines
and Hong Kong
. In July, she returned to Japan, where she resumed cargo and amphibious training operations. In August, she sailed for home, arriving at Long Beach, California
, on the 24th. She then shifted to San Francisco, California
; and, after voyage repairs, returned to San Diego, California
, whence she conducted exercises until December. Overhaul took her into February 1953; and, in the spring, she resumed training duties off southern California
.
the day after the truce went into effect; and, in early August, she assisted in transporting POW's from the off-shore islands to the Korean mainland for exchange. She then returned to Japan and, for the remainder of her extended tour in the western Pacific Ocean
, carried cargo and conducted training exercises in Japanese, Korean, and Okinawan waters. In April 1954, she returned to California and, after local exercises, prepared for inactivation. She completed inactivation overhaul and was decommissioned at Mare Island, California, on 22 June 1955. Four and one-half years later, on 10 December 1959, she was transferred to the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet
; and, on 1 July 1960, her name was struck from the Navy list
.
, she transited the Panama Canal
; joined that fleet's amphibious force on 17 January 1962; and, soon thereafter, commenced operations out of Norfolk, Virginia
.
and Carolina coasts, and in Puerto Rico
. In August, she conducted gunnery exercises; then carried Army personnel and vehicles from Norfolk to the Panama Canal Zone
; and transported Marine Corps vehicles from Puerto Rico to Norfolk. Local landing exercises and an availability took her into October, when the Cuban missile crisis
erupted. Sandoval moved to Morehead City, North Carolina
; embarked marines; and steamed south to stand by in case of need. At the end of November, as international tension eased, she returned to Norfolk where she remained into the new year, 1963. She then resumed local exercises, transportation operations, and training exercises along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean
.
to the coast of Spain
where she participated in Operation Steel Pike
, the largest landing exercise in the Atlantic since World War II
. Effective 14 August 1964, the ship was redesignated LPA-194.
10 in the western Atlantic and operations in the Mediterranean as a unit of PhibRon 6. She stood by on alert with the 6th Fleet during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and turned to scientific tasks the following year. During February 1968, she assisted test and evaluation forces off Florida
; and, in December, she operated some 600 miles (965.6 km) west of the Canary Islands
as a unit of the Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force for Apollo 8
. With 1969, she resumed training exercises; and, on 19 March, she sailed east for her last deployment with the 6th Fleet. Well into the summer, she participated in fleet, bi-national, and NATO exercises; and, on 5 August, she got underway for Morehead City and Norfolk, Virginia
. She arrived at Norfolk on the 19th and, a week later, received orders to prepare for inactivation.
, where she remained into July 1974. On 1 December 1976, she was struck from the Navy list
, and, in 1983, was disposed of by the MARAD
. Her fate is not known.
and two for her Korean War
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...
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
The second ship to be named Sandoval by the Navy, APA-194 was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 662) on 16 May 1944 by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., 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 on 2 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Jack Crane; acquired by the Navy on loan charter on 7 October 1944; and commissioned the same day, Comdr. R. C. Scherrer in command.
Toward the end of October, Sandoval took on 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, 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...
, then moved further south for shakedown
Shakedown (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...
training off southern 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...
. In mid-November, she transported troops and cargo to Hawaii
Hawaii
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...
where she joined her squadron, Transport Squadron 16. Amphibious training followed with the 3d Battalion, 27th Regiment, 5th Marine Division, embarked; and, on 27 January 1945, she continued west, via 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...
, to 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...
.
Iwo Jima
On the morning of 19 February, she arrived off the latter island and soon disembarked her troops. During the landings on “Red Beach,” mortar fire damaged several of her landing craftLanding 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...
and caused minor injuries to boat crew members. But, despite heavy resistance, the 27th Regiment took the cliffs overlooking the western beaches by mid-afternoon; and Sandoval moved in again to take on casualties and discharge critical cargo. Offloading continued until after 1800 when she retired for the night. At daybreak, she returned; and, for the next few days, maintained that pattern of operations. On the 27th, she transferred her remaining provisions and stores to other ships in the area and joined task unit TU 51.16.7 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...
.
Return to Guam
She arrived at SaipanSaipan
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...
on 2 March; shifted 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...
on the 3d; disembarked casualties; and, on the 5th, sailed for Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
where her damaged landing craft were replaced. At mid-month, she loaded troops and cargo of the Army's 105th Regiment, U.S. 27th Division, at 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....
; and, on the 25th, 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...
and the Ryukyus. On 9 April, the transport anchored at Kerama Retto
Kerama 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....
. On the 10th, she shifted to the Hagushi
Hagushi
Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American supplies during the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. The bay, at the mouth of the Bishi River , was the dividing line between the First and Sixth US Marine divisions, which landed on the Hagushi beaches to the north, and the Seventh...
beaches of Okinawa to land her reinforcement troops; and, on the 19th, she departed the area to return to the Marianas to take on more men and supplies for the 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...
campaign.
Hit by kamikaze
On 23 May, Sandoval sailed for the Ryukyus again, with naval construction battalion (SeabeeSeabee
Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...
) units and equipment embarked. On the 27th, she arrived in Nakagusuku Wan while an enemy air attack was in progress. After the raid, she commenced offloading and continued the work throughout the day despite interruptions by later raids. At daybreak on the 28th, she resumed offloading. Soon after 0730, however, the operation was interrupted by another Japanese air raid; and, at 0737, the APA's guns opened fire on a Tony
Kawasaki Ki-61
The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force...
coming in low, about 50 feet (15.2 m), range 2000 yards (1,828.8 m). The 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....
crashed into the portside of the wheelhouse.
Five, including the executive officer, were killed; 29, including the commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
, were wounded. Three of the latter died later. The navigator, Lt. K. V. Kerth, USNR
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
, assumed command. Flames lit the bridge. Central fire control was lost. Radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and interior communications were knocked out. At 0755, a second enemy plane came in firing; crossed the bow at 500 feet (152.4 m) and crashed 2000 yards (1,828.8 m) away. By 0800, the bridge fire was under control. Fifteen minutes later, a third 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....
came in, missed Sandoval and crashed the foredeck of SS Joseph Snelling, 600 yards (548.6 m) off the APA's starboard quarter. At 0830, the fire on the bridge was extinguished. After 0900, central fire control was regained, and repair parties began clearing the wreckage. At 1040, the ship was secured from general quarters
General quarters
General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage....
.
Two days later, cargo operations were completed, and the remaining Seabee
Seabee
Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...
personnel were disembarked. On the 31st, Sandoval headed 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...
, 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...
, and 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...
.
End-of-war and decommissioning
Sandoval arrived at Mare Island, California, on 22 June. Repairs were not completed until hostilities had ended. Late in August, the ship loaded replacement troops and sailed west. In late September, she discharged those troops at LeyteLeyte
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...
; took on occupation troops at 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...
; and, on 14 October, disembarked them 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...
. By the end of the month, she had completed a second 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...
-Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
run in support of the occupation 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, in November, she joined the "Operation Magic Carpet" fleet to carry 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...
.
Sandoval completed her last "Magic Carpet" run at San Francisco on the 29th. Then, for a brief time, she provided services to small craft in the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
area. In March, she reported to the 19th (Inactive) Fleet; and, on 19 July 1946, she was decommissioned and berthed 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...
.
Reactivated during Korean War
Five years later, after war had again broken out 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,...
, Sandoval was ordered activated to support the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
effort in Korea
Korea
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...
. Recommissioned on 22 September 1951, she joined the Pacific Fleet's Amphibious Force in mid-October; and, after operations off the U.S. 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 sailed west on 3 March 1952.
Korean and other Far East operations
On the 24th, she arrived in Japan; and, in mid-April, she carried cargo to Inchon, whence she moved troops to Koje Do to assist in stemming the prisoner of warPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(POW) riots on that island. In May and early June, she conducted amphibious training exercises; and, at mid-month, she headed south 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 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...
. In July, she returned to Japan, where she resumed cargo and amphibious training operations. In August, she sailed for home, arriving at Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, on the 24th. She then shifted to 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...
; and, after voyage repairs, returned to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, whence she conducted exercises until December. Overhaul took her into February 1953; and, in the spring, she resumed training duties off southern 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...
.
Post-Korean War operations and decommissioning
On 3 July, Sandoval again headed west. She arrived in JapanJapan
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...
the day after the truce went into effect; and, in early August, she assisted in transporting POW's from the off-shore islands to the Korean mainland for exchange. She then returned to Japan and, for the remainder of her extended tour in the western 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...
, carried cargo and conducted training exercises in Japanese, Korean, and Okinawan waters. In April 1954, she returned to California and, after local exercises, prepared for inactivation. She completed inactivation overhaul and was decommissioned at Mare Island, California, on 22 June 1955. Four and one-half years later, on 10 December 1959, she was transferred to the Maritime Administration's 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, on 1 July 1960, her name was 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....
.
Third recommissioning in 1961
A little over a year later, however, she was recalled, reinstated on the Navy list on 1 September 1961, and recommissioned on 20 November 1961. Assigned to the U.S. Atlantic FleetUnited States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, she transited 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...
; joined that fleet's amphibious force on 17 January 1962; and, soon thereafter, commenced operations out of 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....
.
Supporting movement of troops during Cuban missile crisis
Into the summer, Sandoval conducted training exercises, primarily with U.S. Marine Corps units, off the VirginiaVirginia
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...
and Carolina coasts, and in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. In August, she conducted gunnery exercises; then carried Army personnel and vehicles from Norfolk to the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
; and transported Marine Corps vehicles from Puerto Rico to Norfolk. Local landing exercises and an availability took her into October, when the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
erupted. Sandoval moved to Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City is a port city in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007...
; embarked marines; and steamed south to stand by in case of need. At the end of November, as international tension eased, she returned to Norfolk where she remained into the new year, 1963. She then resumed local exercises, transportation operations, and training exercises along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Deployment with the Sixth Fleet
With the end of summer, she prepared for her first deployment with the U.S. 6th Fleet; and, on 21 September, she departed Morehead City. She operated in the Mediterranean for five months; returned to Norfolk in February; resumed duty with Amphibious Squadron 10 (PhibRon 10); and, in the fall, headed back across the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to the coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
where she participated in Operation Steel Pike
Operation Steel Pike
Operation Steel Pike was the largest peacetime amphibious landing exercise in history, conducted by the United States Navy and Marine Corps and taking place on the coast of Spain in October to November 1964....
, the largest landing exercise in the Atlantic since 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...
. Effective 14 August 1964, the ship was redesignated LPA-194.
Apollo 8 recovery
During the next several years, Sandoval rotated between duty with PHIBRONPHIBRON
PHIBRON is an abbreviation for Amphibious Squadron. In the U.S. and NATO, it is a tactical and administrative organization composed of amphibious assault shipping to transport troops and their equipment for an amphibious assault operation....
10 in the western Atlantic and operations in the Mediterranean as a unit of PhibRon 6. She stood by on alert with the 6th Fleet during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and turned to scientific tasks the following year. During February 1968, she assisted test and evaluation forces off 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...
; and, in December, she operated some 600 miles (965.6 km) west of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
as a unit of the Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force for Apollo 8
Apollo 8
Apollo 8, the second manned mission in the American Apollo space program, was the first human spaceflight to leave Earth orbit; the first to be captured by and escape from the gravitational field of another celestial body; and the first crewed voyage to return to Earth from another celestial...
. With 1969, she resumed training exercises; and, on 19 March, she sailed east for her last deployment with the 6th Fleet. Well into the summer, she participated in fleet, bi-national, and NATO exercises; and, on 5 August, she got underway for Morehead City and 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....
. She arrived at Norfolk on the 19th and, a week later, received orders to prepare for inactivation.
Final decommissioning
On 3 March 1970, Sandoval was decommissioned and turned over to the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Norfolk. On 20 August 1970, she was transferred to the custody of the Maritime Administration and laid up with the James River, Virginia, Group, 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...
, where she remained into July 1974. On 1 December 1976, she was 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....
, and, in 1983, was disposed of by the 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 not known.
Military awards and honors
Sandoval received two battle stars during 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...
and two for her 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...
service.