Gallatin APA-169

Gallatin II

(APA-169: dp. 14, 837; 1. 455'; b. 62'; dr. 25'6", s. 18
k.; cpl. 560; a. 1 5", 8 40mm.; cl. Haskell)

The second Gallatin was built under Maritime Commission contract by the Oregon Shipbuilding Co., Portland, Oreg.; launched 17 October 1944 sponsored by Mrs. Loran T. King of Portland; acquired by the Navy on a loan charter basis 15 November 1944 and commissioned the same day at Astoria, Oreg., Comdr. Frank S. Dowd in command.

After shakedown training out of San Pedro, Calif., Gallatin departed San Diego 18 January 1945 with more than a thousand troops plus cargo. In the ensuing months she carried passengers and military cargo to ports throughout the Pacific, supporting the final blows which forced Japan to surrender. She visited Hawaii; the Marshall Islands, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia; the Philippines; New Guinea; and the Admiralty Islands. ,She sailed from the Philippines for the west coast and arrived San Francisco with nearly 1,500 weary war veterans 10 August 1945. Eight days later she headed west again with as many troops for garrison duty at Lingayen Gulf, P.I. During October she steamed to Japan with vehicles, stores, and advance elements of the Army's 25th Division which she landed at Honshu as occupation forces.

Assigned to "Magic-Carpet" duty, Gallatin carried nearly 2,000 marines and other military veterans home from the Philippines and Hawaii. She reached San Diego with her veteran passengers 20 November 1945, and then made another "Magic-Carpet" voyage to the Philippines which terminated at San Diego 26 January 1946. After transiting the Panama Canal, she decommissioned at Newport News, VA. 23 April 1946; was returned to WSA the following day, and was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, VA, where she remains