Lauderdale (APA-179)
1944‒1956
Named for counties in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
(APA-179: displacement 6,873; length 455'0"; beam 62'0" draft 24'0"; speed 17.0 knots; complement 436; troop capacity 1,662; armament 1 5-inch, 12 20 millimeter; class Haskell; type VC2-S-AP5)
Lauderdale (APA-179) was laid down on 14 October 1944 at Portland, Ore., by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C.V. Hull 145); launched on 23 November 1944, sponsored by Mrs. J. H. Blockey; delivered to the Maritime Commission at Astoria, Ore., at 1530 on 11 December 1944, and acquired by the Navy and commissioned at Astoria on 11 December 1944, Cmdr. William F. Ramsey in command.
Attack transport Lauderdale departed Seattle, Wash., via San Francisco, Calif., for San Pedro, Calif., arriving on 2 January 1945. After shakedown off the California coast and repairs in Los Angeles, Calif., she sailed for Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, arriving on 19 February. Following amphibious landing exercises, Lauderdale embarked units of the 10th Army and departed Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, on 17 March. Steaming via Eniwetok, she arrived at Ulithi on 31 March 1945.
On 7 April, Lauderdale sailed in convoy for the Ryukyu Islands. She arrived off Okinawa on 11 April. Despite frequent air alerts, by the 17th, she had debarked her troops and cargo. She remained at Hagushi, Okinawa, serving as a receiving ship for uninjured survivors of damaged or sunken ships and weathering ongoing kamikaze attacks around the island. Survivors of more than 30 ships and landing craft found refuge in Lauderdale. During this time, she also received Japanese Prisoners of War, transferring them to other ships or commands as directed.
She was relieved by Crescent City (APA-21) on 14 July and sailed the next day with 1,132 military passengers bound for the United States. Steaming via Ulithi and Eniwetok, she reached San Diego, Calif., on 6 August and discharged her passengers. She sailed to Portland on the 23rd and arrived on the 26th. Lauderdale loaded 1,045 occupation troops and departed Portland on 28 August. She reached Eniwetok on 6 September and arrived at Saipan on the 13th. From then until 8 November 1945, she moved men and supplies to Tinian, Guam, Iwo Jima, and the Japanese home islands. She departed Saipan on 9 November carrying 1,706 passengers on a Magic Carpet run to San Pedro, arriving on 24 November.
Between 5 December 1945 and 7 January 1946, Lauderdale made another Magic Carpet roundtrip, bringing 1,915 sailors from Manus Island, the Admiralty Islands, and the Panama Canal to Seattle. On 26 January, she departed Puget Sound and sailed for the East Coast via San Franciso and the Panama Canal. She arrived at Lynnhaven Roads near Norfolk, Va., on 6 March and was decommissioned at Norfolk on April 25. She was returned to the War Shipping Administration and placed in the Nation Defense Reserve Fleet at James River, Va., on 2 May 1946 at 1430.
Under the Fiscal Year 1957 repair program, Lauderdale was delivered to the American-Hawaiian Steamship Co. at 1115 on 19 October 1955 and returned to the James River Reserve Fleet at 1150 on 8 February 1956. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 May 1956.
Lauderdale was redesignated as LPA-179 on 1 January 1969. On 21 January 1987, at 0925, she was removed from the Reserve Fleet for stripping of equipment and parts and returned on 6 August 1987 at noon. On 30 January 1990, at 0915, she was again removed for additional stripping and returned on 10 April 1990 at 0830.
On 14 October 1992, Lauderdale was sold to North Atlantic Towage & Salvage Ltd. for scrapping. However, that company defaulted on the contract, and Lauderdale was resold on 30 September 2004 to North American Ship Recycling of Baltimore, Md. She was removed from the James River Reserve Fleet on 14 March 2005 and scrapped at Sparrow’s Point, Md., on 20 September 2005.
Lauderdale received one battle star for her World War II service, for the Assault and Occupation of Okinawa Gunto (10 April‒30 June 1945).
Commanding Officers Date Assumed Command
Cmdr. William F. Ramsey 12 December 1944
Lt. Cmdr. Richard T. Rounds, D-V(S), USNR 17 February 1946
Gary J. Candelaria
21 March 2025
