USS ''Menifee'' (APA-202) was a that saw service with the

US 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 ...

in World War II and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. ''Menifee'' was laid down as MCV Hull No. 670 by

Kaiser Shipbuilding The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the United States west coast during World War II. Kaiser ranked 20th among U.S. corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. The shipyards were owned by the Kaiser ...

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

on 21 July 1944; launched 15 October 1944, and commissioned 4 November 1944.

Operational history

World War II

''Menifee'' reported to ComPhibsTraPac for intensive amphibious training 8 December 1944 and within a month was underway for

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

with US Navy and Marine personnel and cargo. Unloading her initial cargo and passengers at

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

15 January 1945, she departed for the South Pacific on the 27th. On 5 February, she arrived at Guadalcanal for further training exercises in preparation 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 ...

campaign.

Invasion of Okinawa

On 1 April, ''Menifee'' arrived in the transport area off Okinawa with cargo and units of the 6th Marine Division on board. Remaining in the area through the 4th, she landed her troops during the first 2 days and discharged her cargo on the 3d and 4th. On the 5th, she got underway for the United States, arriving at San Francisco 11 May to take on Army personnel and cargo bound for the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. By 19 June, ''Menifee'' had discharged her passengers and cargo at

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

and was underway for a quick cargo run to Milne Bay,

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 ...

. Upon her return from the Netherlands East Indies, she headed back to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, arriving San Pedro 2 August.

After hostilities

After the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, ''Menifee'' continued ferrying occupation troops to Japan and war-weary veterans back to the United States. Released from

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 ...

duty in early 1946, she reported to the 19th Fleet 9 March and upon decommissioning 31 July, was berthed at Stockton.

Korean War

With the outbreak of hostilities in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, ''Menifee'' was retrieved from the "mothball fleet" and recommissioned 2 December 1950. Assigned once more to the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, she completed two extended tours of duty in the western Pacific before inactivating a second time in 1955. From April 1951 to March 1952, ''Menifee'' ferried troops between Japan and Korea and within Korean waters, insuring through her mobility, the distribution of

U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

forces according to need. During her second WestPac deployment, August 1953 to April 1954, she took part in extensive amphibious training exercises with American and Korean Marines and served as flagship for Operation "Big Lift", the transfer of neutral Indian troops to the peace conference in

Panmunjom Panmunjom, also known as Panmunjeom, now located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea or Kaesong, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, was a village just north of the ''de facto'' border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 Korea ...

Decommissioning

On 29 June 1955, ''Menifee'' was placed out of commission in reserve, assigned to the San Francisco Group,

Pacific Reserve Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and ...

. She was struck from the Navy Vessel Register 1 October and transferred to the Maritime Commission. In 1969, she was berthed at Suisun Bay in the

National Defense Reserve Fleet The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States of America, mostly merchant vessels, that have been "mothballed" but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies ...

. She was sold for scrapping on 28 May 1975.

Decorations

''Menifee'' 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 service and two for Korean service.

References

''Menifee'' (APA-202)
DANFS Online

Navsource Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Menard (APA-201) Haskell-class attack transports Menifee County, Kentucky World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Troop ships Ships built in Vancouver, Washington 1944 ships