.gif)
USS Granville (APA-171)
Encyclopedia
USS Granville (APA-171) was a acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
, Granville (APA-171) was launched 23 October 1944 by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oregon
, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Lowell Stockman; transferred to the Navy 21 November 1944 and commissioned the same day, Captain R. A. MacKerracher in command.
, 26 January 1945 carrying passengers to Pearl Harbor
, the Marshalls
, Carolines
and Marianas
. Departing Honolulu 18 April 1945 Granville sortied from Saipan
2 May to land 1,350 troops of the U.S. 10th Army on Okinawa 6–8 May. Already begun, Okinawa was the climax of America's amphibious sweep across the Pacific Ocean
.
, Guam
and Pearl Harbor. Clearing San Francisco 26 June she called again at Okinawa with more troops. Granville departed Okinawa 23 August and loaded occupation troops at Lingayen Gulf
10–20 September 1945. Putting her troops ashore at Wakayama, Japan
, 25 September she called at Mindanao
, Philippine Islands, 9–14 October to embark 1,447 troops of the 2d Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment. Granville sailed from Mindanao 15 October and landed her troops at Matsuyama 21–24 October 1945; part of the U.S. 5th Fleet landing of the U.S. X Corps
(Central Occupation Group), U.S. 6th Army in Kyūshū
and western Honshū
.
from the Solomons
, New Guinea
, Admiralties
, New Hebrides
, and New Caledonia
. She returned to San Francisco from her last voyage 25 January 1946, sailed from San Francisco 15 February and reached Norfolk, Virginia
, 9 March 1946 via the Panama Canal Zone
.
21 May 1946. Placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
, she was berthed in James River, Virginia. Sold for scrapping in 1973.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
World War II service
Named after a county in North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Granville (APA-171) was launched 23 October 1944 by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Lowell Stockman; transferred to the Navy 21 November 1944 and commissioned the same day, Captain R. A. MacKerracher in command.
Transporting troops and their equipment to Okinawa
Granville began her transport duties when she cleared San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, 26 January 1945 carrying passengers to Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, the Marshalls
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, Carolines
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
and Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. Departing Honolulu 18 April 1945 Granville sortied from Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
2 May to land 1,350 troops of the U.S. 10th Army on Okinawa 6–8 May. Already begun, Okinawa was the climax of America's amphibious sweep across the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
End-of-war operations
Departing Okinawa 15 May 1945 Granville delivered casualties to San Francisco 10 June via UlithiUlithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Pearl Harbor. Clearing San Francisco 26 June she called again at Okinawa with more troops. Granville departed Okinawa 23 August and loaded occupation troops at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on 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...
10–20 September 1945. Putting her troops ashore at Wakayama, Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, 25 September she called at Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, Philippine Islands, 9–14 October to embark 1,447 troops of the 2d Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment. Granville sailed from Mindanao 15 October and landed her troops at Matsuyama 21–24 October 1945; part of the U.S. 5th Fleet landing of the U.S. X Corps
U.S. X Corps
X Corps was a corps of the United States Army in World War II and the Korean War.-World War II:The X Corps was activated in May 1942 at Sherman, Texas...
(Central Occupation Group), U.S. 6th Army in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
and western Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
.
Post-war "clean up" operations
Departing Matsuyama, Japan 28 October 1945, Granville was assigned to the "Operation Magic Carpet" fleet carrying veteran troops to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the Solomons
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, Admiralties
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. She returned to San Francisco from her last voyage 25 January 1946, sailed from San Francisco 15 February and reached Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, 9 March 1946 via the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
.
Post-war decommissioning
Granville decommissioned there 10 May 1946. She was returned to the Maritime Commission the next day and her name stricken from the Navy ListNaval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
21 May 1946. Placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
, she was berthed in James River, Virginia. Sold for scrapping in 1973.
Military awards and honors
Granville earned one battle star for World War II service. Her crew was eligible for the following medals:- American Campaign MedalAmerican Campaign MedalThe American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalThe Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
(1) - World War II Victory MedalWorld War II Victory MedalThe World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...
- Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia Clasp)