USS Montour

USS Montour (APA-101), c. 1945-46
History
Namesake	A county in Pennsylvania
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	20 October 1943
Launched	10 March 1944
Christened	USS Montour
Commissioned	9 December 1944
Decommissioned	19 April 1946
Fate	Scrapped, 1977.
Notes	MC Hull No. 868. Type C3-S-A2. Sponsor: Mrs. Walter Gulley
General characteristics
Class and 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	4,500 tons (180,500 cu. ft).
Complement	Crew: 51 officers, 524 enlisted Flag: 43 officers, 108 enlisted. Troops: 80 officers, 1,146 enlisted
Armament	2 × single 5 inch/38 cal. dual purpose gun mounts, one fore and one aft. 2 × twin 40mm AA gun mounts. 2 × single 40mm AA gun mounts. 18 × single 20mm AA gun mounts

USS Montour (APA-101) was a Bayfield-class attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II.

Montour was laid down under Maritime Commission Contract 20 October 1943 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi; launched 10 March 1944; acquired by the Navy on a load charter basis and placed in partial commission 9 June 1944 to steam to Brooklyn, New York, for conversion by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation; and commissioned at New York 9 December 1944, Captain James H. Thatch, Jr., in command.

Operational history

Transport missions

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Montour sailed for Hawaii, arriving Pearl Harbor 1 February 1945. Three days later, she proceeded to San Pedro, California, where she reported for yard work. Between 26 March and 1 August, she made two voyages to the Marianas. She embarked troops at San Francisco 11 August, and sailed for the Philippines, arriving San Pedro Bay, Leyte, on 5 September.

Occupation and demobilization missions

Assigned to transport troops destined for occupation duty in Japan, Montour departed Lingayen Gulf, arriving at Wakayama Ko, Honshū, 7 October. Montour debarked soldiers at Ise Wan, Honshū 27 October, and then reported for duty with the Operation Magic Carpet fleet for the next four months. She made two voyages from Okinawa to the West Coast, disembarking troops at Portland and San Francisco.

Decommissioning

Returning to the East Coast, she decommissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, 19 April 1946. Delivered to the War Shipping Administration 23 April, Montour was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 8 May.

Commercial service

Montour was sold into commercial service in 1947, and scrapped in 1977.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• APA-101 Montour, Navsource Online