USS ''Dorchester'' (APB-46), was a ''Benewah''-class barracks ship. Her hull classification symbol was initially to be LST-1112. She was first redesignated a General Stores Issue Ship (AKS-17) on 8 December 1944, then as a Self-propelled Barracks Ship (APB-46). Her keel was laid down by

Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company The Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., also known as Missouri Valley Bridge Company, was a engineering, construction, and steel fabrication firm that operated through the late nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries. It was based in Leavenwo ...

of Evansville, Indiana. She was launched on 12 April 1945 sponsored by Mrs. J.A. Walsh, and commissioned on 15 June 1945.

Service history

Sailing from New Orleans 5 August 1945, ''Dorchester'' embarked troops at Pearl Harbor, then sailed to deliver cargo and receive more passengers at Eniwetok and Guam as she made her passage to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. On 15 October she reported for service as barracks ship at Wakayama and at

Kobe 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, whic ...

from 11 February 1946 to 4 March. ''Dorchester'' then sailed for San Francisco, California, arriving 9 April. She was placed out of commission in reserve at Vancouver, Washington on 16 October 1946. ''Dorchester'' remained in the reserve fleet until she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1973. She was sold on 1 August 1974 for conversion to commercial service. She was converted to a fish processing vessel under the name ''Pacific Pride''. By 2002, she was owned by Trident Seafoods of Seattle, Washington, and was operating under the name ''Alaska Packer''. She is still on their fleet listing as of February 2008.

References

External links

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive: USS ''Dorchester'' (APB-46)Trident Seafoods Vessel Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorchester (APB-46) LST-542-class tank landing ships Benewah-class barracks ships Ships built in Evansville, Indiana 1945 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Dorchester County, Maryland Dorchester County, South Carolina