Elmore (AP-87) was launched 29 January 1943 as
Sea Panther by
Ingalls Shipbuilding of
Pascagoula, Mississippi, under a
Maritime Commission contract, reclassified (APA-42) on 1 February; transferred to the Navy 30 March and placed in partial commission the same day for ferry to
Maryland Drydock Company,
Baltimore for conversion, and commissioned in full 25 August 1943.
Pacific War Elmore sailed from
San Diego 13 January 1944 and landed troops and equipment in the initial assault on the
Marshalls 31 January 1944. In early February she reported to the 3d Fleet at
Funafuti,
Ellice Islands. After training in the
Solomons, she took part in the
landings on Emirau Island 11 April, and carried troops between
Guadalcanal and
New Guinea until 3 June. On the 4th she got underway for invasion of the
Marianas.
Elmore landed troops in the assault on
Guam 21 July 1944 and remained to embark casualties whom she carried to
Eniwetok. She returned to the Solomons for training, then saw action in the first wave against the
Palaus 15 September. She staged at
Hollandia for the coming
Philippine invasion and sailed 13 October for the
Leyte assault a week later. Landing troops and cargo under heavy fire,
Elmore lost one killed and five wounded. Returning to
Manus and New Guinean ports,
Elmore prepared for the northern
Luzon assault. On 9 January 1945 she was in
Lingayen Gulf for the initial landings. She remained to support the fighters ashore, and on 29 January landed troops without opposition near
San Felipe. She returned to Leyte in February to be mother ship for the boat pool and to direct unloading of merchant ships.
Elmore sailed from Leyte 27 March 1945 for the invasion of
Okinawa on 1 April. Four days after the assault she carried casualties to Guam, continuing to
Seattle for overhaul. She was on her way back when the war ended and upon arrival at Leyte 30 August was assigned to redeploy troops through the Philippines.
Elmore made two voyages to Japan to land occupation troops at
Wakayama and
Mitsugahama, then returned to the States on
"Magic Carpet" duty with servicemen eligible for discharge.
Decommissioning and fate After a voyage on the same duty to the Philippines from November 1945 to January 1946, she was decommissioned at
Mobile, Alabama, 13 March, and returned to the Maritime Commission for sale 15 May 1946. After decommissioning,
Elmores name reverted to
Sea Panther when she was leased in 1946 for commercial service. In 1947 she was renamed
China Transport. In 1958 she was renamed
Oregon and in 1960 was again renamed, to
Idaho. The vessel was returned to the
Maritime Administration in 1966 and scrapped at Portland, Oregon, in 1971. ==Awards==