USS
Custer (AP-85) was launched as
SS Sea Eagle 6 November 1942 by
Ingalls Shipbuilding Co.,
Pascagoula, Mississippi, under a
U.S. Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. L. S. Border. Her original passenger capacity was 12, and was to carry a crew of 52 with an original cargo carrying capacity of 16,628 tons. The United States Navy received the ship on 23 January 1943 and renamed her the
USS Custer (APA-40) in honor of the several Custer counties in the United States.
Custer moved to the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Hoboken, New Jersey, to be converted into, and armed as an attack transport - the period of conversion consumed 159 days. On 18 July 1943,
Custer was placed in full commission at Pier 1, Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Hoboken, New Jersey. Her trial run was made on the East River on 28 July 1943. Post-trial repairs were made at Pier 36, Brooklyn, and were completed on 9 August 1943. 10 August 1943,
Custer sailed for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving on 12 August 1943. 13 August 1943,
Custer received her landing craft; 26 LCVP's and 2 LCM(3)'s; along with boat crew and officers. During the period from 14 August 1943 to the latter part of November, the ship was engaged in training exercises in Chesapeake Bay. Dummy loads were carried, and dawn landings were rehearsed. 17 November 1943, Custer returned to Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth Virginia, for overhaul and dry-docking.
World War II operations Departing
Norfolk, Virginia, 11 December 1943,
Custer arrived at
Pearl Harbor 10 January 1944, carrying
Seabees. She loaded troops at
Honolulu and sortied 23 January as a part of
Task Force 51 for the
Marshall Islands operation. Held in reserve during the invasion of
Kwajalein, she landed her troops on
Eniwetok on 19 February and embarked casualties, with whom she returned to
Pearl Harbor 6 March. After sailing to embark men and cargo at
San Francisco, California,
Custer joined in amphibious training exercises in the
Hawaiian Islands, and arrived at
Kwajalein 9 June. She put to sea 2 days later for the assaults on
Saipan and later on
Guam, transporting troops and evacuating casualties to
Eniwetok until her return to Pearl Harbor 7 August.
Custer sailed from Pearl Harbor 15 September 1944 by way of Eniwetok and
Manus for the invasion landings on
Leyte of 20 and 21 October. Safely out of
Leyte Gulf before the great battle for its possession, she loaded reinforcements at
Humboldt Bay,
New Guinea, from 26 October to 14 November, then landed them on Leyte 18 November. After replenishing at Manus and training at
Huon Gulf,
New Guinea.,
Custer sailed on 31 December for the invasion landings at
Lingayen Gulf of 9 to 12 January 1945. She operated in the
Philippine Islands, participating in the unopposed landings at La Paz,
Zambales, on 29 January and acting as mother ship for landing craft and coordinating cargo activities at
Tarraguna, from 13 to 20 February.
Custer sailed from Leyte Gulf 27 March 1945 for the invasion of
Okinawa. From 1 to 6 April she landed troops and cargo and fought off air attacks during the initial landings, then sailed for a stateside overhaul. Departing
San Diego, California, 5 August, she embarked troops at Pearl Harbor for the
occupation of Japan, landing them at
Sasebo, Japan. She sailed to transport troops from
Manila to Sasebo, Japan, then embarked homeward bound servicemen for
San Pedro, California, arriving 21 November.
Invasion log Decommissioning and fate Custer was decommissioned on 24 May 1946 and struck from the
Navy List on 19 July 1946. On 19 April 1948, she was sold to the Moore McCormack Line and SS
Mormacmar. She was sold on 19 August 1966 to Grace Lines Inc. and renamed SS
Santa Ana before being sold for scrapping on 8 February 1973 to Hua Eng Copper & Iron Industrial Co., Kaohsiung, Taiwan. ==Honors and awards==