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USS Colbert

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History
United States
NameUSS Colbert
NamesakeColbert County, Alabama
Orderedas type VC2-S-AP5
Laid down30 September 1944
Launched1 December 1944
Acquired7 February 1945
Commissioned7 February 1945
Decommissioned26 February 1946
Stricken12 March 1946
FateScrapped 1974
General characteristics
Displacement15199 tons (full load)
Length455 ft 0 in (138.68 m)
Beam62 ft 0 in (18.90 m)
Draught24 ft 3 in (7.39 m)
PropulsionSingle Screw
Speed19 knots
Complement536
Armament

USS Colbert (APA-145) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1974.

History

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Colbert was launched 1 December 1944 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, California, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. L. G. Miller; acquired 7 February 1945 and commissioned the same day.

Colbert sailed from San Francisco, 15 April 1945 with passengers for Honolulu, where she remained from 21 April to 20 May, disembarking her original troops and loading reinforcements for Okinawa, where she arrived 7 June. She sailed on to Ulithi to load Japanese and Korean prisoners of war, with whom she returned to Pearl Harbor 28 June.

Colbert after being hit by a mine on 17 September 1945.

After a brief stateside overhaul, Colbert put to sea 21 July 1945 to carry troops to Ulithi and Okinawa, where she lay until 5 September. She voyaged to Jinsen, Korea, and Dairen, Manchuria, to embark Allied soldiers and sailors formerly held prisoner at Mukden, Manchuria, and returned to Okinawa 16 September.

Next day she put to sea to evade a typhoon, and that same day struck a floating mine, which caused the death of three men and damaged the ship extensively. Towed back to Okinawa 18 September, she was later towed to Guam, Pearl Harbor, and San Francisco for repairs, reaching the U.S. West Coast 30 January 1946.

Decommissioning and fate

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On 26 February 1946, she was decommissioned and transferred to the War Shipping Administration at Suisun Bay, California. She remained in reserve fleet until she was sold for scrapping on 21 August 1974, to Nicolai Joffe Corpiration, Beverly Hills, California (USA). She was delivered on 18 September 1974.

Awards

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Colbert received one battle star for World War II service.

References

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

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