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From the
"Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships," (1969) Vol. 4, p.476,
(1976) Vol. 6, p.643.
STOKES - A
county in North Carolina named for Col. John Stokes,
an officer during the American Revolution.
AKA-68,
Displacement: 13,910 t. Length: 459'2", Beam: 63', Draft: 26'4",
Speed: 16.5 k., Complement: 395, Armament: 1 5"; 8 40mm
Class: ARCTURUS (TOLLAND), Maritime Standard Type:C2-S-AJ3
STOKES
(AKA-68), ex-MC hull
1394, was laid down on 26 June 1944 by the North Carolina
Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.; launched on 31 August 1944;
sponsored by Mrs. W. D. Woodall; acquired by the Navy from the
Maritime Commission on a loan-charter basis and commissioned on 12
October 1944, Lt. Comdr. G. W. Graber in command.
After a brief
shakedown and yard availability period, STOKES loaded general
cargo at Norfolk and sailed for the Pacific on 11 December. She
transited the Panama Canal on 21 December 1944 and arrived at Pearl
Harbor early in January 1945. The attack cargo ship was then
assigned to Transport Division 48 which was preparing to participate
in the assault against Iwo Jima. She moved to Hilo, Hawaii, loaded
troops and equipment; and sailed with the division to the staging
area in the Marianas. The ships stood out of Saipan on 16 February
for Iwo Jima.
STOKES
arrived off Iwo Jima on 19 February as the assault waves of marines
landed on the beaches and, for the next two weeks, supplied them
with rockets, ammunition, and gasoline. She then loaded combat
casualties for evacuation to the base hospital at Saipan. After
disembarking the wounded there, the ship moved to Guam to replace
many of her small boats that had been lost or disabled at Iwo Jima.
STOKES then sailed to Espiritu Santo and loaded troops and
equipment for the upcoming assault on the Ryukyus. Since her
passengers were part of the floating reserve, the ship did not
arrive at Okinawa until 10 April. On the 19th, STOKES proceeded, via
Ulithi, Guam, and Pearl Harbor to the west coast of the United
States. She called at San Francisco before moving up the coast to
Seattle for loading. STOKES sailed for Iwo Jima and on to Okinawa.
After the war
ended, the ship then operated between the Philippine Islands, Guam,
and Japan until routed back to the west coast. She returned to
Seattle in January 1946 and was routed to the east coast for
inactivation and disposal. She arrived at Norfolk on 29 May and was
decommissioned on 9 July. Her name was struck from the Navy list on
19 July 1946 and she was returned to the War Shipping
Administration.
STOKES
received two battle stars for World War II service.
Note: There appears to be a
discrepancy in naval records as to the actual commissioning date.
The USS Stokes Log Book shows commissioning at Wilmington on 12
October 1944. However, the first Muster Roll of the Crew is dated 4
November 1944 at Charleston, South Carolina. The National Archives
and Records Administration cannot explain why the commissioning
dates are different in each source.
Complement: Officers 62, Enlisted 333
Armament: one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount, four twin
40 mm gun mounts, sixteen single 20 mm gun mounts
Boats: 14 LCVP, 8 LCM
Cargo Capacity: 380,000 cu ft, (5,275 tons)
Propulsion: GE geared turbine drive, 1 propeller, 6,000 shp
Ship's Motto: "Lucky 68"
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons:
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— American Campaign
Medal
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— Asiatic-Pacific
Campaign Medal (2) |
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— World War II
Victory Medal |
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— Navy Occupation
Service Medal (with Asia Clasp) |
After World War II ended, the USS Stokes
(AKA-68) was struck from the Naval Register on 19 July 1946 and
returned to the War Shipping Administration for disposition. Sold
for commercial service to Oceanic in 1947 and named Sierra #2;
traded to Matson in 1961 and renamed Hawaiian Banker; sold to
Sea-Land in 1961 and renamed Fanwood.
In 1971 the ship was scrapped in Taiwan.
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