USS Dade (APA-99)
 USS Dade (APA-99) in San Francisco Bay, 17 December 1945 | |
| History | |
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| Namesake: | Counties in Florida, Georgia, and Missouri |
| Builder: | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down: | 2 November 1943 |
| Launched: | 14 January 1944 |
| Christened: | Lorain |
| Commissioned: | 11 November 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | 25 February 1946 |
| Renamed: | USS Dade. |
| Honours and awards: | One battle star for service in World War II. |
| Fate: | Unknown |
| Notes: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Bayfield-class attack transport |
| Displacement: | 8,100 tons, 16,100 tons fully loaded |
| Length: | 492 ft (150 m) |
| Beam: | 69 ft 6 in (21.18 m) |
| Draft: | 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) |
| Propulsion: | General Electric geared turbine, 2 x Foster Wheeler D-type boilers, single propeller, designed shaft horsepower 8,500 |
| Speed: | 18 knots |
| Boats & landing craft carried: | 12 x LCVP, 4 x LCM (Mk-6), 3 x LCP(L) (MK-IV) |
| Capacity: | 4,800 tons (180,500 cu. ft). |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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USS Dade (APA-99) was a Bayfield-class attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II.
Dade was launched 14 January 1944 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, under a Maritime Commission contract; transferred to the Navy 29 April and placed in partial commission the same day; decommissioned 9 May for conversion at Todd-Hoboken Yards, Hoboken, New Jersey; and placed in full commission 11 November 1944, Commander M. P. Du Val in command.
Operational history
Departing Norfolk, Virginia 15 December 1944 Dade arrived at San Francisco 30 December to embark passengers and cargo. On 7 January 1945 she sailed for Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, and Tulagi, Solomon Islands where she off-loaded her passengers and cargo and trained for the forthcoming assault on Okinawa.
Okinawa
After final staging at Ulithi, Dade participated in the invasion landings at Okinawa 1 April, landing Marines and combat cargo on Blue Beach and embarking casualties under frequent air attack. Sailing to Pearl Harbor, she arrived 23 April to embark Navy and Marine passengers, casualties, and medical evacuees for San Francisco.
After overhaul, Dade departed San Francisco 22 June 1945 via Pearl Harbor, to San Pedro Bay, Philippine Islands, with construction battalion men and cargo, arriving 27 July. She served as receiving ship at Eniwetok from 13 to 19 August.
After hostilities
With the end of the war, Dade returned to the Philippines, embarking troops at Manila for the occupation of Japan and landing them at Yokohama 13 September. Aiding in the reoccupation of China, she carried American marines from Guam to Tsingtao, and Chinese troops from Indochina to Chinwangtao and Taku. She embarked homeward bound troops at Manila and sailed for the West Coast, entering San Francisco Bay 17 December 1945. Dade cleared on 11 January 1946 for New York, arriving 29 January. She was decommissioned there 25 February and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day.
Dade received one battle star for World War II service.
According to an article by FOX19 news in Cincinnati, Dade was sold to Matson Navigation Company. She was renamed Hawaiian Retailer and functioned as a merchant ship.
According to the Naval Historical Center the Dade was sold to scrap in September 1970.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- APA-99 Dade, Navsource Online
- , "WW2 Shipmates to Recall Okinawa Invasion", Sept 21, 2007
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