Clermont (APA-143)
1945-1946
A county in Ohio.
(APA-143: displacement 14,800 (full load); length 445'; beam 62'; draft 24'; speed 17 knots; complement 536; troops 1,561; armament 1 5-inch, 12 40 millimeter, 10 20 millimeter; class Haskell; type VC2-S-AP5)
Clermont (APA-143) was launched 25 November 1944 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract (MCV Hull No. 59) ; sponsored by Mrs. F. Wells; delivered to Pope & Talbot, Inc., on 2 December 1944; acquired by the Navy on 27 January 1945; converted at Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash.; and commissioned on 28 January 1945, Capt. F. E. Shoup in command.
Clermont sailed from Port Chicago, Calif., on 10 April 1945 for Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, arriving on 16 April. There she conducted training, then embarked the 126th Construction Battalion. She cleared Pearl Harbor on 20 May, for Eniwetok, Ulithi, and Okinawa, arriving on 24 June to disembark her troops and cargo. She returned to San Francisco on 21 July 1945 to embark passengers for Pearl Harbor, arriving there on 9 August.
After taking Marine units and the 116th Naval Construction Battalion on board, she cleared Pearl on 1 September 1945 for Saipan and Sasebo, where she put her passengers ashore for the occupation of the Sasebo Naval Base. After a voyage to the Philippines to embark 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 on 23 November.
Clermont made a second Magic Carpet voyage between 8 December 1945 and 11 January 1946. Eleven days later, she sailed for Norfolk, arriving on 4 February. Clermont was decommissioned on 1 March 1946, and entered the Maritime Commission's Lee Hall, Va., berthing area on 2 March 1946.
Removed from the Reserve Fleet under a General Agency Agreement on 8 July 1955, Clermont underwent repairs bty the Arrow Steamship Co., Inc., after which time she was placed in the James River berthing area (28 September 1955). Ultimately, the ship was acqyuired by Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., on 9 April 1973 and delivered to her purchaser on 12 September 1973 at 4:00 p.m. that day, to be scrapped.
Clermont received one battle star for her World War II service.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
6 June 2016
