USS ''Lauderdale'' (APA-179/LPA-179) 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.

World War II service

''Lauderdale'' (''APA-179'') was launched under Maritime Commission contract 23 November 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oregon; sponsored by Mrs. J. H. Blockey; and commissioned 12 December 1944 at

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

. Departing Seattle, Washington, 28 December 1944 ''Lauderdale'' steamed via San Francisco, California, to San Pedro, California, where she arrived 2 January 1945. After shakedown off the California coast, she sailed from Los Angeles, California, to Pearl Harbor 13 to 19 February for amphibious landing exercises. She then embarked soldiers of the

U.S. 10th Army The Tenth United States Army was the last army level command established during the Pacific War during World War II, and included divisions from both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. History The headquarters of the Tenth Army was formed ...

and departed Honolulu 17 March for the western Pacific Ocean. Steaming via Eniwetok, she reached Ulithi 31 March.

''Lauderdale'' lands her troops and equipment on Okinawa

On 7 April ''Lauderdale'' sailed in convoy for the Ryukyus. She arrived off Hagushi, Okinawa, 11 April; despite frequent air alerts, she debarked all troops and unloaded cargo by 17 April. Between 18 April and 14 July she remained at Hagushi, where she served as receiving ship for uninjured survivors of ships that were damaged or sunk during the protracted, but successful, struggle for American control of the Ryukyus. She embarked survivors from more than 30 ships and landing craft. In addition she served as a detention ship, for captured Japanese

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

End-of-war operations

Relieved 14 July by , ''Lauderdale'' departed Hagushi the next day with 1,132 military passengers embarked for transportation to the United States. Steaming via Ulithi and Eniwetok, she reached San Diego, California, 6 August, discharged her passengers, then steamed to Portland, Oregon, 23 to 26 August to embark 1,045 occupation troops. She departed Portland 28 August, touched Eniwetok 9 September, and arrived

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

Marianas The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

, 13 September. From then until 8 November she transported men and supplies to Tinian, Guam,

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

, and the Japanese home islands. Laden with 1,706 passengers, she departed Saipan 9 November on an "

Operation Magic Carpet Operation Magic Carpet was the post-World War II operation by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and Asian theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ships ...

" passage to the U.S. west coast, where she arrived San Pedro 24 November. Between 5 December and 7 January 1946 ''Lauderdale'' completed another “Magic Carpet” cruise, carrying 1,915 sailors from Manus, Admiralties, to Seattle, Washington. On 26 January she departed Puget Sound and sailed via San Francisco and the Panama Canal to the

U.S. East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard ...

. Arriving

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6 March, she decommissioned 25 April at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. She was returned to War Shipping Administration (WSA) and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. ''Lauderdale'' was berthed in the James River, Virginia. She was scrapped in 2005.

Military awards and honors

''Lauderdale'' received one battle star for World War II service.

References

External links

USS Lauderdale

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauderdale World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Haskell-class attack transports Lauderdale County, Alabama Lauderdale County, Mississippi Lauderdale County, Tennessee Ships built in Portland, Oregon 1944 ships