USS Monrovia
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2023) |
_in_the_1960s.jpg) USS Monrovia (APA-31) moored alongside another ship, date and location unknown
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Monrovia (APA-31) |
| Namesake | Birthplace of President James Monroe, located in Westmoreland County, Virginia |
| Builder | Bethlehem Steel |
| Laid down | 26 March 1942 |
| Launched | 19 September 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs John M. Carmody |
| Christened | Del Argentino |
| Commissioned |
|
| Renamed | USS Monrovia |
| Reclassified | AP-64 to APA-31, 1 February 1943 |
| Stricken | 1 November 1968 |
| Identification | MCV Hull Type C3-Delta, MCV Hull No. 152 |
| Honours and awards | Seven battle stars for World War II service |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Crescent City class attack transport |
| Displacement | 8,889 tons (lt), 14,247 t.(fl) |
| Length | 491 ft (150 m) |
| Beam | 65 ft 9 in (20.04 m) |
| Draft | 25 ft 8 in (7.82 m) |
| Propulsion | 1 x General Electric geared drive turbine, 2 x boilers, designed shaft horsepower 7,800 |
| Speed | 16 knots |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | Officers 55, Enlisted 500 |
| Armament | 1 x 20mm gun mounts. |
USS Monrovia (APA-31) was a
Monrovia (APA-31) was laid down as MC hull 152 by Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard, Sparrows Point, Maryland, 1942-03-26; launched 1942-09-19; sponsored by Mrs. John M. Carmody; and commissioned 1 December 1942.
Reclassified APA-31 (Attack Transport) on 1943-02-01, Monrovia conducted shakedown and amphibious training exercises in Chesapeake Bay through the winter months of 1943.
World War II Atlantic Service
On 10 May, she departed
World War II Pacific Service
Reassigned later in the month, the attack transport took on
During December and January 1944, she conducted training exercises in the Hawaiian area with Marine and Army personnel. On 22 January she sailed for her third amphibious operation,
Underway for the combat area again in June, she participated in the assault on
In September, with
Departing 31 December, she encountered aerial resistance in
Monrovia returned to the western Pacific after the Japanese surrender and immediately commenced transporting occupation troops and supplies to
Cold War Service
Following the outbreak of hostilities in
Assigned to PhibRon 8, she carried Marines while deployed with the Sixth Fleet and conducted amphibious exercises with them while operating along the east coast and in the Caribbean. The maintenance of a defensive readiness throughout this period enabled her to react positively during the many intervening crises such as occurred at Beirut, Lebanon, July 1958; Cuba, October, 1962; and the Panama Canal Zone, January 1964. In 1967 she served in amphibious assault training for Marines in Little Creek, Virginia. Boot camp troops were assigned on board, berthed in sagging old canvas bunk racks spaced 18" apart. Trainees then clambered down cargo netting into LCVP boats and "assaulted" the Virginia coast. In 1968, Monrovia was again ordered deactivated. Decommissioned 31 October, she was struck from the Naval Register the following day and was sold for scrap.
Awards
Monrovia earned seven battle stars during World War II.
References
- ^ "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships". Department of the Navy, Washington, DC. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
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 Monrovia at NavSource Naval History