_underway_at_sea%2c_circa_in_the_mid-1960s.jpg) USSFremont (APA-44) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | |
| Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | Unknown |
| Launched | 31 March 1943 |
| Christened | Sea Corsair. |
| Commissioned | 29 November 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 3 September 1969 |
| Renamed | USSFremont |
| Reclassified | AP-89 to APA-44 (1 Feb '43). |
| Stricken | 1 June 1973. |
| Nickname(s) | M.2.S |
| Honours and awards | Fivebattle stars for service in World War II. |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1974. |
| Notes |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Bayfield-classattack transport |
| Displacement | 8,100 tons, 16,100 tons fully loaded |
| Length | 492 ft (150 m) |
| Beam | 69 ft 6 in (21.18 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) |
| Propulsion | General Electric geared turbine, 2 xFoster Wheeler D-type boilers, singlepropeller, designed shafthorsepower 8,500 |
| Speed | 18knots |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 12 xLCVP, 4 xLCM (Mk-6), 3 x LCP(L) (MK-IV) |
| Capacity | 4,700 tons (175,000 cu. ft). |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
|
USSFremont (APA-44) was aBayfield-classattack transport that served with theUS Navy during World War II.
Fremont was launched 31 March 1943 byIngalls Shipbuilding,Pascagoula, Mississippi; asSea Corsair, placed in partial commission between 30 May 1943 and 11 June 1943, and commissioned in full 23 November 1943.
Fremont arrived atPearl Harbor 14 March 1944 for conversion to a staff andcommand ship foramphibious operations, and during the remainder of the war was to carry such distinguished commanders as Rear AdmiralWilliam H. P. Blandy, Rear AdmiralWilliam M. Fechteler, Rear AdmiralRalph O. Davis, and Major GeneralGraves B. Erskine,USMC.
Fremont's first assault landing was atSaipan on 16 June, and for 10 days she lay off the island, landing troops and receiving casualties by day, and retiring seaward at night.
Back in Pearl Harbor from 12 July 1944 to 12 August,Fremont sailed then for rehearsal landings in theSolomons, and on 8 September she sortied for thePalau Islands operation. During the initial landings onPeleliu 15 September,Fremont conducted a diversionary demonstration offBabelthaup, then moved into the transport area to land troops onAngaur 17 September. On 23 SeptemberFremont landed men in the unopposed occupation ofUlithi, then returned toHollandia andManus for training with soldiers.
Fremont cleared Manus 12 October 1944 for the initial landings inLeyte Gulf 20 October, and remained in the Gulf until 18 November, embarking Admiral Fechteler as senior officer present afloat. She came under enemy air attack on several occasions, and on 24 October, during the decisiveBattle for Leyte Gulf, a small caliber shell which exploded on her bridge injured seven men. Returning to Hollandia 22 November,Fremont embarked men and equipment for rehearsal landings in preparation for the assault onLuzon. During these exercises,Fremont aided in splashing a lone attacking aircraft.
Arriving inLingayen Gulf for the initial landings 9 January 1945,Fremont, with the job done, sailed 11 January forLeyte, then sailed on toGuam to embarkMarines for theIwo Jima operation.
Again combining her key services as command ship with skillful landing of troops, she arrived off Iwo Jima 19 February, put the Marine command party ashore 24 February, and began landing troops and cargo. She returned to Saipan 9 March with casualties andprisoners of war, then sailed for repairs and rehearsal landings offNew Caledonia. On 16 MayFremont returned to Leyte Gulf with troops and sailors, and there received men for transportation to the west coast, where she began an overhaul 26 June 1945.
Two voyages to Pearl Harbor, and two more to Pacific islands and thePhilippines to bring servicemen eligible for immediate discharge home keptFremont at sea between 9 October 1945 and 12 August 1946. On 11 January 1947 she clearedPort Hueneme,California, to join the Atlantic Fleet atNorfolk, Virginia 26 January.
In the years from 1947 through 1960,Fremont completed seven tours of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, participating in amphibious exercises with marines and ships of otherNATO navies. TheLebanon Crisis broke out during her 1958 tour of duty, and she joined in landing Marines atBeirut 17 July to 6 August, returning to reembark troops in September.
While based atNorfolk Navy Yard in 1951, she prominently appeared in the filmYou're in the Navy Now.
Her operations when not deployed foundFremont taking part in amphibious operations fromLabrador to theWest Indies, and for much of each year, she trained marines along theNorth Carolina coast nearCamp Lejeune, as well as in the Caribbean. In 1962, she served as thecommand ship ofAmphibious Squadron Four,Task Force 61 before returning to Italy. In 1968, the Fremont was anchored atMiami, Florida, to serve as living quarters for some 200 federal agents and Army EOD operators providing security for theRepublican National Convention as all hotel space was taken up by the convention. She sailed in 1969 for decommissioning atPortsmouth, Virginia.
Fremont received fivebattle stars for World War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.