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USS ''Sheridan'' (APA-51) was an that served with the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. ''Sheridan'' was named after five
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
which were in turn named after
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
General
Philip H. Sheridan Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularized the n ...
. The ship was laid down on 5 August 1942 under
Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...
contract by the
Moore Dry Dock Company Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. In 1905, Robert S. Moore, his brother Joseph A. Moore, and John Thomas Scott purchased the National Iron Works located in the Bayview-Hunters Point, S ...
of
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
, as SS ''Messenger''; renamed ''Sheridan'' and designated AP-94 by the Navy on 5 October 1942; launched on 11 November 1942; reclassified APA-51 on 1 February 1943; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 31 July 1943; and commissioned the same day.


World War II

''Sheridan'' moved from Oakland to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
on 31 August 1943; and, on 7 September, got underway for shakedown. Returning to San Francisco on 26 September, she loaded cargo and sailed for the western
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
on 1 October. On 18 October, she delivered cargo at
Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...
; and, on the 25th, she arrived at
Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...
, where she embarked marines and their equipment.


Invasion of Tarawa

Departing New Zealand on 1 November, she underwent
amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...
training at
Efate Island Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third lar ...
from the 7th to the 9th and sailed from there on the 13th for the invasion of the
Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands (;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this name applied o ...
. ''Sheridan'' arrived off
Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
'', where she discharged her casualties and was inspected by
Fleet Admiral An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...
Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; 24 February 1885 – 20 February 1966) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Co ...
. On 5 December, she disembarked cargo and marines at
Hilo Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...
, T.H., and then proceeded to the west coast, arriving at
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
on 13 December.


Invasion of Kwajalein

''Sheridan'' participated in practice landings at
Oceanside, California Oceanside is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city had a population of 174,068 at the 2020 United States census, making it the most populous city in the Nort ...
, from 15 to 17 December 1943, and then welcomed the new year, 1944, with more exercises at
San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...
from 1 to 5 January. She then received her combat loadout of troops and supplies and sailed from San Diego on 13 January. Stopping at
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
, T.H., just long enough to fuel, she arrived off the beaches of
Kwajalein Atoll Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking re ...
on 31 January. Her troops participated in the landings at Roi on 1 February while ''Sheridan'' remained off the beaches offloading cargo and acting as a temporary hospital ship pending the arrival of
hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...
. The transport sailed on 8 February, offloaded troops and cargo at Maui on 16 February, and then moved to Pearl Harbor on 17 February to receive needed repairs.


Invasion of Saipan

On 28 February, ''Sheridan'' began an intensive period of amphibious training at Maui, which lasted, with two short breaks, until 19 May. On 30 May, she sailed from Pearl Harbor with a task force bound for the
Marianas The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly Volcano#Dormant and reactivated, dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ...
. Arriving at
Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...
on 9 June, ''Sheridan'' transferred troops to assigned LSTs and sailed on 11 June for
Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...
. Arriving on 15 June, she debarked troops and cargo; and then embarked a large group of casualties on the 18th. She completed offloading cargo on 20 June and sailed from Saipan the following day. After picking up more casualties at Eniwetok on 25 and 26 June, she arrived at Pearl Harbor on 3 July.


Invasion of Guam

''Sheridan'' embarked Army troops there on 4 July and sailed on the 9th. Touching at Eniwetok on the 17th, she arrived at
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
on the 22nd, a day after the initial landings, and debarked her troops the following day. The ship departed Guam on 28 July, touched at Eniwetok on 1 August, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 10th. There, she received repairs, and then embarked Army troops and equipment for the reconquest of the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
.


Invasion of Leyte

After a week of amphibious training at Maui from 1 to 7 September, ''Sheridan'' departed Pearl Harbor on the 15th, and, after stops at Eniwetok and
Manus Manus may refer to: Relating to locations around New Guinea *Manus Island, a Papua New Guinean island in the Admiralty Archipelago ** Manus languages, languages spoken on Manus and islands close by ** Manus Regional Processing Centre, an offshore ...
, arrived on 20 October in the transport area off
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...
where she put her troops ashore in the first waves. Completing general unloading on the 22nd, she sailed for
Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay (Wiyot language, Wiyot: ''Wigi'') is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast (California), North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, California, Humboldt County, ...
the same day. After remaining there from 27 October to 5 November, she arrived at Noemfoor Island on the 7th to load Army Air Force personnel and equipment, which she delivered at Leyte on the 18th.


Invasion of the Philippines

Arriving at Manus on the 24th, ''Sheridan'' sailed on the 28th for
Torokina Torokina is a coastal village on Bougainville Island, in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is administered under Torokina Rural LLG. It is located on the western coast of the island. During World War II ...
,
Bougainville Island Bougainville Island (; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Its land area is . The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at . The much smaller Buk ...
, where she arrived on 1 December. There, she combat-loaded Army troops; and then underwent extensive training in amphibious operations, moving to
Huon Gulf Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea. 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. Its northern boundary is marke ...
,
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
for the final rehearsal on the 19th. Returning to Manus on the 21st, she sailed on 31 December 1944 as part of an assault group bound for
Lingayen Gulf Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern 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 (Luzon), Cordillera Central. The Agno ...
. The force encountered heavy air opposition during the approach on 8 January 1945, but ''Sheridan'' arrived unscathed and landed her troops early the next day. She then took on board 108 Navy casualties and survivors mainly from the
escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slower type of aircraf ...
, and sailed the same day for Leyte, arriving on the 12th. There, she embarked troops, and, after a landing rehearsal on 25 January, put them ashore on the 29th at
La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...
, Philippine Islands, which turned out to be under the control of friendly guerrillas. The transport anchored in San Pedro, P.I., on 1 February and remained there until late March while the war moved closer to the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
homeland.


Invasion of Okinawa

On 14 March 1945, ''Sheridan'' loaded troops for her final assault landing, the one on
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
. After training in the Philippines, the transport sailed with an assault force on 27 March and put her troops ashore in the first waves at Okinawa on 1 April.


Repairs and training

Departing Okinawa on the 5th, she touched at Guam and Pearl Harbor and then arrived at San Francisco on 29 April for a major overhaul. Repairs were carried out between 4 May and 26 June by the United Engineering Co., San Francisco. ''Sheridan'' then proceeded to San Diego on 1 July for refresher training in amphibious operations, returning to San Francisco on the 12th. Sailing three days later, she delivered her passengers at
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
, P.I., on 6 August after stops at Eniwetok,
Ulithi Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State. Name The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...
, and Leyte.


After hostilities

''Sheridan'' loaded troops at Zamboanga, P.I., on 15 and 16 August, but due to the end of the war, debarked them at
Tacloban Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city on Leyte island in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, Tacloban has a popu ...
on the 18th. Arriving at
Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
, P.I., three days later, she loaded troops for the occupation of Japan and sailed for Japan on the 25th. The ship entered
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...
as the surrender document was being signed on board
battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
, and offloaded her troops on 3 September. Sailing on the next day, ''Sheridan'' arrived at Okinawa on the 7th; and, after riding out a
typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
at sea, between 16 and 18 September, she embarked troops and sailed on 26 September for Taku, China. She remained at Taku from 30 September to 6 October and then sailed to the Philippines to embark a marine air group which she delivered at Taku on 14 November.


Operation Magic Carpet

Assigned next to
Operation Magic Carpet Operation Magic Carpet was the post–World War II operation by the U.S. War Shipping Administration (WSA) to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European (ETO), Pacific, and Asian theaters. Hundreds of Libert ...
, she sailed on 28 November from Taku; embarked marine troops at
Sasebo, Japan is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...
; and sailed from there on 7 December for the United States. Arriving at San Diego on the 23d, she commenced a period of overhaul; but, on 7 January 1946, she was released from ''Magic Carpet'' duty and designated for disposal.


Decommission

She sailed from San Diego on 11 January and arrived at
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
, on 1 February for deactivation. ''Sheridan'' was decommissioned on 5 March 1946, delivered to the Maritime Commission on 7 April 1946, and struck from the
Navy List A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...
on 12 April 1946.


Awards

''Sheridan'' received six
battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...
s for her World War II service.


Commercial service

Sold by the Maritime Commission to the
United States Lines United States Lines was an organization of the United States Shipping Board's (USSB) Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC), created to operate German liners seized by the United States in 1917. The ships were owned by the USSB and all finances of t ...
on 24 October 1947, she was briefly named ''Pioneer Sun'' and then served as ''American Scientist'' from 1947 until damaged by an explosion in July 1969 and scrapped.


References

*
USS ''Sheridan'' (APA-51)
DANFS Online. *

Shipmates' Site. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheridan (Apa-51) Ormsby-class attack transports Ships built in Oakland, California 1942 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Sheridan County, Kansas Sheridan County, Montana Sheridan County, Nebraska Sheridan County, North Dakota Sheridan County, Wyoming