USS ''Sheridan'' (APA-51) was an that served 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 of ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. ''Sheridan'' was named after five

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

counties which were in turn named after

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

General

Philip H. Sheridan Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

. The ship was laid down on 5 August 1942 under

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

contract by the

Moore Dry Dock Company Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. In 1905, Robert S. Moore, his brother Joseph A. Moore, and John Thomas Scott purchased the National Iron Works located in the Hunter's Point section o ...

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, as SS ''Messenger''; renamed ''Sheridan'' and designated AP-94 by the Navy on 5 October 1942; launched on 11 November 1942; reclassified APA-51 on 1 February 1943; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 31 July 1943; and commissioned the same day.

World War II

''Sheridan'' moved from Oakland to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

on 31 August 1943; and, on 7 September, got underway for shakedown. Returning to San Francisco on 26 September, she loaded cargo and sailed for the western Pacific on 1 October. On 18 October, she delivered cargo at Nouméa; and, on the 25th, she arrived at Wellington, New Zealand, where she embarked marines and their equipment.

Invasion of Tarawa

Departing New Zealand on 1 November, she underwent

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

training at

Efate Island Efate (french: Éfaté) is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. It is also known as Île Vate. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanua ...

from the 7th to the 9th and sailed from there on the 13th for the invasion of the

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

. ''Sheridan'' arrived off

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Pearl Harbor, where she discharged her casualties and was inspected by Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. On 5 December, she disembarked cargo and marines at

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

, T.H., and then proceeded to the

west coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, arriving at San Diego on 13 December.

Invasion of Kwajalein

''Sheridan'' participated in practice landings at

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...

, from 15 to 17 December 1943, and then welcomed the new year, 1944, with more exercises at San Clemente from 1 to 5 January. She then received her combat loadout of troops and supplies and sailed from San Diego on 13 January. Stopping at

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

, T.H., just long enough to fuel, she arrived off the beaches of

Kwajalein Atoll Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

on 31 January. Her troops participated in the landings at Roi on 1 February while ''Sheridan'' remained off the beaches offloading cargo and acting as a temporary hospital ship pending the arrival of hospital ship . The transport sailed on 8 February, offloaded troops and cargo at Maui on 16 February, and then moved to Pearl Harbor on 17 February to receive needed repairs.

Invasion of Saipan

On 28 February, ''Sheridan'' began an intensive period of amphibious training at Maui, which lasted, with two short breaks, until 19 May. On 30 May, she sailed from Pearl Harbor with a task force bound for the

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 ...

. Arriving at Eniwetok on 9 June, ''Sheridan'' transferred troops to assigned LSTs and sailed on 11 June for

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 ...

. Arriving on 15 June, she debarked troops and cargo; and then embarked a large group of casualties on the 18th. She completed offloading cargo on 20 June and sailed from Saipan the following day. After picking up more casualties at Eniwetok on 25 and 26 June, she arrived at Pearl Harbor on 3 July.

Invasion of Guam

''Sheridan'' embarked Army troops there on 4 July and sailed on the 9th. Touching at Eniwetok on the 17th, she arrived at Guam on the 22nd, a day after the initial landings, and debarked her troops the following day. The ship departed Guam on 28 July, touched at Eniwetok on 1 August, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 10th. There, she received repairs, and then embarked Army troops and equipment for the reconquest of the Philippines.

Invasion of Leyte

After a week of amphibious training at Maui from 1 to 7 September, ''Sheridan'' departed Pearl Harbor on the 15th, and, after stops at Eniwetok and Manus, arrived on 20 October in the transport area off Leyte where she put her troops ashore in the first waves. Completing general unloading on the 22nd, she sailed for

Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, United States. It is the largest protected body of water on the West Coast between Sa ...

the same day. After remaining there from 27 October to 5 November, she arrived at

Noemfoor Island Numfor (also Numfoor, Noemfoor, Noemfoer) is one of the Schouten Islands (also known as the Biak Islands) in Papua province, northeastern Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and w ...

on the 7th to load Army Air Force personnel and equipment, which she delivered at Leyte on the 18th.

Invasion of the Philippines

Arriving at Manus on the 24th, ''Sheridan'' sailed on the 28th for

Torokina Torokina is a coastal village on Bougainville Island, in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is administered under Torokina Rural LLG. It is located on the western coast of the island. During World War II site of ...

Bougainville Island Bougainville Island (Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomons. Its land area is ...

, where she arrived on 1 December. There, she combat-loaded Army troops; and then underwent extensive training in amphibious operations, moving to Huon Gulf, New Guinea for the final rehearsal on the 19th. Returning to Manus on the 21st, she sailed on 31 December 1944 as part of an assault group bound for

Lingayen Gulf The Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central. The Agno River and the Balili ...

. The force encountered heavy air opposition during the approach on 8 January 1945, but ''Sheridan'' arrived unscathed and landed her troops early the next day. She then took on board 108 Navy casualties and survivors mainly from the

escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...

, and sailed the same day for Leyte, arriving on the 12th. There, she embarked troops, and, after a landing rehearsal on 25 January, put them ashore on the 29th at

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

, Philippine Islands, which turned out to be under the control of friendly guerrillas. The transport anchored in San Pedro, P.I., on 1 February and remained there until late March while the war moved closer to the Japanese homeland.

Invasion of Okinawa

On 14 March 1945, ''Sheridan'' loaded troops for her final assault landing, the one on Okinawa. After training in the Philippines, the transport sailed with an assault force on 27 March and put her troops ashore in the first waves at Okinawa on 1 April.

Repairs and training

Departing Okinawa on the 5th, she touched at Guam and Pearl Harbor and then arrived at San Francisco on 29 April for a major overhaul. Repairs were carried out between 4 May and 26 June by the United Engineering Co., San Francisco. ''Sheridan'' then proceeded to San Diego on 1 July for refresher training in amphibious operations, returning to San Francisco on the 12th. Sailing three days later, she delivered her passengers at Samar, P.I., on 6 August after stops at Eniwetok, Ulithi, and Leyte.

After hostilities

''Sheridan'' loaded troops at Zamboanga, P.I., on 15 and 16 August, but due to the end of the war, debarked them at Tacloban on the 18th. Arriving at Batangas, P.I., three days later, she loaded troops for the occupation of Japan and sailed for Japan on the 25th. The ship entered Tokyo Bay as the surrender document was being signed on board

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

, and offloaded her troops on 3 September. Sailing on the next day, ''Sheridan'' arrived at Okinawa on the 7th; and, after riding out a typhoon at sea, between 16 and 18 September, she embarked troops and sailed on 26 September for

Taku, China The Taku Forts or Dagu Forts, also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located southeast of the Tianjin urban center. History The f ...

. She remained at Taku from 30 September to 6 October and then sailed to the Philippines to embark a marine air group which she delivered at Taku on 14 November.

Operation Magic Carpet

Assigned next to

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 ...

, she sailed on 28 November from Taku; embarked marine troops at

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 ...

; and sailed from there on 7 December for the United States. Arriving at San Diego on the 23d, she commenced a period of overhaul; but, on 7 January 1946, she was released from ''Magic Carpet'' duty and designated for disposal.

Decommission

She sailed from San Diego on 11 January and arrived at

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, on 1 February for deactivation. ''Sheridan'' was decommissioned on 5 March 1946, delivered to the Maritime Commission on 7 April 1946, and struck from the Navy List on 12 April 1946.

Awards

''Sheridan'' received six battle stars for her World War II service.

Commercial service

Sold by the Maritime Commission to the United States Lines on 24 October 1947, she was briefly named ''Pioneer Sun'' and then served as ''American Scientist'' from 1947 until damaged by an explosion in July 1969 and scrapped.

References

*
USS ''Sheridan'' (APA-51)
DANFS Online.

Navsource Online.

Shipmates' Site. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheridan (Apa-51) Ormsby-class attack transports Ships built in Oakland, California 1942 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Sheridan County, Kansas Sheridan County, Montana Sheridan County, Nebraska Sheridan County, North Dakota Sheridan County, Wyoming