USS ''Lenoir'' (AKA-74) was a in service with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1944 to 1946. She was sold into commercial service and was scrapped in 1971.

History

''Lenoir'' was named after

Lenoir County, North Carolina Lenoir County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,122. Its county seat is Kinston, located on the Neuse River, across which the county has its territory. Lenoir County comprises the K ...

and the distant City of Lenoir, North Carolina, which are both named for the patriot William Lenoir. . She was laid down by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co.,

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

, on 7 September 1944; launched under

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

contract on 6 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John M. Kerr; acquired and commissioned on 14 December 1944.

World War II, 1945

''Lenoir'' departed

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

on 21 January 1945 and arrived

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

on 20 February. After touching

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with i ...

on 22 to 25 March, she sailed from

Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the larges ...

on 13 April for the

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

landings, arriving off

Hagushi Hagushi bay is located in Yomitan, Okinawa. The bay is at the mouth of Hija River. The north side of the mouth of the river has a public beach called Toguchi Beach. World War II Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American suppli ...

beach on 17 April. Within 72 hours she had discharged her cargo; though coming under air attack, she sustained no battle damage. She then voyaged to Saipan, Guadalcanal, and

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

, and arrived

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on 10 July.

Post-war activities, 1945–1946

The ship returned to Pearl Harbor on 25 August to embark men of the Army 6th Division for Japan, arriving there on 22 October. She departed on 4 November for

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, arriving the 18th. The ship next sailed from

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for " tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda Island, but also spans Bay Farm Island and Coast Guard Island, as we ...

, for Tsingtao, China, and Jinsen, Korea, on a "

Magic Carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its users to their destination. In literature One o ...

" voyage.

Decommissioning and fate

She returned to San Francisco on 11 March 1946, sailed on to Norfolk, and was decommissioned there on 13 June 1946. Returned to the

on 14 June 1946, she was sold on 1 October 1947 to

Lykes Brothers Steamship Company Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., also called Lykes Lines, was a cargo shipping company acting from the beginning of the 20th century to 2005 having its main business in the trade to and from the United States. History In 1898 the sons of Dr. Howell Tys ...

, and operated out of

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

as SS ''Margaret Lykes''. Resold the same year to the Gulf & South American Steamship Company, she was renamed SS ''Gulf Merchant''. After 17 years of service she was sold again (5 November 1964) to Delta Steamship Company and named SS ''Del Aires''. Delta sold her on 28 June 1968 to Columbia Steamship Company who named her SS ''Columbia Tiger''. On 9 September 1970 she was reflagged to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and named SS ''Antillian Tiger''. Sometime in 1971, the ship was sold for the last time and broken up for scrap.

Awards

''Lenoir'' received one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

service.

References

*
Ship History at NavSource.

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenoir (AKA-74) Tolland-class attack cargo ships World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Lenoir County, North Carolina Ships built in Wilmington, North Carolina 1944 ships