USS Mifflin (APA-207)
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USS ''Mifflin'' (APA-207) was a in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1975.


History

''Mifflin'' was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type and was named for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. She was laid down 15 May 1944, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 555, by
Permanente Metals Corporation Permanente Metals Corporation (PMC) is best known for having managed the Richmond Shipyards in Richmond, California, owned by one of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser's many corporations, and also engaged in related corporate activities. These four ...
, Yard No. 2,
Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.
; launched 7 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Alma De Brettville Sprecies; acquired from MARCOM on loan-charter; commissioned 11 October 1944.


Pacific War

After
shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...
, ''Mifflin'' embarked 1,100 troops and sailed to Pearl Harbor. Exchanging her initial passengers for members of the
4th Marine Division The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re-fo ...
, she continued amphibious exercises off
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, until ordered to
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 ...
27 January 1945.


Invasion of Iwo Jima

On 19 February, her boats landed the
2nd Battalion 23rd Marines 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines (2/23) is a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps located throughout the Western United States consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. They fall under the command of the 23rd Ma ...
and their Shore Party, B Co 133 NCB—4th Marine Division on beach "Yellow 2",
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. ...
. She remained almost a week to offload priority, then request cargo, and to take on board battle casualties. This included her own, for the ship's beach party was hard hit the first day suffering 14 wounded and three missing.KXII Channel 12: Iwo Jima Vet
/ref> ''Mifflin'' also sustained a shell hit on her 40mm gun director before retiring with the wounded to Saipan on 28 February.


Invasion of Okinawa

Having replaced lost equipment and boats, she sailed 16 March, to nearby Tinian to practice for the invasion of Okinawa. In position for this last great assault, on 1 and 2 April, her boats feinted a landing of 2d Division Marines on the southeastern shore to lessen opposition to the main effort on the western beaches. Again returning her Marines to Saipan, she remained until early June. Steaming to the New Hebrides, ''Mifflin'' loaded stores which she discharged 30 June, at Guam.
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
, she weighed anchor for San Francisco with a small passenger list and a need for repairs. Two months later, when she returned to the western Pacific to disembark 1,600 US Army replacement troops at Manila, Philippines, the war had ceased. ''Mifflin'' reloaded with men of the 33rd Infantry Division assigned to occupation duty and arrived Wakayama, Japan, 25 September. The next month, over 1,000 troops of the 24th Infantry Division were transported from Mindanao, Philippines, to Okajama, Japan. Sailing to Okinawa 30 October, she engaged in "Magic Carpet" duty from November to March 1946, returning additional thousands of veterans to San Francisco.


Decommissioning and fate

Inactivation soon began with ''Mifflin'' placed out of service in reserve 5 July 1946, assigned to the
19th 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 s ...
,
Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
. Struck from the
Naval Register 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 author ...
1 October 1958, she was returned to MARCOM the same day. Assigned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, she was berthed as
Suisun Bay Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the ent ...
, California, into 1969. She was sold under a "non-transportation use" (NTU) contract to West Waterway Lumber Company, 17 July 1975, for $128,009. She was transferred out of the fleet 6 August 1975.


Awards

''Mifflin'' received two battle stars for World War II service.


Notes

;Citations


Bibliography

Online resources * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mifflin (APA-207) Mifflin County, Pennsylvania Haskell-class attack transports Ships built in Richmond, California 1944 ships Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet Pacific Reserve Fleet, Stockton Group