Ordered as type VC2-S-AP5 Commissioned 6 December 1944 Struck 1 May 1946 Launched 16 November 1944 Displacement 11.29 million kg | Laid down date unknown Decommissioned 19 April 1946 Fate scrapped, 1983 Length 139 m Draft 7.32 m | |
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USS Kingsbury (APA-177/LPA-177) 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.
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World War II service
Kingsbury (APA-177) was launched 16 November 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oregon, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Leonard Buckler; and commissioned 6 December 1944, Comdr. J. H. Hughes in command.
Landing troops and their equipment on Iwo Jima
After shakedown along the California coast, Kingsbury departed San Pedro, California, 9 February 1945. Steaming via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok, she arrived Iwo Jima 14 March, embarked battle-weary U.S. Marines, and returned to Pearl Harbor 5 April via Guam and Eniwetok. Sailing for Seattle, Washington, 22 May, she arrived 29 May and embarked 1,507 soldiers before departing 15 June for Iwo Jima. Arriving 7 July, she debarked her passengers and then departed 10 July with 262 military passengers for Pearl Harbor where she arrived the 21st.
End-of-war "mopping-up" operations
Supporting U.S. occupation operations in Japan, Kingsbury cleared Pearl Harbor 1 September and steamed via Saipan for Sasebo, Japan, where she arrived 22 September to debark occupation troops of the 5th Marine Division. From 25 September to 14 October she made a circular run between Japan and the Philippines to transport additional occupation troops: then she returned to the Philippines 26 October for Operation Magic Carpet duty. With 2,077 homebound troops embarked, she departed Tacloban, Leyte, 30 October and reached San Francisco 17 November. Between 2 December and 9 January 1946 Kingsbury made another trip to and from the Far East, carrying 935 replacement troops to Manila and returned 2,058 veterans to the U.S. West Coast.
Post-war decommissioning
Kingsbury sailed 11 February for the U.S. East Coast, arriving Norfolk, Virginia, 3 March. She decommissioned at Portsmouth, Virginia, 19 April. Turned over to custody of the United States Maritime Commission 23 April, her name was struck from the Naval Register 1 May and placed in the Maritime Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Virginia. She was scrapped in 1983.
Military awards and honors
Kingsbury received one battle star for World War II service.