USS ''Alshain'' (AKA-55) (nicknamed "Johnny") was an in the service of 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 ...

. She was named after the star '' Alshain'' in the constellation ''Aquila'', and served as a commissioned ship for 11 years and 9 months. ''Alshain'' (AKA-55) was laid down on 29 October 1943 under a

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 (MC hull 209) at

Kearny, New Jersey Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., launched on 26 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. J. H. King, acquired by the Navy on 31 March 1944, and placed in commission at Brooklyn, New York, on 1 April 1944.

Service history

World War II, 1944–1945

After fitting out at the New York Navy Yard, the new attack cargo ship got underway for shakedown training in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

. She entered the

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

for an availability on 27 April, took on cargo early in May, and sailed for the Hawaiian Islands on the 13th. ''Alshain'' transited the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

, joined the Pacific Fleet, and arrived at

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 2 June. There, she reported for duty to Commander, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet. The ship was ordered to return to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

to serve as an amphibious training ship, and she set a course for the

west coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

. ''Alshain'' reached San Diego on 20 June but was ordered to replenish fuel and provisions and return to Hawaii. Upon her arrival at

on the 28th, she was assigned to temporary Transport Division (TransDiv) 38 and began loading combat cargo and Army personnel scheduled to participate in the invasion of Guam. On 1 July, the vessel set sail for

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 ...

to join Task Force 51 as a part of the Southern Transport Group. The combined forces sortied from that atoll on 17 July and arrived off Agat Beach,

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 ...

, on the 21st. Landing operations began early that morning. ''Alshain'' had difficulty unloading her cargo due to a shortage of boats and congestion on the beach itself. She finally completed the process on 3 August and retired toward Eniwetok. The ship then sailed independently to Pearl Harbor where she embarked more

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

troops and loaded their equipment before getting underway on 27 August for amphibious landing rehearsals at Lahaina Roads, Maui. On 15 September, ''Alshain'' sailed with Task Group (TG) 33.1 for Eniwetok and a planned invasion of

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micr ...

. However, the attack on Yap was later cancelled, and Leyte, Philippines, was substituted as an objective. The cargo vessel departed Eniwetok on 26 September, bound for Manus,

Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-co ...

, the forward staging area for the assault on Leyte. ''Alshain'' reached that port on 3 October and made final preparations for the invasion of the Philippines. On 14 October, she sortied with TG 79.1 which entered

Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao ...

on the 20th. ''Alshain'' anchored in the transport area off Dulag, Leyte, and began lowering her boats at 0730. Despite enemy air harassment, the unloading proceeded so smoothly that the ship completed her work on the 23rd and headed back to

Seeadler Harbor Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II. In German, "Seeadler" means sea eagle, pointing to German colonial activity between 1884 a ...

, Manus. Getting underway again on 7 November, ''Alshain'' proceeded to Hollandia,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

, to take on the personnel and material of the Army Air Service Command. She then rendezvoused with other ships off

Biak Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The large ...

Schouten Islands The Schouten Islands ( id, Kepulauan Biak, also Biak Islands or Geelvink Islands) are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New ...

, to form Task Unit (TU) 79.15.4, which proceeded to Leyte Gulf to reinforce Allied forces in the Philippines. The task unit arrived in the waters off Tanauan, Leyte, on the 118th and underwent a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

air attack that morning. ''Alshain'' joined the others in firing on the enemy intruders. One "

A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was ...

" approached the cargo ship and dived from directly astern in what seemed to be a

strafing Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such ...

dive bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughou ...

attack. However, intense antiaircraft fire caused the plane to burst into flames, and it splashed close aboard , anchored away. The next day, ''Alshain'' left Tanauan to return to Seeadler Harbor. On 28 November, the cargo ship sailed for

Finschhafen Finschhafen is a town east of Lae on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. The town is commonly misspelt as Finschafen or Finschaven. During World War II, the town was also referred to as Fitch Haven in the logs of some U.S ...

, New Guinea; paused there on the 29th; and then pressed on to Bougainville,

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

, arriving in

Empress Augusta Bay Empress Augusta Bay is a bay on the western side of the island of Bougainville Island, within the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in northeastern Papua New Guinea. It is a subsistence fishing area for the people of Bougainville. History Emp ...

on 1 December. She embarked members of the 37th Infantry Division and got underway on the 16th for training exercises in

Huon Gulf Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea. It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Its northern boundary is marked by ...

, New Guinea. ''Alshain'' finished the exercises and returned to Manus on the 21st. On the last day of 1944, she sortied with TG 79.1 for the assault on Luzon, Philippines. The ships passed through Surigao Strait, the

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

and Sulu Seas, and entered the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...

on 8 January 1945. On that day, when a small group of enemy planes attacked the transports, ''Alshain'' helped to fight off the attack. She continued on toward

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, entered Lingayen Gulf on the 9th, and unloaded her cargo. The ship then returned to Leyte to embark personnel for landings to be conducted in the San Felipe-San Narciso area of Luzon. The vessel sailed on 26 January to waters off Luzon, disembarked her passengers on the 29th, and returned to Leyte Gulf on 1 February. During the next two months, the cargo ship remained in Philippine waters replenishing supplies, assisting in unloading merchant ships, and carrying out training exercises in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. She left the Philippines on 27 March with Task Unit (TU) 51.13.1 and arrived off

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 ...

on 1 April. The Japanese struck back with numerous air attacks against Allied shipping in an attempt to ward off the assault. On 1 April, a

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...

crashed into ''Alpine'' which was anchored some away. ''Alshain'' rescued a badly burned soldier who had been blown off ''Alpine's'' deck by the crash. The attack cargo ship completed her unloading on the 5th, withdrew from the area, and headed for Apra Harbor,

. She then proceeded via Pearl Harbor to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, where she entered the Lake Washington Shipyard, Houghton, Washington, on 2 May for an availability. After the completion of the yard period on the 18th, the ship took on cargo at

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

, and proceeded to

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 ...

. During this run, trouble developed with the superheater tubes in the boilers. ''Alshain'' entered the Bethlehem Steel Co. repair yard at San Francisco on 2 June for two weeks of repair work. On the 16th, the ship set a course for Eniwetok and spent a fortnight in port there in early July before getting underway for Guam. ''Alshain'' reached Apra Harbor on 18 July and discharged a portion of her provisions. Her next destination was

Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island——in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 1 ...

, where she paused on 10 August to take on supplies. The vessel reached

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and ...

, New Caledonia, on the 14th. Here, she received word of Japan's capitulation. After the end of the war, ''Alshain'' continued her role as a cargo supply ship. Among the islands she served during the next three months were Eniwetok, Guam, and Okinawa. The ship reached Pearl Harbor on 3 December and discharged her cargo. On the 16th, she got underway for Seattle, Washington. On that same day, the ship also detached from Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet. ''Alshain'' reached Seattle on 23 December and prepared to enter the

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...

for an extended availability.

Inter-war service, 1946–1950

In May 1946, the ship was assigned to the

Naval Transport Service Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

and resumed her cargo supply runs to various points in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

. She left San Francisco on 7 June for a cruise via Pearl Harbor to Okinawa and

Sasebo, Japan is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

. She departed Japanese waters on 7 August bound for the east coast of the United States. The vessel transited the

on 2 September and reached

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 the 8th. She remained there for a month and then made a brief trip to

Davisville, Rhode Island Davisville, Rhode Island is a village in the town of North Kingstown in the U.S. state of Rhode Island that was formerly the home of the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, which housed the United States Navy's SeaBees. Village descr ...

. After touching back at Norfolk, ''Alshain'' continued on south to transit the Panama Canal on 21 October and reached

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long B ...

, California, on the 30th. ''Alshain'' commenced another tour of

Far Eastern The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

ports on 22 November. Among her ports of call were Guam; Pearl Harbor;

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

, Japan;

Tsingtao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China; Okinawa; and Subic Bay and

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

, Philippines. ''Alshain'' arrived back in San Francisco on 7 August 1947 and spent five months there, interrupted only briefly late in November by a run to

. On 2 January 1948, the vessel began a series of trips carrying supplies and equipment to Guam from San Francisco. Four were completed between January and August 1948. After a period of yard work at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in October and November, ''Alshain'' got underway for the western Pacific. During this trip, she carried several tons of ammunition to Chinese Nationalist forces on Formosa; delivered supplies at Subic Bay and

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

, Japan; visited the ports of Shanghai and Tsingtao on the Chinese mainland; and touched at Guam before reporting back to San Francisco on 7 March 1949. ''Alshain'' operated along the west coast from March through July. On 21 July, the ship set out from San Francisco, bound via Pearl Harbor for Guam, where she arrived on 7 August. During her stay at that island, the cargo ship became a part of the newly formed

Military Sea Transportation Service Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

and was reclassified as USNS ''Alshain'' (T-AKA-55). She left Guam on 15 September, transited the Panama Canal on 9 October, and arrived off

Onslow Beach Onslow Beach is a stretch of undeveloped beach at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County, North Carolina Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its ...

, N.C., on the 15th. Two weeks later the vessel moved to the Hampton Roads area but sailed for Caribbean waters on 10 November, and touched at

Port-au-Prince, Haiti Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618 ...

, four days later. After paying one more call at Norfolk, ''Alshain'' transited the Panama Canal on 15 December, reached San Francisco on 30 December, and closed the year there in upkeep. ''Alshain'' set sail for Guam on 26 January 1950. She arrived back at San Diego on 27 March. After operations along the California coast, the cargo ship shaped a course for Japan on 26 April. She visited Yokosuka and Yokohama in May and touched at Naha, Okinawa, and Guam before pulling back into port at San Francisco on 26 June.

Korean War, 1950–1953

The outbreak of war in Korea caused ''Alshain'' to depart San Diego on 14 July with elements of the

1st Provisional Marine Brigade The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was a Marine infantry brigade of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) that existed periodically from 1912 to 1950. It was an ad hoc unit formed for specific operations and not considered a "permanent" USMC unit ...

embarked for transportation to Korea. The ship sailed with TG 53.7 from Yokosuka to

Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

, Korea, where she arrived on 2 August. Upon completion of debarking operations, the cargo vessel reached Yokosuka on the 7th. The ship then passed under the control of Amphibious Group 1, was fitted out to receive special boats for amphibious operations, and conducted training exercises late in August in Chigasaki Bay off Honshū, Japan. ''Alshain'' reported to

Kobe, Japan Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whi ...

, on 2 September to take on equipment, supplies, and personnel of the 1st Marine Division. On the 11th, she got underway for the invasion of Inchon, Korea. The vessel entered the transport area off

Inchon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

on 15 September and began unloading operations which continued until the 21st. Touching at Kobe on the 24th, ''Alshain'' embarked supplies and equipment of the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is th ...

and Marine Air Group 33 and moved to Sasebo, Japan, on 9 October to top off her fuel tanks before getting underway later that same day for Inchon. On 11 October, ''Alshain'' reached the Inchon area and loaded equipment and supplies for an upcoming amphibious operation. She departed Inchon on the 17th with TG 90.2, bound for

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

, Korea. However, clearance of mines delayed the start of the assault on Wonsan; and the task group was forced to retire along its approach route and wait. In the interim,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n forces moving north captured Wonsan and obviated the need for an assault landing. Thus when ''Alshain'' returned on the 26th to unload cargo and disembark troops, no enemy harassed her cargo operations, and she completed the mission on the 31st. ''Alshain'' retraced her course to Japan and arrived at Moji on the island of Kyushu on 2 November. There, she began embarking troops of the 3rd Infantry Division for transportation to Wonsan. The ship arrived in the Wonsan area on 14 November and, by the 17th, had completed discharging her passengers. She then paused briefly at Yokohama for a four-day availability period before setting out for the west coast of the United States on 25 November. The vessel reached San Francisco on 11 December. After three months of local operations and upkeep, ''Alshain'' left California on 16 March 1951, bound for the east coast. She navigated the Panama Canal on 1 April and continued on to Norfolk, where she arrived on the 15th. The ship left the

on 30 April to become a member of Amphibious Forces, Atlantic Fleet, and was assigned to TransDiv 23. She was involved in a series of local operations and training exercises at

, N.C., through 4 August when she got underway for her first

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

cruise. The ship replenished ships of the 6th Fleet at

Golfe Juan Golfe-Juan (; oc, Lo Gorg Joan, Lo Golfe Joan) is a seaside resort on France's Côte d'Azur. The distinct local character of Golfe-Juan is indicated by the existence of a demonym, "Golfe-Juanais", which is applied to its inhabitants. Overview ...

, France, from 17 to 25 August. She then proceeded to Port Lyautey,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, and replenished naval shore activities located there. Early September found Alshain back in her new home port,

. Her next mission sent the cargo ship to

Morehead City Morehead City is a port town 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. It forms part of the Crystal Coast. Hist ...

, N.C., to take on marines for participation in LantFlex 52 off

Vieques Island Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Ric ...

, Puerto Rico. ''Alshain'' arrived at Vieques on 1 October. During the cruise, were also made port calls at Bridgetown, Barbados, and Port of Spain, Trinidad. The ship left the Caribbean on 5 November, took part in an amphibious landing exercise on Onslow Beach on the 13th, and arrived back in Norfolk on the 18th. In early January 1952, ''Alshain'' commenced her second Mediterranean tour. Her first stop was

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, on 24 January. She then made a short trip to

Suda Bay Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri ...

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

, and returned to Naples on 9 February. From 25 February through 16 March, the ship took part in

Operation Grand Slam Operation Grand Slam was a key military operation of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It refers to a plan drawn up by the Pakistan Army in May 1965 that consisted of an attack on the vital Akhnoor Bridge in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashm ...

, held in conjunction with naval units of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

allies. She later made port calls at Porto Scudo and Palermo, Sicily; Iraklion, Crete;

Phaleron Bay Phalerum or Phaleron ( ''()'', ; ''()'', ) was a port of Ancient Athens, 5 km southwest of the Acropolis of Athens, on a bay of the Saronic Gulf. The bay is also referred to as "Bay of Phalerum" ( el, Όρμος Φαλήρου '').'' The ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

; Beirut, Lebanon; and

Cannes, France Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...

. Returning from her Mediterranean cruise to Norfolk on 24 May, ''Alshain'' engaged in various exercises off the eastern seaboard and in Puerto Rican waters. A visit to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

during the Fourth of July holiday period highlighted the ship's summer. After a three-week layover in the Norfolk area during the Christmas holidays, ''Alshain'' got underway on 4 January 1953 for amphibious landing exercises at

Vieques Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, ...

. In late January, she headed north and entered the Boston Naval Shipyard on 1 February for availability. ''Alshain'' resumed operations on 18 April and headed down the east coast toward the Caribbean for refresher training at

Guantánamo Bay, Cuba Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province. Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port near the site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool. These are traditio ...

, which lasted from 10 until 29 May. During this period, the cargo vessel was involved in two minor collisions: one with command ship on 13 May, and the other a few days later with oiler . These necessitated a restricted availability for the cargo ship for repairs from 23 June through 3 July at the Maryland Drydock Company of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Upon completion of the yard work, ''Alshain'' began operations along the east coast. In late September, she transported marines from Morehead City to Vieques Island for amphibious training exercises. She returned to home port on 3 October and closed the year in an upkeep status. The cargo ship moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in late January 1953 for a period of repairs and alterations which lasted through mid-April. ''Alshain'' sailed for the Caribbean from Norfolk on 6 May. She visited Guantánamo Bay and Port-au-Prince before reversing course back to Norfolk.

Post-war service, 1953–1955

The ship operated in the Norfolk area through 8 August, when she got underway for a cruise to Yokohama with a cargo of ammunition, air base equipment, and personnel of Marine Aircraft Group 11. She touched en route at Port Everglades, Florida; transited the Panama Canal on 15 August; visited San Diego for two days in late August; and finally reached Yokohama on 10 September. The cargo ship discharged her passengers and their equipment in Japan and got underway for her return trip on the 16th. Brief layovers at San Francisco, California, and

Balboa, Canal Zone Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. History The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spa ...

, preceded her arrival in Norfolk on 22 October. The ship then entered an extended tender availability. She began the year 1954 with a trip to the Caribbean for TRAEX 2-54 at Vieques Island. On 19 January, ''Alshain'' touched at Port Everglades and took on board elements of Marine Aircraft Group 32. After debarking the troops at Morehead City, the cargo ship returned to Norfolk on the 28th. For the duration of 1954, ''Alshain'' was engaged in a series of short training cruises. In mid-February, she made a round-trip voyage to San Juan and Vieques, Puerto Rico, for landing operations and, upon her return, entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for an availability. She then operated in the area of Norfolk and Little Creek, Virginia, the

, and Onslow Beach and Morehead City, N.C. The ship was involved in LANTFLEX 1-55 in November off Onslow Beach. ''Alshain'' began her last year of active duty, 1955, by picking up elements of the Fleet Marine Force at Morehead City. On 7 January 1955, she left the east coast en route to the Mediterranean. ''Alshain'' touched at

Mers El Kébir Mers El Kébir ( ar, المرسى الكبير, translit=al-Marsā al-Kabīr, lit=The Great Harbor ) is a port on the Mediterranean Sea, near Oran in Oran Province, northwest Algeria. It is famous for the attack on the French fleet in 1940, in t ...

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, on the 20th. She was then involved in amphibious operations in the Gulf of Arzew off Algeria. The ship continued on to visit

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

and

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Italy;

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;

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and Phaleron Bay, Greece; Suda Bay, Crete;

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

and Marseilles, France; Porto Scudo,

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

; and Barcelona, Spain. ''Alshain'' left Barcelona on 14 May and shaped a course back to the United States. Upon her arrival at Norfolk on the 28th, the ship began a period of leave and upkeep.

Decommissioning and scrapping, 1955–1978

''Alshain'' got underway in late June for

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. She entered the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...

on 1 July to undergo pre-inactivation overhaul. The work was completed in early October, and the vessel proceeded to

Orange, Texas Orange is a city and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,324. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Hous ...

, where she was placed in a reserve status on 12 October 1955. The ship was decommissioned on 14 January 1956. Her name was struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the 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 autho ...

on 1 July 1960. She was transferred to the

Maritime Administration Maritime administrations, or flag state administrations, are the executive arms/state bodies of each government responsible for carrying out the shipping responsibilities of the state, and are tasked to administer national shipping and boating issue ...

and laid up at Beaumont, Texas. She was sold for scrap on 16 February 1978.

Awards

USS ''Alshain'' earned five battle stars for her World War II service, and as USNS ''Alshain'' three battle stars for Korean War service.

References

* Strickland, B.W. ''The Story of the Mighty Al'' *

External links

*
Military.com: USS ''Alshain''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alshain (AKA-55) Andromeda-class attack cargo ships Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1944 ships World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Korean War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States