Kingsbury APA-177

Kingsbury

A county in east-central South Dakota.

(APA-177: dp. 6,873; 1. 455' , 1. Haskell; T. b. 62'; dr. 241 ; s. 17 k cpl. 536; a. 1 5", 12 40mm., 10 20mm.; c VC2-S-AP5)

Kingsbury (APA-177) was launched 16 November 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oreg., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Leonard Euckler; and commissioned 6 December 1944, Comdr. J. H. Hughes in command.

After shakedown along the California coast, Kingsbury departed San Pedro 9 February 1945. Steaming via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok, she arrived Iwo Jima 14 March, embarked battle-weary Marines, and returned to Pearl Harbor 5 April via Guam and Eniwetok. Sailing for Seattle 22 May, she arrived 29 May and embarked 1,507 soldiers before departing 15 June for Iwo Jima. Arriving 7 July, she debarked her passengers and then departed 10 July with 262 military passengers for Pearl Harbor where she arrived the 21st.

Supporting U.S. occupation operations in Japan, Kingsbury cleared Pearl Harbor 1 September and steamed via Saipan for Sasebo, Japan, where she arrived 22 September to debark occupation troops of the 5th Marine Division. From 25 September to 14 October she made a circular run between Japan and the Philippines to transport additional occupation troops: then she returned to the Philippines 26 October for "Magic-Carpet" duty. With 2,077 homebound troops embarked, she departed Tacloban, Leyte, 30 October and reached San Francisco 17 November. Between 2 December and 9 January 1946 Kingsbury made another trip to and from the Far Ew4t, carrying 935 replacement troops to Manila and returned 2,058 veterans to the West Coast.

Kingsbury sailed 11 February for the East Coast, arriving Norfolk 3 March. She decommissioned at Portsmouth, Va., 19 April. Turned over to custody of the Maritime Commission 23 April, her name was struck from the Naval Register 1 May. At present she is in the Maritime Defense Reserve Fleet. James River, Va.

Kingsbury received one battle star for World War II service.