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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

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  • Boats-Ships--Support Ships
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  • Ship History
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  • World War II 1939-1945
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Dade (APA-99)

1944-1946

Counties in the states of Florida, Georgia, and Missouri.

(APA-99: displacement 8,392; length 492'0"; beam 69'6"; draft 26'6"; speed 17.0 knots; complement 592; troops 1,500; armament 2 5-inch, 8 40 millimeter, 12 20- millimeter; class Bayfield; type C3-S-A2)

Lorain (APA-99) was laid down on 9 September 1943 at Pascagoula, Miss., by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. under a Maritime Commission contract (M. C. Hull 864); renamed Dade on 19 November 1943; launched on 14 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. C. Schwingle; transferred to the Navy on 29 April 1944 and placed in partial commission the same day, Cmdr. Hans H. B. Olsen, USNR, in command of the ferry crew; decommissioned on 9 May 1944 for conversion at Hoboken., N.J., by the Todd-Hoboken Yards; and placed in full commission on 11 November 1944, Cmdr. Miles P. Du Val, Jr., in command.

Departing Norfolk on15 December 1944, Dade arrived at San Francisco, Calif., on 30 December to embark passengers and load cargo. On 7 January 1945 she sailed for Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, and Tulagi, Solomon Islands where she off-loaded her cargo and disembarked passengers, and trained for the forthcoming assault on Okinawa. After final staging at Ulithi, in the Carolines, Dade participated in the invasion landings at Okinawa on 1 April, landing marines and combat cargo on Blue Beach and embarking casualties under frequent air attack. Sailing to Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. she arrived on 23 April to embark Navy and Marine Corps passengers, casualties, and medical evacuees for San Francisco.

After overhaul, Dade departed San Francisco on 22 June 1945, proceeding via Pearl Harbor to San Pedro Bay, Leyte, P.I., with construction battalion men and cargo, arriving on 27 July. She served as receiving ship at Eniwetok from 13 to 19 August. With the end of the war in mid-August 1945, Dade returned to the Philippines, embarking troops at Manila for the occupation of Japan and landing them at Yokohama on 13 September. Aiding in the reoccupation of China, she carried U.S. Marines from Guam to Tsingtao, China, and Chinese troops from Indochina to Chinwangtao and Taku. She embarked homeward-bound troops at Manila and sailed for the west coast, entering San Francisco Bay on 17 December 1945.

Dade sailed on 11 January 1946 for New York, N.Y., arriving on 29 January. She was decommissioned there on 25 February 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day. She entered the Reserve Fleet berthing area in the James River on 18 March 1946, off Lee Hall, Va., being placed in Unit S-3 at midnight. She was stricken from the Navy Register on 12 April 1946.

On 23 October 1946, the vessel was transferred to the Moran Towing & Transportation Co. at 2:45 p.m. for the voyage to New York City, arriving at her destination at 5:45 p.m. on 26 October 1946 and turned over to the custody of the United Engineering Co. for conversion purposes. Leased to the Matson Navigation Co. under a general agency agreement at 10:00 p.m. on 2 July 1947, the ship entered the Todd Shipyards, Hoboken, N.J. , the following day at 6:00 p.m. fot the reconversion process. Purchased outright by Matson, the ship's title passed to the company at 12:56 p.m., at San Francisco, with her new owners renaming her Hawaiian Retailer.  

Hawaiian Retailer operated as such 

 

Dade received one battle star for her World War II service, for her participation in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (1-9 April 1945).

Updated, Robert J, Cressman

15 March 2024

 

Published: Fri Mar 15 17:17:56 EDT 2024