USS Lenawee

History
United States
Namesake	Lenawee County, Michigan
Builder	Kaiser Shipbuilding
Laid down	26 May 1944
Launched	11 September 1944
Commissioned	11 October 1944
Decommissioned	20 June 1967
In service	30 September 1950
Out of service	3 August 1946
Stricken	30 June 1968
Honors and; awards	5 Battle stars
Fate	Scrapped 1975
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Haskell-class attack transport
Displacement	6,873 tons
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draft	24 ft (7.3 m)
Propulsion	Oil Fired Steam Turbine ; 1 Shaft;
Speed	17 knots
Boats & landing ; craft carried	26
Complement	56 Officers, 480 Enlisted
Armament	1 5"/38 gun ; 12 × 40-mm (1x4, 4x2); 10 20-mm single mounts;

Last updated April 05, 2023

USS Lenawee (APA-195) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1950 to 1967. She was scrapped in 1975.

History

Lenawee was a Victory ship design, VC2-S-AP5 and was named after Lenawee County, Michigan, USA. She was laid down on 26 May 1944 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington, under Maritime Commission contract; launched on 11 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Olaf Haugen; and commissioned on 11 October 1944.

World War II service

Built to transport assault troops to hostile shores, Lenawee picked up her complement of landing craft at San Francisco and departed 26 November 1944 for the Pacific theater. Following amphibious training in the Hawaiian Islands, she sailed 27 January 1945 for Saipan. In the Marianas the final rehearsals for her entrance into the battle zone were held, and 1,503 troops of the 5th Marines and the 62nd Naval Construction Battalion embarked. After a 3-day voyage, she arrived at Iwo Jima on D-Day, 19 February; her boats helped place the first wave of Marines ashore before debarking her own troops 3 days later. Withdrawn on the 27th, she retired to Guam to discharge Marine casualties and prepare for the final large-scale amphibious operation of World War II.

Sailing south to Espiritu Santo, she embarked over 1,000 troops of the Army 27th Division to reinforce the Okinawa invasion forces. Landing troops and cargo each day and retiring to open sea each night, she suffered no damage from kamikaze attacks during the stay in the area 9 to 14 April.

As part of Commodore J. B. McGovern's Transport Squadron 16, she transported troops from the Philippines to Japan and was present in Tokyo Bay with 1,135 troops of the 1st Cavalry when the Japanese surrendered 2 September. Returning to her home port, San Francisco, 31 October, Lenawee made two "Magic Carpet" voyages to the western Pacific before decommissioning at Stockton, California, 3 August 1946, and entering the Reserve Fleet.

Korean War

The outbreak of the Korean War caused her to recommission 30 September 1950. With San Diego as her home port, she operated part of each year, except 1952 and 1956, in the Far East. Her first voyage began 22 March 1951 when she departed for Yokosuka, Japan. Operating mainly among the Japanese Islands, she twice transported men and supplies to the Korean theater before returning home 27 November. Again in May 1953 Lenawee returned to transport duties in Korean waters and was at Inchon in July when the final truce was signed.

The Chinese offshore islands and Vietnam proved to be the new crisis areas in the Far East. Following a period of amphibious training early in December 1954 with Korean marines, Lenawee joined in the evacuation of Chinese Nationalist civilians and troops from the Tachen Islands to Formosa, on her last trip carrying U.S. Ambassador to China Karl L. Ranking for a first hand observation.

Even without such crises, the Navy never loses its alertness, continually training for any eventuality. Each year amphibious operations were held with marines either off the California coast, in the Hawaiians, or elsewhere in the Pacific. Joint exercises were also held with Philippine troops in 1957, with British forces off Borneo in 1959, with Korean marines in a cold weather operation in 1962, and in 1965 with units of the Royal Thai Navy.

Collision with USS Wantuck

In mid-August 1957, USS Wantuck (APD-125) got underway from San Diego for Hawaii on the first leg of a voyage to Japan. She was about 180 nautical miles (333 kilometers) from San Diego on a moonless and starless night when at 0318 hours on 15 August 1957 Lenawee rammed her on the port side between the No.1 boiler room and No. 1 engine room, almost tearing Wantuck in half, the impact being powerful enough to bring her forward momentum to an immediate stop and shove her laterally to starboard. Wantuck suffered two men killed—one who drowned in the flooding engine room and another scalded by high-pressure steam—and five injured, all burned. The submarine rescue ship USS Florikan (ASR-9) and fleet ocean tug USS Cree (ATF-84) came to Wantuck‍ 's aid, while Lenawee took some of Wantuck‍s injured men aboard and proceeded to Pearl Harbor. Wantuck arrived in San Diego under tow on the evening of 16 August 1957. Deemed not worth repairing, Wantuck was decommissioned at San Diego on 15 November 1957 and berthed there with the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Her name was struck from the Navy List on 4 March 1958.

Vietnam War

Beginning in 1963 the South China Sea became a regular scene of operations for Lenawee. Following the Tonkin Gulf Resolution in August 1964, she prepared for her 10th Far Eastern tour since recommissioning. The people-to-people project was not neglected as a result of this new crisis, for the ship carried 10,000 pounds of textbooks and medical supplies to the Philippines and Vietnam after she departed San Diego 7 November 1964. With TF 76, she stood-by laden with marines in the South China Sea from 12 December until 10 April 1965, when 3rd Division Marines were landed at Da Nang. Five days later, her boats landed men of the 4th Marines at Hue. Reloading at Okinawa, Lenawee returned to debark additional troops of the 4th Marines in an assault landing at Chu Lai 7 May. On the 24th she brought 2,001 tons of ammunition to these same men. One month later she was en route for a short stay in her home port. On 9 August 1965 she departed California with Battalion Landing Team 1/1 on the first nonstop voyage made by an attack transport direct to Da Nang, arriving the 28th. Returning to San Diego 28 October, Lenawee spent the remainder of the year and the first 8 months of 1966 off the West Coast. She conducted type training and participated in various amphibious exercises until departing on her last deployment 4 September 1966.

Lenawee carried marines to Okinawa, successfully weathering typhoon "Ida" on the way; then, after a stop in Japan, transported Republic of Korea troops from Pusan to Da Nang. She ferried U.S. servicemen from Okinawa to Vietnam and back in December, before returning to the West Coast, arriving at San Diego 8 January 1967 to begin preparations for inactivation.

Fate

Lenawee decommissioned 20 June 1967. She was berthed in the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California, on 29 June 1967.^[1] Title was transferred to the Maritime Administration on 23 April 1968, and she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 30 June 1968. Ex-Lenawee was sold for $129,089.78 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for scrapping on 17 August 1975.^[1] At 1337 PDT, on 28 July 1975 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker's yard.^[1]

Awards

Lenawee received two battle stars for World War II service and three for Korean service.

Related Research Articles

USS Vancouver (LPD-2) was a Raleigh-class amphibious transport dock, named after the city of Vancouver, Washington, which was in turn named after the famous north-west explorer George Vancouver. Vancouver's was commissioned 11 May 1963 and served during the Vietnam War and 1991 Gulf War. She was decommissioned 27 March 1992, placed in reserve and stricken 8 April 1997. Title was transferred to the United States Maritime Administration 29 November 2001. Vancouver was towed for scrapping in Brownsville, Texas, in April 2013.

USS Talladega (APA/LPA-208) was a Haskell-class attack transport of the US Navy. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Talladega was named for Talladega County, Alabama.

USS Frybarger (DE/DEC-705) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947 and from 1950 to 1957. She was scrapped in 1973.

USS Seminole (AKA-104/LKA-104) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1970. She was scrapped in 1977.

USS Washburn (AKA-108) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 19945 to 1970 She was scrapped in 1980.

USS Tulare (AKA-112/LKA-112) was a Tulare-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1956 to 1986. She was sold for scrap in 2011.

USS Winston (AKA-94/LKA-94) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1957 and from 1961 to 1969. She was scrapped in 1979.

USS Highlands (APA-119) was a Haskell-class attack transport built and used by the US Navy in World War II. She was a Victory ship design, VC2-S-AP5. She was named after Highlands County, Florida, United States.

USS Botetourt (APA-136) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946 and from 1950 to 1956. She was scrapped in 1974.

USS Pickaway (APA/LPA-222) was a Haskell-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type and named after Pickaway County, Ohio.

USS Pitkin County (LST-1082) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Pitkin County, Colorado, she was the only U.S. Naval Vessel to bear the name.

USS Sanborn (APA-193) 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.

USS Magoffin (APA/LPA-199) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1950 to 1968. She was scrapped in 1980.

USS Henrico (APA-45) was a Bayfield-class attack transport that served with the United States Navy in World War II, and subsequently in the Korean War, Cold War and Vietnam War.

USS Leon (APA-48) was a Bayfield-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was sold into commercial service in 1947 and was scrapped in 1971.

USS Telfair (APA/LPA-210) was a Haskell-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy in World War II and the Korean War. She remained in service through most of the 1950s and 1960s, where she participated in various peacetime operations. Telfair was named for Telfair County, Georgia, which was itself named after Edward Telfair, the second Governor of the state, a member of the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation.

USS Navarro (APA/LPA-215) was a Haskell-class attack transport of the US Navy. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type that saw service in World War II and the Vietnam War. Navarro was named after Navarro County, Texas.

USS Okanogan (APA/LPA-220) was a Haskell-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type and named after Okanogan County, Washington.

USS Renville (APA-227) was a Haskell-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

USS Wantuck (APD-125) was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1944 to 1957.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

1 2 3 "RESERVE FLEET - SHIP PARTICULARS - LENAWEE" . Retrieved 2006-10-28.

External links

USS Lenawee (APA-195) at NavSource Online

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[SP-1] 1 2 3 "RESERVE FLEET - SHIP PARTICULARS - LENAWEE" . Retrieved 2006-10-28.

[1]

v t e MARCOM ships built by Kaiser Shipyards, Vancouver Shipyard, Vancouver, Washington, during World War II
Type EC2-S-C1 ship	Araner
Marine Adder-class transports Type C4-S-A3 ships	Marine Carp Marine Jumper Marine Lynx Marine Marlin Marine Phoenix Marine Serpent
Haskell-class attack transports Type VC2-S-AP5 ships	Oconto Olmsted Oxford Pickens Pondera Rutland Sanborn Sandoval Lenawee Logan Lubbock McCracken Magoffin Marathon Menard Menifee Meriwether Rawlins Renville Rockbridge Rockingham Rockwall Saint Croix San Saba Sevier Bollinger Bottineau Cottle Crockett Audubon Bergen
LST-1-class tank landing ships Type S3-M-K2 ships	LST-446 LST-447 LST-448 LST-449 LST-450 LST-451 LST-452 LST-453 / Remus LST-454 LST-455 / Achilles LST-456 / T-LST-456 LST-457 LST-458 LST-459 LST-460 LST-461 LST-462 LST-463 LST-464 / LST(H)-464 LST-465 LST-466 LST-467 LST-468 LST-469 LST-470 LST-471 LST-472 LST-473 LST-474 LST-475
Casablanca-class escort carriers Type S4-S2-BB5 ships	Casablanca Liscome Bay Anzio Corregidor Mission Bay Guadalcanal Manila Bay Natoma Bay St. Lo Tripoli Wake Island White Plains Solomons Kalinin Bay Kasaan Bay Fanshaw Bay Kitkun Bay Tulagi Gambier Bay Nehenta Bay Hoggatt Bay Kadashan Bay Marcus Island Savo Island Ommaney Bay Petrof Bay Rudyerd Bay Saginaw Bay Sargent Bay Shamrock Bay Shipley Bay Sitkoh Bay Steamer Bay Cape Esperance Takanis Bay Thetis Bay Makassar Strait Windham Bay Makin Island Lunga Point Bismarck Sea Salamaua Hollandia Kwajalein Admiralty Islands Bougainville Matanikau Attu Roi Munda