U.S.S. SEMINOLE

USS SEMINOLE (AKA-104)

The fourth Seminole was built in 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1703) by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. Wilmington N.C.; launched on 28 December 1944; sponsored by Miss Pamela Cole; commissioned on 8 March 1945 at the Charleston (S.C.) Navy Yard Lt. Comdr. E. L. Bothwell Assistant to the Captain of the Yard in temporary command.

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay from 25 to 28 March 1945 the attack cargo ship operated along the east coast until 8 April when she departed Norfolk for the Canal Zone. Seminole transited the Panama Canal on 14 to 15 April and arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 30th.

From 1 through 27 May Seminole engaged in training cruises off the Hawaiian Islands. On the 28th she got underway for the Marshall Islands and arrived at Eniwetok on 6 June. Seminole independently zigzagged her way to Ulithi Caroline Islands from 17 to 21 June where she loaded antitank mines for Okinawan operations. Arriving at Buckner Bay Okinawa on 14 July Seminole unloaded her cargo on the 17th. On 18 July general quarters were sounded and the AKA steamed southward to avoid a typhoon. The hazard over by 20 July Seminole returned to Buckner Bay the following day. She took similar measures during a typhoon warning from 1 to 3 August.

On 6 August Seminole departed Buckner Bay for Ulithi and in spite of trouble in her fuel lines arrived on the 10th. On the 13th she got underway for the Palaus and arrived at Peleliu Island the following day.

Seminole loaded cargo at Peleliu and departed on 21 August bound for the Marianas. After anchoring in Saipan Harbor on the 24th she unloaded cargo there and at Tanapag and Tinian before getting underway for Guam. Seminole remained in Apra Harbor Guam from 1 to 4 September before sailing for the Philippines.

Seminole entered San Pedro Bay Leyte on 8 September steamed to Guiuan Samar Island on the 10th where she transferred four LCVP's and eight LCM's before steaming to Iloilo Panay Island on the 12th.

From 12 to 17 September Seminole loaded general cargo ammunition vehicles landing craft and gasoline for the 40th Division. Then on the 18th she got underway for Jinsen Korea and anchored there a week later.

Seminole returned to Leyte on 7 October. She remained in Filipino waters loading cargo at various points until the 18th when she stood out of San Fernando Harbor Luzon for Korea. After unloading equipment and 84 officers and men of the 6th Division at Jinsen Seminole again set out for the Philippines anchoring in Guiuan Harbor Samar on 5 November.

On 1 December the attack cargo ship departed Leyte Gulf and arrived in San Francisco Calif. on 2 March 1946 after stopping off at Tsingtao Guam and Pearl Harbor. During the postwar years from 1946 to 1950 Seminole operated along the west coast and at Pearl Harbor Guam and other Pacific ports.

In Puget Sound when war broke out in Korea in the summer of 1950 Seminole and sister ship Washburn (AKA-108) got underway for Yokosuka Japan. She changed her course in accordance with a dispatch of 30 August and arrived at Kobe the next day. After voyage repairs at the Mitsubishi dockyards and lashing down for typhoon "Jane " Seminole loaded military cargo and got underway for Pusan Korea on 4 September accompanied by Pickaway (APA-222) and Fort Marion (LSD-22). Seminole returned to Kobe that same day in compliance with a confidential dispatch fueled to capacity and got underway independently at 0027 on the 5th.

Seminole moored in Pusan Harbor on 6 September. On 8 September she commenced loading cargo supplies and equipment of the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade. Five war correspondents reported on board on the 11th and 301 U.S. marines and 58 ROK marines embarked the next day. On 15 September Seminole lowered and dispatched her boats for the opposed landings on Red Beach Inchon. From 16 to 20 September the AKA continued to offload her cargo. On the 21st she evacuated six marine casualties and debarked them at Sasebo Japan on the 23d.

After repairs to the ship and her boats Seminole stood out of Kobe on 5 October and arrived at Inchon on the 8th. Seminole began loading troops and equipment of the 1st Marine Division the next day and took on additional troops and cargo until standing out of the harbor on the 17th. Seminole and accompanying ships reversed their course back and forth several times until the mine fields at Wonsan had been cleared. She entered Wonsan Harbor on 25 October and landed marines and offloaded cargo until the 30th.

Seminole departed Wonsan Harbor on 1 November reaching Pusan the next day. After embarking men of the 65th Regimental Combat Team and the 58th Field Artillery Battalion she disembarked them at Wonsan on 7 November. Two days later Seminole got underway for Pusan and sank a mine with fire from small arms and 20 millimeter guns en route. Seminole anchored in Pusan on 10 November where she loaded troops X Corps before getting underway on the next day.

Seminole returned to Wonsan Harbor on the 12th disembarked the soldiers and performed upkeep and maintenance until standing out for Japan on 17 November. Seminole arrived at Yokosuka Harbor on 20 November remaining there until the end of the month. Early in December the attack transport returned to Korea to evacuate troops who had been endangered by the entry of Chinese Communist forces into the war. The ship entered Wonsan Harbor on the 4th and embarked a platoon of the 3d Infantry Division and their equipment. From 5 to 7 December additional elements of the 3d Infantry Division including the Division Band eame on board. On 9 December Seminole stood into Hungnam Korea. For the remainder of 1950 Seminole completed several trips between Hungnam and Pusan ferrying Japanese stevedores as well as 3d Division and ROK soldiers. Seminole anchored at Kobe Harbor on 29 December

On 13 January 1951 Seminole stood out of Kobe en route to Korea anchoring at the Pusan outer harbor the next day. From 23 to 28 January Seminole transported North Korean and Chinese prisoners of war from Pusan to Sadung Ni. On the 29th Seminole interrupted this work to engage in simulated amphibious movements and assault landings along the eastern coast. The ruse between 29 and 31 January caused the enemy to deploy his troops where they did not threaten U. N. forces.

Her mission completed Seminole returned to the ferrying of POW's on 2 February. On 8 February additional simulated assault landings were made. On 10 February Seminole departed Inchon for Japan and arrived at Sasebo on the 12th. She made one more trip to Korea and back that month returning to Yokosuka Harbor on the 25th.

Seminole departed Sasebo on 4 April arriving at Hong Kong on the 16th. On 9 July she stood into San Diego Harbor. Seminole operated along the west coast until 29 November 1952 then she returned to Yokosuka. Departing Yokosuka on 5 December Seminole resumed her operations in Korean and Japanese waters. On 10 April 1953 Seminole departed Japan as a part of Task Group 90.9 which redeployed the 5th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team from Pusan and Koje Do Korea to Otaru Janan. Arriving at Pusan on 13 April Seminole loaded vehicles drivers and 500 troops before returning to Otaru on 27 April.

Seminole continued her operations in Japanese and Korean waters well after the signing of the truce on 27 July 1953. From 28 July to 12 September she ferried almost 10 000 North Korean and Chinese POW's in Operation "Big Switch" from Koje Do to Inchon. On 22 September she departed Asian waters and arrived at San Diego on Columbus Day 1953.

On 14 September 1954 Seminole departed the west coast. She arrived at Yokosuka on 2 October Hong Kong on the 10th and Sasebo on the 29th.

On 30 November 1955 the attack transport ship stood into Subic Bay Philippines and arrived at Saigon Vietnam on New Year's Eve. After evacuating refugees from North Vietnam and the Tachen Islands she departed Saigon on 11 January 1956. Seminole returned to Japan standing into Kobe on the 27th.

Seminole departed Kobe on 6 February and proceeded to Buckner Bay Okinawa. On 24 February she departed the Ryukvus for Japan and thence proceeded to San Diego via Pearl Harbor. For the remainder of 1956 Seminole operated along the west coast and Alaska. In January of 1957 she again set sail for Yokosuka. Seminole operated off Japan Okinawa and Korea until her return to San Diego on 26 September. Back in Yokosuka on 3 July 1958 the AKA remained in east Asian waters until her return to San Diego on 8 December.

Seminole continued her active service into the 1960's. On 1 July 1966 Seminole was assigned to Amphibious Squadron 9. On 24 February 1967 the squadron departed Chin Wan Okinawa and arrived off the mouth of the Cua Viet South Vietnam on 1 March. There they embarked marines for rotation and arrived at Chin Wan on 13 March. On 14 April Seminole assisted in the rescue of 28 survivors of SS Silver Peak which had been run aground by typhoon "Violet."

Seminole participated in Operation "Beaver Cage " an amphibious and helicopterborne assault in support of the 1st Marine Division from 28 April to 13 May. Planning commenced immediately for operation "Beau Charger " an amphibious and helicopter assault for a search and destroy operation near the DMZ. This operation executed between 18 and 22 May inflicted losses upon the enemy in an area he had considered his sanctuary.

On 18 June Operation "Beacon Torch" was launched near Hoi An. After disrupting enemy base areas fortifications and lines of communications the 5th Marines were withdrawn on 2 July and inserted just south of the DMZ to help counter an urgent North Vietnamese threat in Operation "Bear Track " 4 through 17 July. Three days later Operation "Bear Chain" was launched against enemy strongholds south of Hue terminating on 25 July. A short duration surprise amphibious assault in the vicinity of Hue was followed by a search and destroy sweep inland Operation "Kangaroo Kick."

Seminole next headed for a much-needed upkeep period arriving at Subic Bay on 5 August. The last operation of this deployment came on 27 August with an amphibious landing near Quang Tri. Operation "Belt Drive " as it was named came to a successful completion on 5 September and deterred enemy terrorism over the election period. Seminole's unit departed Vietnamese waters on 1 September however to return to the United States west coast via Hong Kong and Subic Bay. She arrived at her homeport San Diego on 21 September.

From 24 April to 3 May 1968 Seminole participated in fleet exercise "Beagle Leash" off the California islands of Coronado and San Clemente. On 1 August Seminole participated in a joint convoy exercise while in transit from San Diego to Pearl Harbor.

On 10 October during an upkeep period in Subic Bay Seminole relieved Merrick (AKA-97). On the 23d she entered Kaoshiung for a port visit. On 28 October Seminole proceeded independently to join the ARG in Danang on the 30th. She was detached on 13 November for a round-trip voyage to Singapore and rejoined the task group on 26 November. Seminole got underway for Hong Kong on 6 December arriving on the 8th.

After spending Christmas in Hong Kong Seminole stood out of the harbor on 27 December 1968 to rejoin her unit off the Vietnamese coast near Danang.

On 12 January 1969 Seminole's squadron participated in the Mo Due demonstration. Seminole remained in the Mo Due area alone to continue the demonstration thus missing Operation "Bold Mariner " the largest amphibious operation since the Inchon landings. On 6 February the LKA offloaded Seatail material and steamed singly for Yokosuka on the 14th. Amphibious Squadron 9 rejoined Seminole at Yokosuka on 26 February.

On 14 July Seminole grounded on Puget Shoals after a port visit in the Olympia area. She rejoined Amphibious Squadron 9 at Buckner Bay on 1 December. The squadron got underway for Subic Bay the next day and finished the year in upkeep.

Following additional upkeep training and an amphibious demonstration for students and faculty from the Vietnamese Defense College Seminole departed Subic Bay on 25 January 1970 for Vietnam and Operation "Keystone Bluejay." The amphibious cargo ship completed loading marines and equipment on 29 January and delivered them to San Diego on 24 February.

On 23 September in her 25th year of active service Seminole was transferred to the Inactive Ship Facility San Diego. She was placed out of commission in reserve on 23 December 1970.

Seminole received six battle stars for service in the Korean Confliet and six campaign stars for service in Vietnam.

[Note: The above USS SEMINOLE (AKA-104) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS SEMINOLE (AKA-104) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]