USS Shelby (APA-105)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Name: | USS Shelby (APA-105) |
| Namesake: | Counties in nine US states |
| Builder: | Bethlehem Steel |
| Laid down: | 13 June 1944 |
| Launched: | 25 October 1944 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs B. Barrett Griggith |
| Commissioned: | 20 January 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 14 May 1946 |
| Struck: | 5 June 1946 |
| Honours and awards: |
One battle star for World War II service |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1974 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Windsor-class attack transport |
| Displacement: | 7,970 tons (lt), 13,143 t. (fl) |
| Length: | 473 ft 1 in |
| Beam: | 66 ft |
| Draft: | 25 ft |
| Propulsion: | Bethlehem geared turbine drive, 2 × Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, single propeller, designed shaft horsepower 8,000 |
| Speed: | 18.6 knots |
| Capacity: |
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| Complement: | Officer 42 Enlisted 434 |
| Armament: | 1 x 5"/38 caliber dual-purpose gun mounts, 2 x Bofors 40mm gun mounts, 2 x twin 20mm gun mounts, 18 x single 20mm gun mounts |
| Notes: | MCV Hull No. 1678, hull type C3-S-A3 |
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.
Shelby underwent shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, and then reported to Davisville, Rhode Island, to embark 1,356 Seabees. Sailing on 24 February, she delivered the men to Pearl Harbor on 17 March.
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 Ulithi 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 the light cruiser USS Birmingham (CL-62) anchored nearby. The same day, Shelby began receiving casualties from the beach, although cargo unloading continued until 6 May. On 8 May, 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 days repairs, moved to San Diego to load more cargo and passengers.
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