USS Gilliam (APA-57)

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Career

Ordered:
Laid down:
Launched:	28 March 1944
Commissioned:	1 August 1944
Decommissioned:
Fate:	Sunk as a target during Operation Crossroads.
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4,247 tons
Length:	426 ft
Beam:	58 ft
Draft:	16 ft
Speed:	16.9 knots
Complement:	283
Armament:	1 × 5 inch gun

USS Gilliam (APA-57), named for Gilliam County in Oregon, was the lead ship in the Gilliam class of attack transports serving in the United States Navy during World War II. She was launched 28 March 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract by the Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California; sponsored by Mrs. A. O. Williams of Wilmington; acquired 31 July 1944; and commissioned 1 August 1944, Comdr. H. B. Olsen in command.

The first of a new type of attack transport, Gilliam stood out of San Francisco Bay 16 October 1944 with 750 United States Army troops for Oro Bay, New Guinea, and delivered them to that port 4 November. Embarking nearly 1000 troops of the U.S. 11th Airborne Division, she sailed a week later and off-loaded her passengers at Leyte, subsequently returning to Humboldt Bay, New Guinea, 22 November. Gilliam got underway again 29 November under orders to steam to Leyte Gulf and embark elements of the 6th Army Headquarters for passage to Lingayen Gulf.

Gilliam was part of a 36-ship convoy churning toward the Philippines when, on 5 December 1944, the convoy came under heavy air attack while 100 miles from Leyte Gulf. At 1218 Gilliam spotted a plane coming in low on the water at deck level, headed for the middle of the convoy. Coming under limited fire, the Japanese plane released a torpedo 2 minutes later which smashed into SS Anton Saugraine. Just after 1230 two more planes came in low and fast, and one got another torpedo into the stricken merchantman, which was then dead in the water. Intense fire from the convoy drove the planes off, but later that afternoon another Japanese aircraft dove in at 1530, and after running into heavy fire, made a suicide crash on SS Marcus Daly. The Japanese caught her on the bow at waterline and started fires and explosions. A second kamikaze tried his luck but missed and crashed into the sea after repeated hits from the convoy's gunners. Anton Saugraine and Marcus Daly were kept afloat by quick damage control, but the former ship was attacked again the next day while under tow and was finally sunk. During this engagement, Gilliam's unflinching crew stood at General Quarters for nearly 12 hours and the ship reached Leyte 6 December without damage.

At Leyte Gilliam acted as receiving ship for the crews of damaged warships and undertook medical and salvage operations in spite of continued air alerts. After embarking over 500 soldiers at Tacloban, she sailed from that port 7 January 1945 bringing troops to Lingayen Gulf in support of the invasion. She returned to Leyte on 14 January to embark elements of the U.S. 32nd Infantry Division and brought them safely back to Lingayen Gulf 27 January. After loading casualties for passage to Leyte, Gilliam sailed from that port 2 February to embark Marines of the 3rd Amphibious Corps at Guadalcanal and conducted training exercises in preparation for the coming invasion of Okinawa.

Gilliam closed Okinawa on 1 April and in the face of kamikaze attacks debarked reconnaissance parties of the 3d Amphibious Corps and unloaded vital cargo. On 5 April she sailed for the United States via Saipan and Pearl Harbor, mooring at San Francisco 27 April for drydock repairs.

Subsequently Gilliam embarked men of the 6th Seabee Battalion a Port Hueneme, California, and sailed 28 May 1945 for Okinawa via Eniwetok and Ulithi. She off-loaded cargo and passengers at Okinawa and returned to San Francisco 10 August, where nearly 1,000 troops were embarked and brought to Pearl Harbor on 27 August. Men of the Headquarters and Service Battalions, 5th Amphibious Corps came on board at Hawaii, and Gilliam sailed 1 September for Sasebo, Japan, and put her occupation troops ashore 3 weeks later.

On 25 September 1945 she got underway for Manila, and after embarking more than 450 veterans of the U.S. 33rd Infantry Division at Lingayen Gulf, she carried them to Sasebo, arriving 15 October. After returning to Cebu in the Philippines 29 October, she became part of the Operation Magic Carpet fleet and sailed 2 November with 1,000 bluejackets and soldiers, debarking them at Portland, Oregon, 21 November 1945.

Following a voyage to Samar, Gilliam moored at Pearl Harbor 16 February 1946 and prepared to participate in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini atoll in the summer of 1946. On the morning of 1 July 1946, Gilliam, a target ship for Test Able, was sunk in Bikini lagoon.

Gilliam received two battle stars for World War II service.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

Gilliam-class attack transport