Bexar APA-237

Crittenden

Counties in Arkansas and Kentucky.

(APA-77: dp. 4,247, 1. 426' b. 58'; dr. 16', s. 17 k.;
cpl. 320, a. 1 5'; cl. Gilliam)

Crittenden (APA 77) was launched 6 November 1944 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. W. R. Boyd, transferred to the Navy 16 January 1945; and commissioned the next day, Commander P. C. Crosley in command.

Sailing from San Diego 14 March 1945 Crittenden conducted training at Pearl Harbor until 24 May, then loaded troops and cargo at San Francisco for Okinawa arriving 5 August. She sailed 23 August for Manila, arriving 27 August, and from 15 September to 21 October carried occupation troops from Leyte to Wakayama and Mitsuyama, Japan, then returned to Okinawa 27 October. Assigned to "Magic Carpet" duty bringing servicemen home for discharge, she made two voyages from Okinawa and Samar to San Francisco between 10 November 1945 and 24 January 1946.

Crittenden put out from San Pedro 16 February 1946 to join JTF-1 for the atomic bomb tests at Bikini. She was taken to Kwajalein 27 August 1946 and decommissioned the next day. After study, she was towed back to San Francisco 1 January 1947 and sunk in an explosives test 6 October 1947.