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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

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Lenoir I (AKA-74)

(AKA-74: dp. 13,910; l. 459'2"; b. 63'; dr. 26'4"; s. 16.5 k.; cpl. 247; a. 1'5", 8 40mm., 16 20mm.; cl. Tolland)

A county and town in North Carolina.

I

Lenoir (AKA-74) was laid down by North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, N.C., 7 September 1944; launched under Maritime Commission contract 6 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John M. Kerr; acquired and commissioned 14 December 1944, Lt. Comdr. Marcus L. Whitford in command.

Lenoir departed Norfolk 21 January 1945 and arrived Pearl Harbor 20 February. After touching Eniwetok 22 to 25 March, she sailed from Ulithi 13 April for the Okinawa landings, arriving off Hagushi beach 17 April. Within 72 hours she had discharged her cargo; though coming under air attack, she sustained no battle damage. She then voyaged to Saipan, Guadalcanal, and Guam, and arrived San Fraincisco 10 July.

Lenoir returned to Pearl Harbor 25 August to embark men of the Army 6th Division for Japan, arriving there 22 October. She departed 4 November for Portland, Oreg., arriving the 18th. The ship next sailed from Alameda, Calif., for Tsingtao, China, and Jinsen, Korea, on a "Magic Carpet" voyage. She returned to San Francisco 11 March 1946, sailed on to Norfolk, and decommissioned there 13 June 1946. Returned to the Maritime Commission 14 June 1946, she was sold in 1947 to Lykes Bros. SS Co., Inc., and operated out of Tampa, Fla., as Margaret Lykes. Resold the same year to the Gulf & South American SS Co., she was renamed Gulf Merchant.

 

Lenior received one battle star for World War II service.

Published: Wed Jul 29 02:03:32 EDT 2015