USS Sherburne (APA-205) was a of 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...

, built and used 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 of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship

Victory ship

The Victory ship was a type of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace shipping losses caused by German submarines...

 design type. Sherburne was named for Sherburne County, Minnesota

Sherburne County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 64,417 people, 21,581 households, and 16,746 families residing in the county. The population density was 148 people per square mile . There were 22,827 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...

. She was later converted and renamed USS Range Sentinel (AGM-22) a missile range instrumentation ship

Missile Range Instrumentation Ship

Missile Range Instrumentation Ships, Range Ships, or Tracking Ships, are ships equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets...

.

Service history

Sherburne (APA-205) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull MCV-553) on 18 May 1944 by Yard Number 2, the Permanente Metals

Permanente Metals

Permanente Metals Company managed the Richmond Shipyards, owned by Henry J. Kaiser. These four of the Kaiser Shipyards were known for the construction of Liberty ships.The company was also a major producer of magnesium during World War II...

 Corporation, 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 on 10 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Mary Sernach; and commissioned on 20 September 1944, Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

 Lannis A. Parker in command.

World War II

Following commissioning, Sherburne proceeded to the Naval Supply Depot at Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

. She remained in the San Francisco area until getting under way for San Pedro, California, for shakedown training which she completed on 20 October. The ship then returned to San Francisco to become a training vessel for APA and AP crews being assembled at the Precommissioning Training Center at Treasure Island. During her duty as a training vessel, 24 October to 22 December, she embarked the officers and men of 19 ships for periods of one to five days each for short cruises to the operating areas off Point Reyes

Point Reyes

Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California. It is located in Marin County approximately WNW of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast...

. They were given training in ship handling, emergency drills, and in surface and anti-aircraft firing.

Upon completion of brief repairs at the Bethlehem Steel

Bethlehem Steel

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...

 Co. in San Francisco, she got underway on 12 January 1945 toward San Diego for amphibious training. From 14 to 29 January, the ship underwent strenuous training in all phases of amphibious operations; and, on completion of this duty, she returned to the San Francisco area to load cargo.

On 15 February, Sherburne departed San Francisco for Hawaii and arrived at 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...

 on the morning of the 21st. On 20 March, the ship embarked her first contingent of troops and got underway with a convoy bound for the Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...

. She arrived at Eniwetok on the 28th; and, after discharging cargo, proceeded to Kwajalein

Kwajalein

Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...

, arriving there on 31 March; and then 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...

 which she reached on 6 April. She discharged cargo and troops at both ports. At Ulithi, she embarked a group of marines; and, on the 15th, the ship headed 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...

, arriving at 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...

 the following day. After embarking another group of marines on the 20th, the ship continued on to Saipan, arriving the next day. On the 23rd, she embarked a group of Army troops; and, four days later, the ship sailed in convoy

Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...

 for Okinawa.

Sherburne arrived off Okinawa late in the afternoon of 1 May and immediately began debarkation of troops and cargo. Operations were delayed by bad weather and air attacks; but, on the morning of the 4th, the ship completed offloading and got underway to return to Ulithi, arriving at that base on the 9th. Sailing the next day, she moored at San Francisco on 24 May. There she embarked troops; and, on 2 June, again sailed for the forward area, this time to the Philippines. She refueled at Eniwetok and Ulithi, and arrived at Manila on the morning of the 23rd. On 4 July, she loaded Army troops for Cebu and delivered them there two days later. She then proceeded via Leyte

Leyte Island

Leyte is an island in the Visayas group of the Philippines.The island measures about 180 km north-south and about 65 km at its widest point. In the north it nearly joins Samar, separated by the San Juanico Strait, which becomes as narrow as 2 km in some places...

 to Biak, where she arrived on the 11th. There she loaded Army troops and sailed for Zamboanga

Zamboanga City

The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....

, where she disembarked some of her troops on the 17th. Arriving at Manila two days later, she put the rest of her troops and cargo ashore and shifted to Subic Bay on 25 July for minor repairs and upkeep.

On 4 August 1945, Sherburne sailed for Lucena

Lucena City

Metro Lucena has an estimated population of 700,000 which is mostly concentrated in the flat south-central portion of Quezon, which includes the cities of Lucena and Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria, Lucban & Pagbilao . The people are often characterized as friendly and hardworking...

 in Tayabas Bay, Luzon, for amphibious training of Army troops. This duty was abruptly terminated at mid-month by the Japanese capitulation. The ship immediately returned via Manila to Batangas Bay

Batangas Bay

Batangas Bay is a semi-enclosed body of water located in the Philippines. The municipalities of Mabini, Bauan, San Pascual, Tingloy on Maribacan Island and Batangas City are located on the coast of the bay. The water surface area of the bay is about 220 km² , and the coastline has an...

 to load troops of the 1st Cavalry Division and the 11th Airborne Division for the occupation of the Tokyo region. Loading was completed on 24 August; and, on the following day, the ship was underway in convoy for Yokohama, Japan. The convoy entered 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...

 early on the morning of 2 September and proceeded up the bay. Sherburne passed at approximately the time of the reading of the surrender document

Japanese Instrument of Surrender

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that enabled the Surrender of Japan, marking the end of World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist...

 on board that battleship. As the transport dropped anchor off the Yokohama breakwater, her radio receiver was announcing the final signature of the document. Debarkation of troops was completed in the afternoon; and, on the following day, the ship moored alongside a Yokohama pier to discharge cargo. Unloading was completed that evening; and, on the 4th, the ship was under way to return to Zamboanga for another contingent of occupation troops.

On 11 September, Sherburne put into Leyte for fuel and supplies; then continued to Zamboanga, arriving on the 16th. Loading of troops and cargo of the 41st Infantry Division was completed on the 19th. After picking up more troops and boats at Bugo, Mindanao, the ship sailed from Abuyog, Leyte, on the 22nd for Kure, Japan. On the 23rd, the convoy was diverted to Okinawa because of a delay in preparations at its destination; and the ship anchored in Buckner Bay

Nakagusuku Bay

is a bay off the southern coast of Okinawa Island in Japan, at .American soldiers nicknamed the bay Buckner Bay, after General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr....

, Okinawa, the same day. She was forced to sea from 28 September to 1 October to evade a typhoon; and, on the 2nd, got underway for Japan. The ship entered Bungo Suido early on 5 October; and, after cautiously passing through a succession of mined areas in the Inland Sea, reached Hiro Wan the next day. Debarkation of troops and cargo began immediately and was completed on the 8th.

Sherburne was next scheduled for duty in "Operation Magic Carpet

Operation Magic Carpet (World War II)

Operation Magic Carpet was the post-World War II effort by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and CBI theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ships, and troop transports began repatriating soldiers from...

" to return servicemen to the United States; but she was diverted to Okinawa where, from 12 October to 14 November, she served as accommodation ship for a total of over 1,400 survivors of mine vessels and other craft wrecked there in a recent typhoon. On 28 November, the transport arrived at Seattle with a group of homeward-bound servicemen from Okinawa. After a month of repairs, she sailed on 28 December for Okinawa where, after embarking more troops between 15 and 21 January, she delivered them at San Francisco on 5 February.

Post-war

Sherburne was decommissioned on 3 August 1946; and, after a decade in reserve in Navy custody, was transferred to the Maritime Administration at Suisun Bay, California, on 9 September 1958. She was struck from the Navy List

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 October 1958.

Reactivation as Range Sentinel

Over 20 years after her decommissioning, Sherburne was called back to active duty to support the Navy's Polaris

UGM-27 Polaris

The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....

 and Poseidon

UGM-73 Poseidon

The Poseidon missile was the second US Navy ballistic missile system, powered by a two-stage solid fuel rocket. It succeeded the Polaris missile beginning in 1972, bringing major advances in warheads and accuracy...

 fleet ballistic missile flight test program. She was reclassified as a range tracking vessel

Missile Range Instrumentation Ship

Missile Range Instrumentation Ships, Range Ships, or Tracking Ships, are ships equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets...

, AGM-22, on 16 April 1969, and was reacquired from the Maritime Administration and reinstated on the Navy list on 22 October 1969. She began conversion at the Northwest Marine Ironworks, Portland, Oregon, on 28 October 1969, renamed Range Sentinel on 26 April 1971, and delivered to the Military Sealift Command

Military Sealift Command

The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...

 on 21 October 1971 and placed in service, Sven Rydberg, master. Her conversion included the latest communications, navigation, and missile tracking and monitoring equipment. Range Sentinel continued in service into 1974 as a unit of the Military Sealift Command Special Projects Fleet, home ported at Port Canaveral, Florida

Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 2.8 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2010. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic. Over of bulk...

.

Fate

As of 30 September 2006, the Range Sentinel is in the James River 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...

 under the care of 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...

, where she has a status of "Historical Review"