USS Rockingham

History
United States
Name	USS Rockingham (APA-229)
Namesake	Rockingham County, New Hampshire Rockingham County, North Carolina Rockingham County, Virginia
Ordered	as type VC2-S-AP5
Laid down	11 September 1944
Launched	1 November 1944
Completed	22 November 1944
Acquired	22 November 1944
Commissioned	22 November 1944
Decommissioned	17 March 1947
Reclassified	Amphibious Transport (LPA-229), 1 January 1969
Stricken	1 October 1958
Fate	Sold for scrap, 2 October 1979
General characteristics
Class and type	VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship
Type	Troop Transport
Tonnage	7612 GRT, 4,553 NRT
Displacement	12,450 tons (full load)
Length	455 ft 0 in (138.68 m)
Beam	62 ft 0 in (18.90 m)
Draught	24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
Installed power	8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Propulsion	HP & LP turbines geared to a single 20.5-foot (6.2 m) propeller
Speed	17 knots
Troops	87 Officers 1,475 Enlisted
Complement	536
Armament	1 × 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber gun four twin 40 mm gun AA gun mounts one quad 40mm AA gun mount 10 × 20 mm Oerlikon
Notes	[1]

USS Rockingham (APA/LPA-229) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947. She was scrapped in 1979.

Rockingham was laid down as Victory ship 11 September 1944 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Corp., Vancouver, Washington; launched 1 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Lynn Norman Carlson; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on a loan-charter basis and commissioned at Astoria, Oregon, 22 November 1944.

Following trials at Seattle, Washington, and shakedown off San Pedro, California, Rockingham reported to the U.S. Pacific Fleet 30 December 1944. After amphibious training off the southern California coast, she was underway on 16 February 1945 from San Diego, California, with cargo for Pearl Harbor. Following further training exercises in the Hawaiian Islands, she steamed 10 March for Eniwetok and Saipan with over a thousand U.S. Army men. Operating in the Marianas until 15 April, she departed Saipan with over 1,200 troops and officers for Ulithi and Okinawa.^[2]

On 26 April she debarked her troops at Okinawa. On 27 April, Rockingham experienced the first of many enemy air attacks, witnessing the sinking by a suicide Kamikaze plane of nearby SS Canada Victory. The next morning, Rockingham joined USS New Mexico (BB-40) in splashing a kamikaze. On 1 May Rockingham sent boats to assist USS Terror (CM-5), hit and badly damaged by a suicide plane, taking on board 55 casualties. On 4 May she got underway in convoy for Ulithi, Pearl Harbor, and San Francisco. There she loaded over 1,300 troops and got underway 6 June for Eniwetok, Ulithi, and Manila where she debarked her passengers.

Returning to San Francisco, California, 28 July she loaded some 1,600 Army troops and got underway on 14 August, the first U.S. naval vessel to leave San Francisco Bay following the announcement of peace. She proceeded to Eniwetok, Ulithi and Manila where she debarked her troops. Embarking 1,500 new Army troops there, she got underway 17 September for Japan. After unloading troops on the Tokyo Plain, she proceeded to Leyte and Samar to pick up veterans and returned to San Francisco, 5 November. She then made another "Operation Magic Carpet" run to the Philippines reaching Los Angeles, California, 23 December.

Remaining on the U.S. West Coast until 11 March, she steamed for Eniwetok and Kwajalein to participate in the Joint Task Force 1 atomic bomb tests. Returning to San Francisco by way of Pearl Harbor 29 April, she was back at Pearl on 14 May. Proceeding on to Kwajalein and Bikini Atoll where she arrived 1 June, she returned to Pearl Harbor briefly 11 June, then steamed back to Bikini and Kwajalein before finally steaming for Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, where she arrived 12 September 1946.^[3]

She was detached from Operation Crossroads, 14 September 1946; and, following radiological clearance, reported to the U.S. 19th Fleet 5 December 1946. She was placed out of commission in the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Francisco 17 March 1947. The Commander, Columbia River Group, accepted custody of Rockingham from the Commander, San Francisco Group, 18 June 1953. She was transferred to the Maritime Administration at Astoria, Oregon, 26 September 1958 and struck from the Navy list 1 October 1958. She was scrapped by Don Kur Steel Corporation of South Korea. Removed from Maritime Administration records 19 November 1979.

Rockingham earned one battle star for World War II service.

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Rockingham (APA-229).

• NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - APA/LPA-229 Rockingham