USS Clermont

USS Clermont (APA-143) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1973.

History
United States
Name	USS Clermont
Namesake	Clermont County, Ohio
Builder	California Shipbuilding Corporation
Laid down	27 September 1944
Launched	25 November 1944
Acquired	27 January 1945
Commissioned	28 January 1945
Decommissioned	1 March 1946
Stricken	20 March 1946
Fate	Sold for scrap, 9 April 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	Haskell-class attack transport
Displacement	6,873 tons (lt), 14,837 t (fl)
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draft	24 ft (7 m)
Propulsion	1 × geared turbine, 2 × header-type boilers, 1 × propeller, designed 8,500 shp (6,338 kW)
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 × LCM 12 × LCVP 3 × LCPL
Capacity	Troops: 86 officers, 1,475 enlisted Cargo: 150,000 cu ft, 2,900 tons
Complement	56 officers, 480 enlisted
Armament	1 × 5"/38 dual-purpose gun 4 × twin 40 mm guns 10 × single 20 mm guns late armament, add 1 × 40 mm quad mount

History

Clermont (APA-143) was launched 25 November 1944 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, California, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. F. Wells; acquired by the Navy 27 January 1945; converted at Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington; and commissioned 28 January 1945.

Clermont sailed from Port Chicago, California, 10 April 1945 for Pearl Harbor, arriving 16 April. Here she conducted training, then embarked the 126th Construction Battalion. She cleared Pearl Harbor 20 May, for Eniwetok, Ulithi, and Okinawa, arriving 24 June to disembark her troops and cargo. She returned to San Francisco 21 July to embark passengers for Pearl Harbor, arriving there 9 August. After taking Marine units and the 116th Naval Construction Battalion on board, she cleared 1 September for Saipan and Sasebo, where she put her passengers ashore for the occupation of Sasebo Naval Base. After a voyage to the Philippines to carry additional occupation troops to Japan, she carried units of the 5th Marines from Sasebo to Peleliu and sailed on 3 November with homeward bound servicemen to San Diego, arriving 23 November. Clermont made a second "Operation Magic Carpet" voyage between 8 December 1945 and 11 January 1946. Eleven days later she sailed for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving 4 February.

Decommissioning and fate

Clermont was decommissioned 1 March 1946, and returned to the Maritime Commission 3 March 1946. Ex-Clermont was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River, Virginia. Between 8 July and 28 September 1955 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet for a Repair Program, GAA- Polarus, and returned. Ex-Clermont was sold for $111,560 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation for scrapping on 9 April 1973. In September 1973 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker's yard.

Awards

Clermont received one battle star for World War II service at Okinawa.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Navsource.org photo archive - USS Clermont (APA-143)