This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

History
United States
Name	USSLa Grange
Namesake	LaGrange County, Indiana
Builder	California Shipbuilding Corporation
Launched	1 September 1944
Commissioned	1 November 1944
Decommissioned	27 October 1945
Honors and awards	1Battle star
Fate	Sold for scrap, 18 April 1975
General characteristics
Class and type	Haskell-classattack transport
Displacement	6,873 tons (lt), 14,837 t (fl)
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draft	24 ft (7 m)
Propulsion	1 × geared turbine, 2 × header-typeboilers, 1 × propeller, designed 8,500 shp (6,338 kW)
Speed	17knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 ×LCM 12 ×LCVP 3 ×LCPL
Capacity	Troops: 86 officers, 1,475 enlisted Cargo: 150,000 cu ft, 2,900 tons
Complement	56 officers, 480 enlisted
Armament	1 ×5"/38 dual-purpose gun 4 × twin40mm guns 10 × single20mm guns late armament, add 1 × 40mm quad mount

USSLa Grange (APA-124) was aHaskell-classattack transport in service with theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1945. She was scrapped in 1975.

La Grange was of the VC2-S-AP5Victory ship design type and was named forLaGrange County, Indiana.^[a]La Grange was laid down under aMaritime Commission contract 26 June 1944 by theCalifornia Shipbuilding Corp.,Wilmington, California; launched 1 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Albert Krutcher; acquired by the Navy 10 November 1944; and commissioned 11 November 1944.

After shakedown and amphibious training operations,La Grange departedSan Diego 1 January 1945 for thewestern Pacific. ArrivingManus 18 January the attack transport carried cargo and passengers toHollandia and thePhilippines before joiningTransport Squadron 17. Following a month of intensive preparations,La Grange departedDulag Harbor, Philippine Islands, as part of the western islands attack group in the greatest amphibious assault of the Pacific war, theinvasion of Okinawa. Arriving in the transport area offKerama Retto, 26 March,La Grange successfully landed advance forces who took that small cluster of islands which served as an advance naval base for fueling, repairs, and replenishment during the conquest ofOkinawa itself. On 2 April, upon retiring from Kerama Retto, the convoy in which she was traveling was attacked by Kamakaze aircraft and is credited with the downing of one aircraft. Private First Class Max Drucker, Company M, 306th Infantry (an embarked troop) was given credit for saving the U.S.S. La Grange from damage. Drucker was on deck near a 20mm antiaircraft gun when the surprise attack of 8 aircraft began. One of the Kamikaze planes approached the La Grange in a steep glide. Drucker leaped to the gun, got into action and directed an accurate stream of fire at the enemy aircraft. His was the only gun engaging the enemy. About 200 yards from the ship the plane veered suddenly and fell into the sea. La Grange remained off Okinawa for the next 30 days supporting operations on shore.

Returning toSaipan 5 May,La Grange sailed 2 weeks later with Navy passengers bound forSan Francisco. She resumed war operations upon her arrivalEniwetok 11 July, and sailed for Okinawa 29 July. ArrivingBuckner Bay 1 week later,La Grange unloaded cargo needed for the final days of the war. While anchored in Buckner Bay 13 August, she came under enemy air attack and suffered the last knownkamikaze attacks of the war.

Despite accurate antiaircraft fire, an unidentified kamikaze carrying a 500-pound bomb crashed intoLa Grange'ssuperstructure. A second suicide plane struck the top of akingpost and splashed 20 yards from the ship. The transport suffered considerable damage in both strikes, with 21 sailors killed and 89 wounded.

After hostilities ended 15 August,La Grange did field repairs and prepared for the cruise home. DepartingGuam 6 September, she arrived San Francisco 21 September. Because of the remaining battle damage,La Grange decommissioned there 27 October 1945 and was returned to theWar Shipping Administration for transfer back to her original owner. She was placed in theNational Defense Reserve Fleet atSuisun Bay, California.^[1]

In 1955La Grange was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet as part of a Repair Program, GAACoastwise Line, and then returned.^[1] On 18 April 1975 she was sold toNicolai Joffe Corp., for$208,489.78, to be scrapped.^[1] At 1130PDT, on 21 May 1975 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to thebreaker's yard.^[1]

La Grange received one battle star for World War II service.

 This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toUSS La Grange (APA-124).

• Victory ships
• Ships built in Los Angeles
• Haskell-class attack transports
• World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
• Troop ships
• LaGrange County, Indiana
• 1944 ships

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles lacking in-text citations from January 2014
• All articles lacking in-text citations
• Use American English from October 2024
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use dmy dates from October 2024
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• Commons category link from Wikidata