USS DuPage (APA-41)

History
United States
Name	USS DuPage
Namesake	DuPage County, Illinois
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Launched	19 December 1942, as Sea Hound (AP-86)
Commissioned	1 September 1943
Decommissioned	28 March 1946
Reclassified	APA-41, 1 February 1943
Honors and awards	6 battle stars (World War II)
Fate	Scrapped, 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	Bayfield-class attack transport
Displacement	7,845 long tons (7,971 t)
Length	491 ft 8 in (149.86 m)
Beam	69 ft 6 in (21.18 m)
Draft	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement	540
Armament	2 × 5"/38 caliber guns

USS DuPage (AP-86/APA-41) was a Bayfield-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was then sold into commercial service and was scrapped in 1973.

History

DuPage was named for

contract; sponsored by Mrs. Leigh R. Sanford; reclassified APA-41 on 1 February 1943; placed in ferry commission on 28 February 1943, decommissioned on 17 March 1943 for conversion by Todd-Erie Basin Dry Docks, Brooklyn, N.Y.; and recommissioned on 1 September 1943.

Pacific War

DuPage reached

, arriving on 18 February.

Based at Guadalcanal DuPage served in the redeployment of troops in the

Palau Islands

.

DuPage sortied from Guadalcanal on 8 September 1944 and landed her troops in the assault of Peleliu a week later. For 12 days she remained in the area providing logistics support for landing craft and small patrol vessels. Three of her own landing craft were lost and one man killed during the bitter fighting.

Arriving at

on 20 October and sailed at once to bring reinforcements from Hollandia for support landings on 14 November.

After rehearsal landings in New Guinea, DuPage sailed from Aitape on 28 December 1944 for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, landing her troops on the beaches near San Fabian on 9 January 1945 and embarking casualties from the beach and other ships.

On the evening of the next day while DuPage was preparing to leave the area, enemy aircraft attacked. Despite heavy anti-aircraft fire, a kamikaze crashed to port damaging her severely as well as starting fires which stubbornly recurred and were fought all through the night. She lost 35 killed and 136 wounded; five men who were blown over the side were picked up by escorting destroyers. Despite her injuries DuPage continued to fulfill her duty as guide ship and arrived safely at Leyte three days later to transfer her casualties and undergo emergency repairs.

After landing troops at

, for Pearl Harbor.

She continued to Eniwetok for amphibious exercises, then transported troops and cargo from

personnel whom she disembarked at San Pedro Bay, Leyte on 5 September.

DuPage sailed from Lingayen Gulf on 1 October 1945 with troops for the

.

Decommissioning and fate

Two weeks later she got underway for the east coast, arriving at New York on 7 February. DuPage was decommissioned on 28 March 1946 and transferred to the War Shipping Administration for disposal on 27 June 1946. The ship was acquired by Pope and Talbot Steamship Company in 1946 and rename the SS P&T Pathfinder. In 1957, she became SS Mormacsun of Moore-McCormack, in 1964 SS Green Port of Central Gulf Lines, and in 1967 SS Pine Tree State of States-Marine Line. She was sold for scrapping on 7 May 1973 to Li Chong Steel & Iron Works, Ltd. at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Awards

DuPage received six

for World War II service.

References

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

External links

• Photo gallery of USS DuPage at NavSource Naval History
• Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 APA-41 USS DuPage
• USS DUPAGE (APA 41) ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION
• Company F timeline
• HyperWar: Invasion of Leyte - Op Plan, TF 77 (Annex N)