From Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,
Vol. VI (1976), pp. 176-177
Rutland
(APA-192: dp. 12,450 (f.); l. 455'0"; b. 62'0"; dr. 24'0";
s. 17 k.; cpl. 692, trp. 1,562; a. 1 5", 12 40mm.,10 20mm.; cl. Haskell;
T. VC2-S-AP5)
Rutland (APA-192) was laid down on 4 May 1944 by Kaiser Shipbuilding
Corp., Vancouver, Wash. Launched on 10 August 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Karl
V. Kilgore; acquired on a loan-charter basis from the Maritime Commission
and commissioned on 29 September 1944, Comdr. Francis K. O'Brien in command.
Reporting to Commander-in-Chief, Pacific, on 9 October 1944, Rutland
underwent shakedown along the Pacific coast and departed Oakland, Calif.,
for Pearl Harbor on 30 November 1944. Arriving on 6 December, flagship Rutland,
and other ships of Transport Division 47 loaded the 5th Marine Division
at Hilo, Hawaii, and conducted training exercises for the crew and troops
in and around the islands.
The division departed Pearl Harbor on 27 January 1945 for Eniwetok Atoll,
Marshall Islands, arriving on 5 February, and then proceeded on to Saipan
and Tinian Islands. On 16 February, Squadron 16, of which Division 47 was
a part, sailed for the invasion of Iwo Jima.
On the morning of D-day, 19 February 1945, Rutland participated in
the assault on that strongly-fortified island. Her landing craft operated
on Red Beaches 1 and 2, with her beach party in charge of Red Beach 2. For
eight days, she unloaded troops and cargo and handled casualties. Although
11 of her boats were lost and several of her beach party personnel were
wounded, not one man was killed.
Leaving Iwo Jima on 27 February, Rutland arrived at Saipan on 2 March,
went on to Guam, where her Marine casualties were unloaded, and next got
underway to pick up replacement boats at Tulagi, Solomon Islands, where
she arrived on 12 March. She proceeded on to Espiritu Santo and loaded part
of the 27th Division, 10th Army, to act as a floating reserve in the invasion
of Okinawa.
Transport Division 47 proceeded to Kerama Retto and Rutland entered
Kerama Kaikyo on the morning of 9 April only to get underway that evening
while enemy planes attacked ships in the vicinity. At dawn on 10 April,
she arrived in the inner transport area off Tsugen Jima, a small enemy occupied
island on the eastern side of Okinawa, where Rutland's boats landed
troops from Highlands (APA-119). Soon after noon, the ships shifted
berth to Nakagusuku Wan, a large bay on Okinawa proper, and remained there
until Tsugen Jima had been secured two days later. During the operations
at Tsugen Jima, the ship's landing craft were subjected to considerable
mortar, cannister, and rifle fire from the island, and though hardly a boat
escaped unscathed, no serious damage resulted and no men were wounded.
From Tsugen Jima, the ships sailed to the Hagushi beaches on the western
shores of Okinawa, which had been secured on D-day, 1 April, and proceeded
with unloading operations. This phase continued until the 16th, while the
transport area experienced numerous enemy air attacks. Rutland assisted
in shooting down four enemy planes.
From Okinawa, Rutland went to Saipan for boats to replace those transferred
to the boat pool at Okinawa, then underwent overhaul and reconditioning
at Ulithi and Subic Bay. From 26 June until 22 August, she prepared for
the invasion of the Japanese home islands with exercises at Leyte and Ilaiho.
With the Japanese acceptance of surrender terms, these training exercises
were canceled.
Among the first transports to arrive off Honshu, Rutland put into
Tokyo Bay on 2 September, disembarked troops of the 1st Cavalry Division
at Yokohama, and got underway again on the 4th to return to the Philippines.
Arriving at Leyte a week later, she embarked elements of the 41st Infantry
Division, 10th Corps, U.S. Army, and troop cargo at Zamboanga, Mindanao,
Philippine Islands, on 16 September, and carried them to Hiro Wan, Honshu,
Japan, which she reached on 6 October via Leyte and Okinawa. On 14 October,
she embarked almost 1,900 Navy passengers at Okinawa for passage to the
United States, arriving at Seattle on 1 November. She made one last run
to Okinawa and back before being assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet
on 29 December 1945.
Navy-owned as of 14 January 1946, Rutland was placed out of commission
in reserve, on 26 February 1947 and berthed at Norfolk where she remained
until struck from the Navy list and transferred to the Maritime Commission
on 1 October 1958.
Rutland earned two battle stars for World War II service.