 |
DuPage Home |
|
DuPage Home |
                
|
USS DuPage (APA-41) Official
Web Site
"Until we meet again", were the words spoken amongst the attendees of the last USS DuPage Association reunion held September 9-13, 2009 in Louisville, KY. Read more and see photos highlighting this epic reunion on the "Reunion 2009" tab on the left side of this web page. NEW SECTION ADDED: Richardson "Memorial Day Testimonial" See the new Tab marked RICHARDSON '09, a must read.This
site is dedicated to the brave men of the United States Navy who fought and
sacrificed for
our freedom and to ensure that their story not be forgotten. The USS
DuPage served during WWII in the Pacific and received Six Battle Stars, the most
for its type of ship in the Pacific Fleet.
The ship was instrumental in delivering armory and Marine personnel for
assaults/beach landings on Marshall Islands, Guam, Palau Islands, Peleliu
Island, Leyte, Lingayan Gulf, and San Antonio Bay (only unopposed landing).
The ship was attacked by a Japanese kamikaze (suicide plane) that killed
35 and wounded 157. If four brave men had not tossed overboard the
un-detonated 500# bomb stuck in the deck of the USS DuPage, the casualty toll
would have been significantly higher. Please
read on to learn more about a piece of our priceless history.
The Society included the
surviving men and a number of trustees. The
USS DuPage Society held annual reunions and meetings since 1991. THE
USS DuPAGE APA 41 2.
1993 (50th Anniversary) Chicago, Illinois 3.
1994 (51st Anniversary) Framingham, Massachusetts 4.
1995 (52nd Anniversary) Denver, Colorado 5.
1996 (53rd Anniversary) San Diego, California 6.
1997 (54th Anniversary) Denver, Colorado 7.
1998 (55th Anniversary) Linthicum, Maryland (Baltimore/Annapolis) 8.
1999 (56th Anniversary) Denver, Colorado 9.
2000 (57th Anniversary) Little Creek/Virginia Beach, Virginia 10.
2001 (58th Anniversary) Seattle, Washington 11.
2002 (59th Anniversary) Linthicum, Maryland (Wash. D.C.) 12.
2003 (60th Anniversary) Fall River/Westport, Massachusetts 13.
2004 (61st Anniversary) Chicago, Illinois 14.
2005 (62nd Anniversary) Lancaster, Pennsylvania 15.
2007 (63rd Anniversary) Cincinnati, Ohio/Covington, Kentucky 16.
2008 (64th Anniversary) Linthicum, Maryland (Wash. D.C.) 17.
2008 (65th Anniversary) Nashville, Tennessee 18.
2009 (66th Anniversary) Louisville, Kentucky If you are interested in obtaining further information, please email Vernon Neilson c/o loisneilson@yahoo.com. If you want to add content to our site, please email our Webmaster, Rob Carr at gerob@comcast.net. Ship’s
Historian:
Jim Milewski Web
Master:
Rob Carr Ship
Statistics: Named
for: DuPage County, Illinois
Length: 491’ 8” Displacement:
7,846 metric tons
Beam: 69’
6” Speed:
17 knots Draw:
26’ 6” Complement:
640 Main Armament: 2– 5” Ship's Crew: 575 Troop Capacity: 2,824 Max. Ship’s History:
The first DuPage (AP-86) was launched 19 December 1942 as SS Sea Hound by
Ingalls Shipbuilding Co., Pascagoula, Mississippi under a Maritime Commission
contract, and was sponsored by Mrs. Leigh R. Sanford.
She was reclassified APA-41, 1 February 1943
and placed in ferry commission 28 February 1943 with Commander C. Allen in
command. The name came from a county in
north eastern Illinois, that was in turn named after a French Trader who
explored the region sometime before 1800.
Decommissioned 17 March
1943 for conversion by Todd Erie Basin Dry Docks, Brooklyn, NY. When was
again commissioned 1 September 1943 under the command of Captain G. M. Wauchope,
USNR.
DuPage reached San Diego, from Norfolk, 2 November 1943 to serve as flagship for
a transport division during training. She
sailed from San Diego 13 January 1944 carrying Marines for the assault landings
on Kwajalein, where she remained from 31 January to 6 February 1944.
DuPage sailed by way of Funafuti, Ellice Islands, to Guadalcanal,
arriving 18 February 1944.
Based at Guadalcanal, DuPage served in the redeployment of troops in the Solomon's
and carried troops for the assault landings at Emirau Island on 11
April 1944 and supported landings at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, from 28 April
to 1 May 1944. On 3 June 1944 she
got underway for the invasion of Guam, landing her troops from 21 to 26 July.
After evacuating casualties to Eniwetok, and exercising off Espiritu
Sand, DuPage returned to Guadalcanal 27 August to replenish, overhaul her
landing craft, and train for the invasion of the Palau Islands.
DuPage sortied from Guadalcanal 8 September 1944 and landed her troops in
the assault of Peleliu a week later. For
twelve days she remained in the area providing logistics support for landing
craft and small patrol vessels. Three
of her own landing craft were lost and one man killed during bitter fighting.
Arriving at Hollandia, New Guinea, 30 September, DuPage prepared for the
invasion of the Philippines. She
carried Army troops for the initial landing at Leyte on 20 October and sailed at
once to bring reinforcements from Hollandia for support landings on 14 November
1944.
After rehearsal landings in New Guinea, DuPage sailed from Aitape 28 December
1944 for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, landing her troops on the beaches near
San Fabian 9 January 1945 and embarking casualties from the beach and other
ships. On the evening of the next day, 10 January 1945, while DuPage
was preparing to leave the area, enemy aircraft attacked. Despite the heavy antiaircraft fire, a kamikaze crashed
to port damaging her severely as well as starting fires, which stubbornly re-occurred and were fought throughout the night.
The kamikaze killed 35 and 157 wounded.
Five men were blown over the side and were picked up by an escort
destroyer several hours later. Despite
her injuries DuPage continued to fulfill her duty as a guide ship and arrived
safely at Leyte three Days later to transfer her casualties and undergo
emergency repairs.
After landing troops at Zambales Luzon on 29 January 1945, DuPage left San Pedro
Bay 11 February and embarking Marines at Manus and Pearl Harbor en route,
arrived at San Francisco 10 March for overhaul and battle damage repairs.
She sailed from Alameda 14 May to embark troops at Seattle, Wash. for
Pearl Harbor. She continued to
Eniwetok for amphibious exercises, then transported troops and cargo from Ulithi
to Okinawa, arriving 5 July. Three
days later she sailed with combat tested Marines to Guam, then continued to
Eniwetok and San Francisco where she arrived 28 July.
After minor alterations she was designated as flagship for Transport
Division 63 and sailed 12 August with Army Air Force personnel who then
disembarked at San Pedro Bay, Leyte, 5 September. DuPage sailed from Linguyan Gulf, 1 October 1945 with troops
for the occupation of Japan, landing her passengers at Nagoya on 26 October.
Three days later she was assigned “Magic Carpet” duty and made two
voyages between Guam and the west coast to return veterans until 5 January 1946
when she arrived at Portland, Oregon. Two
weeks later, she got underway for the east coast, arriving at New York, 7
February. DuPage was decommissioned
28 March 1946 and transferred to the War Shipping Administration for disposal 27
June 1946. Shortly afterward, the gallant ship reverted back to the Maritime Commission. In 1947 she was acquired by the Pope and Talbot Steamship Company and rename the P&T Pathfinder. As such, she carried general cargo between the west coast of the United States and South America. In 1957 Moore-McCormick bought her renaming her the Mormacsun. While with Moore-McCormick she served South America from the east coast of North American. Central Gulf Lines then purchased the ship and, in 1964, renamed her the Green Port. She serviced Central Gulf's route from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean. In 1967 States-Marine Lines took the old warrior and gave her the name Pine Tree State. With States-Marine she became a tramp, running wherever the cargo was. She was scrapped in Kaosiung in May 1973.
The C3-S-A2 ship known as the USS DuPage (APA-41) had fulfilled her
calling. She served in war and peace, transporting adapting -
performing exactly as intended. The USS DuPage helped fill the need
for military ships and became part of the foundation of America's postwar
merchant marine. USS DuPage (APA41) received
Six Battle Stars for World War II Service
* * * * * * |
|
Pages last updated: 09/28/2010 |
