_underway_at_sea_on_15_November_1944_(80-G-287609).jpg) Magoffin on 15 November 1944 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSMagoffin |
| Namesake | Magoffin County, Kentucky |
| Ordered | as type VC2-S-AP5 |
| Laid down | 20 June 1944 |
| Launched | 4 October 1944 |
| Commissioned | 25 October 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 14 August 1946 |
| In service | 4 October 1950 |
| Out of service | 10 April 1968 |
| Stricken | 1 February 1980 |
| Homeport | San Diego, California |
| Fate | Scrapped 1980 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 14,833 (full load) |
| Length | 455 ft 0 in (138.68 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft 0 in (18.90 m) |
| Draught | 28 ft 1 in (8.56 m) |
| Speed | 17 knots (31 km/h) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | two LCM, twelve LCVP, three LCPU |
| Capacity | 150,000 cu. ft, 2,900 tons |
| Complement | 56 Officers 480 Enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSMagoffin (APA/LPA-199) was aHaskell-classattack transport in service with theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1950 to 1968. She was scrapped in 1980.
Magoffin (APA 199), built underMaritime Commission contract, launched 4 October 1944 byKaiser Shipbuilding Co.,Vancouver, Washington; sponsored by Mrs. Fred Schlotfeldt; and commissioned 25 October 1944.
Attached toTransport Division 54 during post commissioning amphibious training off the coast of southernCalifornia,Magoffin conveyed troops and cargo in the South Pacific until 1 March 1945. On that date she commenced rehearsals atGuadalcanal for the invasion of theRyukyus. Underway on the 27th, she steamed with the invasion force forOkinawa, where she participated in the landings 1 April. During the battle for Okinawa,Magoffin, the first ship in Transport Division 54 to be unloaded, assisted in downing two enemy planes. After this campaignMagoffin carried men and cargo between the United States and forward area bases until the following spring. On 10 March 1946, she reported to the 19th Fleet,San Francisco, California, for inactivation. She decommissioned 14 August 1946.
After the outbreak of theKorean War,Magoffin recommissioned 4 October 1950 and was assigned to theU.S. Pacific Fleet. Departing San Francisco 22 March 1951, she steamed forJapan where she debarked troops and cargo 7 to 8 April.Magoffin remained in the westernPacific Ocean conveying troops and cargo between Japan andKorea and participating in amphibious exercises, two atSagami Wan, Japan, and one in Korea. She headed for theU.S. West Coast late in August, arriving atSan Diego, California, 8 September for landing exercises and overhaul.Magoffin again sailed for theFar East 10 July 1952. Arriving a month later atYufusu, Japan, she commenced a series of amphibious training exercises with Army and Marine units; two exercises were held in Japan and two atInchon,Korea. She also participated in an amphibious demonstration staged 15 October offKojo, North Korea, in an effort to draw reserve Communist units in the area out into the open. In November, she returned to San Diego for exercises and operations along the U.S. west coast. With the exception of one voyage to Japan and back in late August 1953, she operated on the U.S. west coast until departing for the western Pacific in February 1954. Amphibious operations atIwo Jima,Okinawa, andBusan, Korea, were followed, in August, by orders toIndochina. Arriving atHaiphong, she embarked refugees for transport toSaigon. By 17 SeptemberMagoffin had carried over 6,000 refugees from tyranny toSouth Vietnam. Following this "Operation Passage to Freedom" duty, she returned to San Diego, arriving 21 November 1954.[1]
From that day to the end of her Navy service,Magoffin has operated, with the exception of the years 1959, 1960, 1963, and 1966, in the western Pacific for at least 6 months out of each year. Two of the more historically eventful years during this period were 1958 and 1964. In the spring of 1958, the transport participated inOperation Hardtack I, the 1958 series ofnuclear tests atEniwetok Atoll.
Shortly after the tests, the mid July politico military flareups in the volatileMiddle East caused the ship to embark troops atOkinawa and head for thePersian Gulf. This deployment was to provide support, if necessary, to the British and American forces sent intoJordan andLebanon. However, tension eased after the Navy’s resolute action averted Communist subversion in Lebanon, allowingMagoffin to return to herU.S. 7th Fleet station.
6 August 1964 sawMagoffin, having completed a 6-month tour with theU.S. 7th Fleet and heading for her home port of San Diego, ordered back to Okinawa to embark troops. The ship then steamed forVietnam, following theTonkin Gulf Resolution.Magoffin’s tours on the U.S. west coast continued to include periodic overhauls, coastal operations, and amphibious exercises. Her tours in the western Pacific were in support of operations in Southeast Asia, transporting troops and cargo, participating in amphibious operations, and, on occasion, serving as station ship inDa Nang harbor. In August, 1965,Magoffin transported3rd Battalion, 1st Marines to Okinawa for additional training for eventual operations in South Vietnam.
Magoffin returned to San Diego 9 December 1967 to prepare for inactivation. She decommissioned 10 April 1968 and entered theNaval Defense Reserve Fleet atSuisun Bay, California, under the custody of theMaritime Administration. She was redesignated LPA-199 on 1 January 1969.Magoffin was sold for scrap in 1980.
Magoffin received onebattle star forWorld War II service at Okinawa. She received two more battle stars (campaign stars) during the Korean War during her efforts there during 1951 and 1952. She received an additional four campaign stars during theVietnam War.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
