USS ''Lavaca'' (APA-180) was a ''Haskell''-class attack transport built and used by the US Navy in World War II. She was a Victory ship design, VC2-S-AP5. She was named after Lavaca County, Texas, USA.

World War II service

''Lavaca'' was launched 27 November 1944 by the

Oregon Shipbuilding Corp. Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation was a World War II emergency shipyard located along the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. The shipyard built nearly 600 Liberty and Victory ships between 1941 and 1945 under the Emergency Shi ...

, Portland, Oregon, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Harper, Jr.; acquired by the Navy 17 December 1944 and commissioned the same day. After shakedown off California, ''Lavaca'' arrived San Diego 30 December and on 29 January 1945 became the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

for Commander, Transport Division 65. ''Lavaca'' arrived Pearl Harbor 25 February. Leaving 8 March, she transported Seabees to the Philippines, arriving Samar 27 March. From 27 March to 2 August ''Lavaca'' shuttled troops and equipment between the

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and Philippine Islands. On 2 August she arrived Markham Bay, New Guinea. That night an Australian plane crashed into Huon Gulf. ''Lavaca's'' salvage crew rescued five men and towed the plane to shore. On 27 August following Japan's capitulation, ''Lavaca'' joined TF 33.1 at Luzon, prepared for the

occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

, and arrived Yokohama 2 September. The attack transport shuttled passengers from Pearl Harbor and San Francisco to

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 ...

, 7 September 1945 to 6 July 1946. In October 1945, she carried passengers from Shanghai, China to San Francisco. She departed Sasebo for the

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via

Colón, Panama Colón () is a city and seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city. Originally it was l ...

, and arrived

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 ...

, 12 July. ''Lavaca'' decommissioned 31 January 1947 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk.

Fate

She was struck from the Navy List 1 October 1958 following transfer to the Maritime Administration and placed in National Defense Reserve Fleet at Wilmington, North Carolina, in September. In October 1964 ''Lavaca'' was moved to the James River, Virginia. In late 1982 she was defueled. In 1986, and again in 1990, she was withdrawn from James River for stripping. Ex-''Lavaca'' was sold for $125,244 to Global Marketing Systems, Inc. for scrapping on 14 October 1992. At 1030 EST, on 17 November 1992 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker's yard.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at Naval Historical Center

at Navsource.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Lavaca (Apa-180) Haskell-class attack transports Lavaca County, Texas World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Ships built in Portland, Oregon 1944 ships