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USS Cambria (APA-36)
Encyclopedia
USS Cambria (APA-36) was a Bayfield-class
attack transport
acquired by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II.
Cambria was launched 10 November 1942 as SS Sea Swallow by the Western Pipe and Steel Company
, San Francisco, California
, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. W. Griffin; acquired by the Navy 4 May 1943; placed in partial commission the same day, Lieutenant Commander William S. Baker USN, in command; sailed to New York
for decommissioning and conversion to an attack transport; and recommissioned 10 November 1943, Captain Charles W. Dean, USCG, in command.
, 11 December 1943 and arrived at Pearl Harbor
on New Year's Day
. After three weeks of intensive training, she sailed on 23 January 1944 for the invasion of the Marshall Islands
, where she served as flagship
for Majuro
Attack Group during the landings.
invasion, again serving as flagship of an attack group. She took part in the assault on Saipan
which began 15 June and during the next 24 days embarked 715 casualties of the desperate fighting on the island. Flying the flag of Commander task force
TF 52, she led the invasion of Tinian
(24 July-1 August); here she handled another 613 casualties.
, arriving 3 October to join the Southern Attack Group for the invasion of the Philippines
. On 20 October she landed troops at Dulag, Leyte
, in the first assault wave, then remained off Leyte as a casualty evacuation ship, receiving 70 wounded from the beach. Cambria lifted reinforcements from Oro Bay
, New Guinea
, to the Leyte area, then returned to New Guinea for rehearsal landings at Huon Gulf
.
during the invasion landings 10 January 1945, and after a reinforcement mission from San Pedro Bay
to Lingayen Gulf, got underway for Tulagi
, Florida Island, to train for the invasion of Okinawa.
, then put her troops ashore at Okinawa on 1 April 1945. She completed her unloading two days later and sailed for San Pedro, California, arriving 3 May for an overhaul which lasted until the end of hostilities.
, and then as a participant in the giant Magic Carpet operation which brought back demobilizing troops to the United States.
, Cambria, alternated local operations and training in the Caribbean and off Labrador
with three tours of duty with the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. On her 1956 cruise with the 6th Fleet Cambria landed United Nations
troops at Gaza
during the Suez crisis
.
, Lebanon
. She remained at this port until 18 October 1958 and in the Mediterranean until the end of the year to complete a regular tour with the 6th Fleet.
She returned to the States in March 1959, visited Great Lakes
ports during June and July in connection with the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
, and operated on the east coast. Cambria made another 6th Fleet cruise during the first half of 1960, then resumed U.S. East Coast operations for the remainder of the year. She was also involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis
from October 24 to December 5, 1962. On July 8, 1969, she was involved in a collision with the during a night-time exercise off Malta.
1 September 1971. She was sold for non-transportation use on 7 September 1971 to Caribbean Marine, Inc, and scrapped the following year.
Cambria also received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
for participating in the Cuban Missile Crisis
.
Bayfield class attack transport
The Bayfield class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transports that were built during World War II.With the entry of the United States into the war, it was quickly realized that amphibious combat operations on hostile shores would be required, and that specialized ships would be...
attack transport
Attack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
acquired by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II.
Cambria was launched 10 November 1942 as SS Sea Swallow by the Western Pipe and Steel Company
Western Pipe and Steel Company
The Western Pipe and Steel Company was an American manufacturing company that is best remembered today for its construction of ships for the Maritime Commission in World War II. It also built ships for the U.S...
, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. W. Griffin; acquired by the Navy 4 May 1943; placed in partial commission the same day, Lieutenant Commander William S. Baker USN, in command; sailed to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for decommissioning and conversion to an attack transport; and recommissioned 10 November 1943, Captain Charles W. Dean, USCG, in command.
Invasion of the Marshall Islands
Cambria departed Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, 11 December 1943 and arrived at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. After three weeks of intensive training, she sailed on 23 January 1944 for the invasion of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, where she served as flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
for Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
Attack Group during the landings.
Invasion of Saipan
After overhaul at San Francisco, California, and refresher training at Pearl Harbor, Cambria left 30 May 1944 for the MarianasMariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
invasion, again serving as flagship of an attack group. She took part in the assault on Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
which began 15 June and during the next 24 days embarked 715 casualties of the desperate fighting on the island. Flying the flag of Commander task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
TF 52, she led the invasion of Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
(24 July-1 August); here she handled another 613 casualties.
Invasion of Leyte
Embarking U.S. Army troops and equipment at Honolulu, Cambria got underway 15 September 1944 for ManusManus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, arriving 3 October to join the Southern Attack Group for the invasion of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. On 20 October she landed troops at Dulag, Leyte
Dulag, Leyte
Dulag is a third-class municipality in the province of Leyte in Eastern Visayas in the Philippines. This coastal town covering 11,007 hectares of land is home to 44,143 residents...
, in the first assault wave, then remained off Leyte as a casualty evacuation ship, receiving 70 wounded from the beach. Cambria lifted reinforcements from Oro Bay
Oro Bay
Oro Bay is a bay in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, located southeast of Buna. The bay is located within the larger Dyke Ackland Bay. A port is operated by PNG Ports Corporation Limited with limited wharf facilities.-History:...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, to the Leyte area, then returned to New Guinea for rehearsal landings at Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea, at . It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Lae, capital of the Morobe Province is located on the northern coast of the...
.
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
Cambria landed troops at Lingayen GulfLingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
during the invasion landings 10 January 1945, and after a reinforcement mission from San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
to Lingayen Gulf, got underway for Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
, Florida Island, to train for the invasion of Okinawa.
Invasion of Okinawa
Cambria staged at UlithiUlithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, then put her troops ashore at Okinawa on 1 April 1945. She completed her unloading two days later and sailed for San Pedro, California, arriving 3 May for an overhaul which lasted until the end of hostilities.
After hostilities
For the remainder of the year she was engaged in the redeployment of forces in the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, and then as a participant in the giant Magic Carpet operation which brought back demobilizing troops to the United States.
Post-World War II operations
Sailing from San Francisco, California, 11 January 1946, Cambria arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on the 27th for duty with the Atlantic Fleet. She operated from her new home port on local exercises and training assaults in the Caribbean until placed out of commission in reserve 30 June 1949.Suez crisis
Recommissioned 15 September 1950 with the outbreak of war in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Cambria, alternated local operations and training in the Caribbean and off Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
with three tours of duty with the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. On her 1956 cruise with the 6th Fleet Cambria landed United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
troops at Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
during the Suez crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
.
Beirut mission
Returning to Norfolk 2 February 1957, Cambria resumed operations and exercises in the Caribbean and along the eastern seaboard. This routine was interrupted in the summer of 1958, when, on 10 September, Cambria sailed to join the 6th Fleet in support of the American landings at BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. She remained at this port until 18 October 1958 and in the Mediterranean until the end of the year to complete a regular tour with the 6th Fleet.
She returned to the States in March 1959, visited Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
ports during June and July in connection with the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...
, and operated on the east coast. Cambria made another 6th Fleet cruise during the first half of 1960, then resumed U.S. East Coast operations for the remainder of the year. She was also involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
from October 24 to December 5, 1962. On July 8, 1969, she was involved in a collision with the during a night-time exercise off Malta.
End of service
Cambria was decommissioned 14 September 1970 and transferred to MARAD on 13 November 1970, and struck from the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
1 September 1971. She was sold for non-transportation use on 7 September 1971 to Caribbean Marine, Inc, and scrapped the following year.
Awards
Cambria received six battle stars for World War II service:- Marshall Islands operation
- Marianas operation
- Tinian capture and occupation
- Leyte operation
- LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
operation - Okinawa Gunto operation
Cambria also received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States military, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy...
for participating in the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
.
External links
- AP-81 APA-36 Cambria, Navsource Online.