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USS ''Botetourt'' (APA-136) was a ''Haskell''-class attack transport built and used by the US Navy in World War II and saw further service during the Korean War. She was a Victory ship design, VC2-S-AP5. She was named after Botetourt County, Virginia, USA. == World War II service == ''Botetourt'' was laid down on 22 August 1944 at Wilmington, California, by the California Shipbuilding Corp. under a Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 52); launched on 19 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Robert C. Todd; moved to Oakland, California, on 28 October 1944 for outfitting by the Moore Dry Dock Co.; delivered to the Navy on 31 January 1945; and commissioned that same day, Comdr. William A. Barr, USNR, in command. Following shakedown training out of San Pedro, California, and amphibious exercises at San Diego, California, ''Botetourt'' completed post-shakedown availability at San Pedro and then moved to San Francisco to load troops and equipment. On 8 April, the attack transport got underway for the New Hebrides Islands. She arrived at Espiritu Santo on 22 April. From that time through the end of hostilities in mid-August, the ship transported troops and cargo between many of the islands in the rear areas of the western and southwestern Pacific. She was at Luzon in the Philippine Islands on 15 August 1945 when the Japanese agreed to capitulate. After embarking Japan-bound occupation troops, she departed Manila on 27 August in company with the other elements of Task Force (TF) 33. The convoy entered Tokyo Bay on 2 September, the same day that Allied and Japanese representatives formalized the surrender on board . She unloaded cargo and disembarked troops before heading back to the Philippines on the 4th. The attack transport reached Leyte in the Philippines on 11 September and spent the next 10 days on the interisland circuit. On 22 September, ''Botetourt'' set sail from Abuyog, Leyte, on her way to the Ryukyus. She arrived at Okinawa on the 25th and—except for a brief period at sea to avoid a typhoon—remained there until early October. On 3 October, she put to sea and headed for Japan with additional occupation troops embarked. The attack transport disembarked her passengers at Aki Nada, Japan, between 5 and 10 October. On the 11th, the ship headed back to Okinawa, where she took on homeward-bound servicemen between the 13th and 16th. She resumed her voyage on the 16th and arrived in San Francisco on the 30th. ''Botetourt'' remained in San Francisco until 15 November, when she headed back to the western Pacific. She shuttled passengers between Korea and Japan until January 1946, during which month she returned to the west coast of the United States. On 24 January 1946, the attack transport departed Portland, Oregon, on her way to the east coast. She made a stop at San Francisco, transited the Panama Canal, and arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, where she reported to the Commander, 16th (Atlantic Reserve) Fleet for inactivation overhaul. ''Botetourt'' was decommissioned on 5 June 1946 and berthed with the Norfolk Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. There she remained until American participation in the United Nations' effort to stem North Korean aggression in the summer of 1950 brought an increased need for ships in the active Navy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「USS Botetourt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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