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USS Shelby (APA-105)
Encyclopedia
USS Shelby (APA-105) was a Windsor-class
attack transport
that served with the US Navy during World War II. She was commissioned late in the war and initially assigned to transport duties; consequently she did not take part in any combat operations.
Shelby was named after counties
in nine US States. She was laid down on 13 June 1944 under Maritime Commission contract by the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard, Sparrows Point, Maryland; launched on 25 October 1944; and commissioned on 20 January 1945, Capt. J. J. Fallon in command.
, and then reported to Davisville, Rhode Island
, to embark 1,356 Seabees. Sailing on 24 February, she delivered the men at Pearl Harbor
on 17 March.
from 27 to 29 April, Shelby arrived at Okinawa and disembarked her troops on 3 and 4 May.
The ships there underwent frequent air attacks, and, on 4 May, a kamikaze
aircraft passed over Shelby and crashed into light cruiser anchored nearby. The same day, Shelby began receiving casualties from the beach, although cargo unloading continued until 6 May. On the 8th, she got underway with 166 wounded servicemen on board, whom she disembarked at Saipan
on 12 May before returning to San Francisco on 28 May.
On 13 June, Shelby sailed from San Francisco with troops and cargo for Manila
, where she arrived on 8 July after stops at Eniwetok and Ulithi. She then returned, via the same route, to San Francisco on 5 August; and, after 10 day's repairs, moved to San Diego to load more cargo and passengers.
. She embarked these in Lingayen Gulf
between 3 and 5 October and delivered them at Sasebo
on 14 October.
on 13 December on her second "Magic Carpet" run.
She embarked troops at Manila between 2 and 4 January 1946, and returned them to Seattle on 23 January. A month later, she sailed for the east coast, arriving at Norfolk, Virginia
on 14 March for inactivation.
on the 16th and struck from the Navy List
on 5 June 1946.
. She was scrapped in 1974.
Windsor class attack transport
The Windsor-class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transport. Ships of the class saw service in World War II.Like all attack transports, the purpose of the Windsors was to transport troops and their equipment to foreign shores in order to execute amphibious invasions using an array of...
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...
that served with the US Navy during World War II. She was commissioned late in the war and initially assigned to transport duties; consequently she did not take part in any combat operations.
Shelby was named after counties
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
in nine US States. She was laid down on 13 June 1944 under Maritime Commission contract by the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard, Sparrows Point, Maryland; launched on 25 October 1944; and commissioned on 20 January 1945, Capt. J. J. Fallon in command.
World War II
Shelby underwent shakedown in Chesapeake BayChesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, and then reported to Davisville, Rhode Island
Davisville, Rhode Island
Davisville, Rhode Island was the former home of the U.S. Navy SeaBees. It was located at Quonset Point on Narragansett Bay, an area now included in the town of North Kingstown. The Navy acquired the property in 1939 and built Naval Air Station Quonset Point...
, to embark 1,356 Seabees. Sailing on 24 February, she delivered the men 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 17 March.
Invasion of Okinawa
At Pearl, she loaded combat medical supplies and 1,383 troops, and sailed on 7 April. Stopping at Eniwetok from 15 to 23 April and 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...
from 27 to 29 April, Shelby arrived at Okinawa and disembarked her troops on 3 and 4 May.
The ships there underwent frequent air attacks, and, on 4 May, a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
aircraft passed over Shelby and crashed into light cruiser anchored nearby. The same day, Shelby began receiving casualties from the beach, although cargo unloading continued until 6 May. On the 8th, she got underway with 166 wounded servicemen on board, whom she disembarked at 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...
on 12 May before returning to San Francisco on 28 May.
On 13 June, Shelby sailed from San Francisco with troops and cargo for Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, where she arrived on 8 July after stops at Eniwetok and Ulithi. She then returned, via the same route, to San Francisco on 5 August; and, after 10 day's repairs, moved to San Diego to load more cargo and passengers.
After hostilities
Sailing on 20 August, Shelby arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 26th and sailed from there on 1 September with troops and equipment for the occupation of Japan. The transport entered Sasebo, Japan, on 22 September; and, after disembarking her troops, departed on the 25th to pick up additional occupation forces in the PhilippinesPhilippines
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...
. She embarked these in Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen 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...
between 3 and 5 October and delivered them at Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
on 14 October.
Operation Magic Carpet
Embarking some marine units there, she sailed from Sasebo on 21 October and arrived at Saipan on 6 November. At Saipan, Shelby reported for duty with Operation Magic Carpet, and she sailed on 7 November loaded with homeward-bound servicemen. Disembarking these at Los Angeles on 21 November, she underwent repairs before sailing from San PedroSan Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
on 13 December on her second "Magic Carpet" run.
She embarked troops at Manila between 2 and 4 January 1946, and returned them to Seattle on 23 January. A month later, she sailed for the east coast, arriving at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, 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....
on 14 March for inactivation.
Decommission
Shelby was decommissioned on 14 May 1946, delivered to the War Shipping AdministrationWar Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
on the 16th and struck from the Navy List
Naval 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...
on 5 June 1946.
Commercial service
Shelby was sold to American Export Lines in 1948, which renamed her Exeter. She was sold again on 24 September 1965, renamed Oriental Pearl, and re-flagged in LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
. She was scrapped in 1974.