Following shakedown and training off the California coast, Randall left for Pearl Harbor on 9 February 1945, from San Diego. She then sailed to the Volcano Islands, via Eniwetok. She arrived at Iwo Jima on 25 March, unloaded US Army personnel and supplies, and embarked Marines for transportation to Guam. The ship returned to Pearl Harbor 20 April, where she loaded drummed petroleum products for Kwajalein and took on Navy and Marine personnel for return to the US. Arriving in San Francisco on 18 June, she proceeded to Ulithi 9 July, embarking Army units, and then continued to Okinawa, arriving 12 August.[3]
Comedian Soupy Sales served on Randall during the war and entertained his shipmates with zany vignettes featuring White Fang, the meanest dog that ever lived.[4]
Post-war – Operation Magic Carpet
With the end of World War II, Randall was assigned to occupation duty and on 5 September, got underway for Korea with units of the 7th Army Division. Returning to Okinawa, she carried Marines to Taku, 26–30 September, then, after a run to the Philippines, sailed again for the China coast. Between 22 October and 23 November, she ferried Chinese troops from Kowloon to Chinwangtao and Qingdao and on 29 November, departed the Far East on her first "Magic Carpet" run carrying US Army Air Corps units from Okinawa to Seattle.[3]
Detached from "Magic Carpet" duty in August 1946, Randall was employed in the US Pacific Fleet's amphibious training program from September until December, when she returned to the east coast, underwent overhaul, and was briefly immobilized at New York. She then steamed to Norfolk, Virginia, arriving 24 April 1947. Assigned again to amphibious training duties, she operated along the southeastern seaboard until August 1948, when she steamed north for operations off eastern Canada. In September she resumed exercises off the Virginia and Carolina coasts.[3]
In February 1949, she again departed the eastern seaboard this time for Caribbean operations, and during the fall steamed back into the Pacific for exercises as far west as Hawaii, returning to Norfolk and resuming training operations with Naval Reservists and Marines, 1 December.[3]
From 1952, until her decommissioning, the ship sailed from Hampton Roads and Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek often berthing at NOB Pier 2. Between 1952 and 1955, she made numerous trips to the Caribbean for training purposes and a six-month training cruise to the Mediterranean. She had a total of three Captains – Nicholas Frank, Henry Sturr and Christopher Brackstone, all Naval Academy graduates. In 1954, she received the "E" award for her class.[citation needed] In 1955, Randall was used in the filming of Away All Boats as the fictitious USS Belinda, with filming primarily around Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Vieques Island, Puerto Rico.[5][6]
On 28 October 1971, Randall was sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation, along with eight other ships, for $467,100, with the condition that they would be scrapped. On 17 January 1972, she was officially withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet.[7]
↑ Holmes Alexander (27 April 1955). "Navy Tries to Increase Allure of Enlistment". Los Angeles Times.
↑ Mooney, James L., editor, The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Volume IV, Naval History Division, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C., 1976, Library of Congress card number 60-60198, p. 304.
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 Pitt (APA-223/LPA-223) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947. She was scrapped in 1980.
USS Sherburne (APA-205) was a United States Navy Haskell-class attack transport, built and used during World War II. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Sherburne was named for Sherburne County, Minnesota. She was later converted and renamed USS Range Sentinel (AGM-22), a missile range instrumentation ship.
USS Missoula (APA-211) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1975.
USS Mifflin (APA-207) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1975.
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 New Kent (APA-217) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1949 and from 1951 to 1954. She was scrapped in 1972.
USS Olmsted (APA-188) was a Haskell-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Olmsted was named for Olmsted County, Minnesota.
USS Sarasota (APA/LPA-204) was a Haskell-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy in World War II, Korean War Era and after. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Sarasota was named for Sarasota County, Florida.
USS Sibley (APA-206) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1975.
USS Tazewell (APA/LPA-209) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1973.
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 Montrose (APA/LPA-212) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1950 to 1969. She was scrapped in 1970.
USS Mountrail (APA/LPA-213) was a Haskell-class attack transport of the US Navy in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War era. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Mountrail was named for Mountrail County, North Dakota.
USS Natrona (APA-214) was a Haskell-class attack transport of the US Navy in World War II. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Natrona was named for Natrona County, Wyoming.
USS Okaloosa (APA-219) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1949. She was scrapped in 1972.
USS Oneida (APA-221) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1975.
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 Rockwall (APA-230) was a Haskell-class attack transport that served in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1955. She was scrapped in 1984.
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.
United States
