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ATTACK TRANSPORT SHIP USS LEONARD WOOD
AP-25; APA-12
Displacement: 21,900
t.
Length: 535’
Beam: 72’6”
Draft: 31’3”
Speed: 17.5 kt.
Complement: 667
Troop Capacity: 1,962
Armament: 4 3”; 4 40mm
Class: HARRIS
Accommodations: Officer:
117, Enlisted: 1,809
Cargo Capacity: 150,000 cu.ft.,
1,700 t. (APA 12)
Armament: (Aug 1945)
16 single 20mm mounts (APA 12,16)
Engines: Curtis type turbine
Boilers: 8 each
Propulsion: Propellers:
2
LEONARD WOOD (AP-25), ex-NUTMEG STATE and WESTERN WORLD, was built
in 1922 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., Sparrow Point, Md.; purchased
by the War Department in 1939 and renamed LEONARD WOOD; served as an Army
transport until acquired by the Navy 3 June 1941; and commissioned 10
June, manned by the Coast Guard, Comdr. H. G. Bradbury, USCG, in command.
After training off
North Carolina
, LEONARD WOOD departed
Halifax
,
Nova Scotia
,
10 November 1941
carrying reinforcements around the
Cape of Good Hope
to British outposts in the
Far East
. After debarking troops at
Bombay
and
Singapore
, she returned, entering Philadelphia Navy Yard in March 1942 for
conversion to an attack transport. She
was redesignated APA-12 on
1 February 1942
.
Alterations completed late in April, the attack transport trained
in
Chesapeake Bay
for the invasion of
North Africa
. She departed Hampton Roads
24 October carrying almost 1,900 fighting men from the 3d Division and
slipped in close to beaches at Fedhala, French Morocco, on the night of 7
to 8 November. The next
morning, she sent her boats ashore and provided gunfire support while also
rescuing survivors from torpedoed sister ships.
LEONARD WOOD remained in the first line of transports, carrying out
her mission until 12 November when enemy submarines, which had already
sunk or damaged six Allied ships, forced the remaining transports to
finish unloading at
Casablanca
. Departing 17 November, she
arrived
Norfolk
on the 30th for repairs and more amphibious warfare training.
The transport sailed
3 June 1943
and arrived
Mers el Kebir
,
Algeria
, 22 June where she prepared for the assault on
Sicily
. She sortied with TF 65 on 5
July and 4 days later, began unloading waves of troops in the Wood's Hole
sector, some 5.5 miles west of
Socglitti
,
Sicily
. At dawn of the 10th, her
gunners fired at an enemy bomber which dropped bombs 200 to 300 yards
astern and kept up an antiaircraft barrage throughout the day, helping to
splash three planes. With
unloading completed and damaged landing craft salvaged, the ship got
underway for
Norfolk
on the 12th, arriving 4 August. Three
weeks later, she departed
Norfolk
for
San Francisco
, embarked troops, then steamed for
Honolulu
, arriving 27 September.
LEONARD WOOD spent the remainder of World War II in the Pacific,
distinguishing herself in seven amphibious landings.
In the
Gilbert Islands
and
Marshall Islands
operations, the ship gained experience, especially in cargo handling,
which proved invaluable when LEONARD WOOD later took part in the final
push toward victory with the landings at
Saipan
,
Leyte
, and
Lingayen Gulf
.
LEONARD WOOD departed
Pearl harbor
29 May 1944
, bound for the capture and occupation of
Saipan
,
Marianas
Islands
. Arriving
Eniwetok
,
Marshall Islands
, an atoll LEONARD WOOD had helped to secure just 3 months before, the
ship fueled, watered, and provisioned before departing 11 June for her
assigned anchorage off
Saipan
. Arriving 15 June, LEONARD
WOOD unloaded and cleared all boats in 49 minutes.
For the next 9 days, the transport stood off
Saipan
, unloading cargo and receiving on board casualties for transfer to
hospital ships. The transport
sailed 24 June for
Eniwetok
, and then returned to
Pearl Harbor
20 July.
After
Saipan
, the ship made transport and training runs between
Pearl Harbor
,
Eniwetok
and
Guadalcanal
until she sailed from
Guadalcanal
8 September for the capture and occupation of Angaur Island, Palau Island
Group. Arriving 7 September,
the ship landed troops, and then began unloading cargo and receiving
casualties. LEONARD WOOD
completed unloading 21 September, and departed for
Manus
Island
27 September.
Remaining at Manus just long enough to fuel, provision and reembark
troops, the transport sailed 12 October to begin the long-awaited
liberation of the
Philippines
. Arriving off the
Leyte
beachheads 20 October, LEONARD WOOD debarked troops and cargo in record
time and steamed for
Palau
only 10 hours later.
For the next week, LEONARD WOOD prepared for further operations in
the Philippine Islands, departing
Sansapor
,
New Guinea
,
30 December 1944
for the assault on
Lingayen Gulf
. Many Japanese suicide planes
attacked the formation and LEONARD WOOD helped down one of them.
Arriving Lingayen 9 January 1945, she again unloaded troops and
cargo while firing at enemy planes before departing the same day for
Leyte
.
LEONARD WOOD took part in her last amphibious landing with the
Mindoro
Island
assault
9 February 1945
. Debarking her troops and
cargo in less than 5 hours, she steamed for
San Francisco
via
Leyte
, Ulithi, and
Pearl Harbor
, arriving 27 March.
After repairs at
San Francisco
, LEONARD WOOD began transport duties between the
United States
and the western Pacific, making two runs to
Manila
and one to
Tokyo
. The ship's Coast Guard crew
debarked
22 March 1946
when LEONARD WOOD decommissioned and was redelivered to the Army at
Seattle
,
Wash.
, pending transfer to the War Shipping Administration.
The ship was sold to Consolidated Builders, Inc., for scrap
20 January 1948
. The outfit that bought her for $65,000 ended up finding $200,000 worth
of lead ballast in the hull, clearing a nice profit in parting out the old
ship.
LEONARD WOOD earned eight battle stars for World War II service.
The ship was famous for the fact that one of its' seamen, Caesar
Romero, was a noted Hollywood star who later played The Joker in the
"Batman" television series.
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