_In_San_Francisco_Bay%2c_California_(USA)%2c_circa_in_late_1945_(NH_98736).jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLaurens |
| Namesake | |
| Ordered | as type VC2-S-AP5 |
| Laid down | 23 May 1944 |
| Launched | 11 July 1944 |
| Acquired | 7 September 1944 |
| Commissioned | 7 September 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 10 April 1946 |
| Stricken | 1 May 1946 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1988 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 12,450 tons (full load) |
| Length | 455 ft 0 in (138.68 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft 0 in (18.90 m) |
| Draught | 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m) |
| Speed | 19 knots |
| Complement | 536 |
| Armament |
|
USSLaurens (APA-153) was aHaskell-classattack transport in service with theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1988.
Laurens was launched by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.,Portland, Oregon, underMaritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. James C. Black; acquired by the Navy 7 September 1944; and commissioned the same day.
After shakedown along theCalifornia coast,Laurens departedOakland, California, 26 October 1944, arrivingLae,New Guinea, 12 November. For the next month she operated out ofNew Guinea andNew Caledonia, training in preparation for theLingayen Gulf landings. Forwarded toGuadalcanal in mid-December,Laurens loaded over 1,400 troops and proceeded toManus,Admiralty Islands.
Laurens departed Manus 2 January 1945 and arrived inLingayen Gulf to land troops offSan Fabian,Philippine Islands, 9 days later. She stood out of Lingayen Gulf on the 12th, returning toNew Guinea 27 January. During February she made another cruise to thePhilippines transporting forces toLeyte and remained there in preparation for theOkinawa campaign.
On 27 March 1945Laurens steamed out ofLeyte Gulf forOkinawa, doorstep toJapan. The first wave of troops hit the beach 1 April 1945 whileLaurens arrived in the transport area 9 miles offshore. The continued landing troops and cargo until she sailed forSaipan, 6 April arriving there 4 days later.
During MayLaurens was under repair atPearl Harbor andSan Diego, California, before returningEniwetok 15 June 1945. For the next 6 weeks the transport operated among the islands, transferring troops and supplies to various staging areas. After loading war veterans atUlithi 31 July, Laurens sailed the same day for San Francisco, arriving there 1 day before the end of the war.
Following the Japanese surrender,Laurens carried occupation troops to the Japanese home islands, then formed a unit of the "Operation Magic Carpet" fleet assigned to bring the fighting men home. She returned toPortland, Oregon, 8 January 1946, on her final "Magic Carpet" run from the Far East. The following month she sailed for the eastern seaboard.
Laurens decommissioned 10 April 1946 atNorfolk, Virginia, and returned toWar Shipping Administration (WSA) 13 April 1946. On 2 May 1956Laurens entered theNational Defense Reserve Fleet in theHudson River,New York, where she remained. She was eventually struck from theNavy List on 1 May 1946 and was sold for scrapping in 1988.
Laurens received twobattle stars forWorld War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
