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U.S.S. ROCKBRIDGE

(APA-228)

YOU CALL - WE HAUL

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USS ROCKBRIDGE (APA-228 ) - a Haskell-class attack transport

In Commission 1944 to 1949

APA-228 Deployments - Major Events

Add a APA-228 Shellback Initiation Add a APA-228 Deployment - Major Event
Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
SEP1944-Keel Date: 2 SEP 1944
at Kaiser Shipbuilding Company Vancouver Washington
OCT1944-Launch Date: 28 OCT 1944
NOV1944-Commissioned: 18 NOV 1944
FEB1945-MAY1945Middle Pacific
FEB1952-AUG1952Mediterranean
MAR1956-OCT1956Mediterranean
MAR1956-OCT1956Mediterranean-West Africa
MAR1956-OCT1956Mediterranean
SEP1956-FEB1957Mediterranean-Lebanon
MAY1958-DEC1958Mediterranean-Lebanon
JUL1958-DEC1958Mediterranean-Lebanon
AUG1958-Shellback Initiation - 27 AUG 1958 - Atlantic Ocean
NOV1959-Shellback Initiation - 20 NOV 1959 - Pacific Ocean
NOV1959-MAY1960Mediterranean-West Africa
APR1960-JUN1960Guantanamo Bay
APR1960-NOV1961Mediterranean-West Africa
JUN1960-AUG1961Mediterranean-Lebanon
NOV1960-MAY1961Mediterranean
NOV1960-MAY1961Mediterranean-Lebanon
JAN1962-JUN1962Mediterranean
OCT1962-NOV1962Cuban Missle Blockade
OCT1962-NOV1962Guantanamo Bay
JAN1964-MAR1964Panama Canal
APR1964-OCT1964Mediterranean
MAY1965-NOV1965Mediterranean
SEP1965-Shellback Initiation - 1 SEP 1965 - Pacific Ocean
OCT1966-JAN1967Dry Dock
JAN1967-FEB1967Sea Trials
FEB1967-MAR1967Guantanamo Bay
APR1968-SEP1968Mediterranean
NOV1968-Decommissioned: 29 NOV 1968

APA-228 General Specifications

Class: Haskell-class attack transport

Complement: 536 Officers and Enlisted

Displacement: 12450 tons

Length: 455 feet

Beam: 62 feet

Draft: 24 feet

Final Disposition: Sold for scrapping 27 May 1969



USS ROCKBRIDGE (APA-228)



Attack transport Rockbridge (APA-228) was laid down for the Maritime Commission (MCV hull 674) 2 September 1944 by tbe Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. Vancouver Wash. launched 28 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. C. J. Hearn acquired by the Navy on loan-charter 18 November 1944; and commissioned the same day Capt. William W. Cone in command.

Tbe new attack transport arrived at Pearl Harbor on 4 February 1945 sailed for Iwo Jima on the 20th and operated off that island for 2 weeks. She returned to Seattle Wash. 28 May and on 6 June embarked Army troops for Okinawa. Rockbridge arrived at the Hagushi anchorage 24 July to debark the men and discharge cargo. During the 6 days she spent off Okinawa the ship was harassed by night air attacks but suffered no damage because of the concealing smoke made by all the vessels in the harbor.

Rockbridge was off Ulithi in mid-August when the Japanese surrender was announced. During September and October she made two voyages to Japan with occupation troops and then joined the "Magic Carpet" fleet to bring home servicemen eligible for discharge.

Assigned to Joint Task Force 1 in the spring of 1946 she served as a floating hotel for the crews of target vessels Arkansas (BB-33) New York (BB-34) and Salt Lake City (CA-25) during that summer's atomic bomb tests on Bikini.

Rockbridge was decommissioned 8 March 1947 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. After the outbreak of hostilities in Korea she was ordered activated. She recommissioned 23 December 1950 and in May 1951 joined Amphibious Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

>From 1951 to 1968 the transport participated in numerous amphibious training programs at Onslow Beach N.C. Little Creek Va.; Guantanamo Bay Cuba; and Vieques Island P.R.

During her long service she made eight Mediterranean cruises. Highlights included her participation in "Weldfast" a large-scale NATO operation in 1953 standby alert for possible evacuation of U.S. citizens from Egypt during the 1956 Suez Canal nationalization crisis and aid to earthquake victims of Greeee in 1953; and to flood victims in France in 1959.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in the fall of 1962 Rockbridge carried reinforcements to Guantanamo Bay and returned to the United States for additional troops which she held in combat readiness until December. During July 1966 the transport took part in the production of an amphibious training movie "Boat Group Tactics " filmed in Hampton Roads.

Rockbridge was decommissioned 29 November 1968 struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1968 and sold to Boston Metal Co. Baltimore Md. on 27 May 1969 for scrapping.

For her World War II service Rockbridge received one battle star.

[Note: The above USS ROCKBRIDGE (APA-228) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS ROCKBRIDGE (APA-228) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]