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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Mountrail (LPA-213)
ex
 USS Mountrail (APA-213) (1944 - 1969)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Papa - Tango
 NPPT
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon
Second Row - Navy Expeditionary Medal (Cuba) - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Fourth Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (3) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba)
Fifth Row - Philippines Liberation Medal - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Haskell Class Attack Transport:
  • Laid down, 24 June 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (VC2-S-AP5) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 561, at Permanente Metals Corp. Yard No. 2, Richmond, CA.
  • Launched, 20 September 1944
  • Commissioned USS Mountrail (APA-213), 16 November 1944, CDR. Robert R. Stevens, USNR in command
  • During World War II USS Mountrail was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Seventeen, COMO. T.B. Brittan USN (20);
    TransDiv Fifty-One, CAPT. J. L. Allen USNR and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March to 25 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS Mountrail was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following period:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    3 October to 4 November 19453 October to 4 November 1945

  • Decommissioned, 12 July 1946. at Stockton, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Stockton Group
  • Recommissioned, 9 September 1950
  • USS Mountrail was again assigned to China service from 15 to 28 May 1951
  • During the Korean War USS Mountrail participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    First UN Counter Offensive
    5 to 12 February 1951     		Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    1 to 19 August 1952
    27 August to 4 September 1952
    17 to 18 October 1952
    11 to 19 November 1952
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    11 to14 May 1951     		 

  • Decommissioned, 1 October 1955, at Long Beach, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • Transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA., 7 June 1960
  • Withdrawn from reserve for reactivation, 5 August 1961
  • Recommissioned, 22 November 1961
  • Redesignated Amphibious Transport (LPA-213), 1 January 1969
  • Decommissioned, 13 August 1970 and delivered to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) the same day for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.
  • Permanent custody assumed by MARAD, 1 September 1971
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1976
  • USS Mountrail earned one battle star for World War II service and three battle stars for Korean War service
  • Final Disposition, 28 September 1989, to Exxon Shipping Co. as trade-out, immediately resold to Rivson International, Inc., resold to Eckhart Marine Gmbh for scrapping in either India or Bangladesh, removed from the Reserve Fleet, 1 July 1990. Scrapping completed 21 May 1991
    Specifications:
    Displacement 6,873 t.(lt) 14,837 t.(fl)
    Length 455'
    Beam 62'
    Speed 17.7 kts. (trial)
    Complement
    Officers 56
    Enlisted 480
    Troop Accommodations
    Officers 86 Officers
    Enlisted 1,475
    Cargo Capacity 150,000 cu. ft, (non-refrigerated) 2,900 tons
    Boats
    two LCMs
    one open LCPL
    one covered LCPL (Captain's Gig)
    two LCPRs
    eighteen LCVPs
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual-purpose gun mount
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    one quad 40mm AA gun mount
    ten single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO 7,780 Bbls
    Diesel 970 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one Westinghouse geared turbine
    two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 465psi 750°
    double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gear
    three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C.
    single propeller, 8,500shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Mountrail 336k Starboard aerial bow view of USS Mountrail (APA-213) under way off the coast of California, 5 December 1944.
    US navy photo 80-G-289784 photographed by Naval Air Station Alameda, California, aircraft, now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 National Museum of the US Navy
    Mountrail 269k USS Mountrail (APA-213) under way , 5 December 1944. Photograph by NAS Alameda, CA.. The ship is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, but the specific design identification is unknown.
    US National Archives Photo # 80-G-289786 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Green
    Mountrail 45k USS Mountrail (APA-213) at anchor, date and location unknown.
    Russ Padden webmaster
    Amphibious Forces WWII Web Site
    Mountrail
    100321311    		 72k USS Mountrail (APA-213) Yokosuka, Japan, Christmas 1953 with Japanese orphans.
    Notations on back of photos
    100321311 - The Japanese girl I took care of during the day with Santa Claus (Larsen EM1)
    100321312 - Choir singing Christmas Carols around our 25t. Christmas Tree during visit of 25 Japanese orphans. Left to right, Poyner RM3, Heskett QMSN, Hedger, SN, ENS Lewis, Boyle EN3, Hugo EN3, CDR. Buckingham, CDR. Moore at piano
    100321313 - Santa Claus presenting presents to the Japanese orphans, Left to right; Thompson EN3, Cary GM3, Gurley BM2, Hayes YN3, Kinard SN, Elliott SN, Reder SH2, Des're'maux SKSN, Crist YNSN
    100321314 - Christmas day dinner, American sailor Dean Elliott feeding a Japanese orphan
    Tommy Trampp
    Mountrail
    100321312    		 72k
    Mountrail
    100321313    		 92k
    Mountrail
    100321314    		 59k
    Mountrail 150k Painting USS Mountrail (APA-213)'s hull, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine August 1954
    Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Mountrail 85k USS Mountrail (APA-213) in 1967 during an underway refueling from USS Waccamaw (AO-109), location unknown. Bill Guhl USS Waccamaw
    Mountrail 95k USS Mountrail (APA-213) under way, date and location unknown. Don Elliott for his father George "Dean" Elliott SK3/c USS Mountrail 1952-55
    Ruchamkin 138k USS Ruchamkin (APD-89) under way in Hampton Roads VA., 16 January 1967, with USS Mountrail (APA-213) beyond.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 82689    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Mountrail 284k USS Mountrail (APA-213) moored in the port of Genoa, Italy, 1 June 1967. Photo by Carlo Martinelli
    Mountrail 284k USS Mountrail (APA-213) moored at Genoa, Italy, between USS De Soto County (LST-1171) and USS Oglethorpe (AKA-100), 31 December 1967. Photo by Carlo Martinelli
    Mountrail
    100321315     		191k USS Mountrail (APA-213) underway in Hampton Roads, date unknown.
    ©Nobe Smith    		 Nicholas Tiberio
    USS Mountrail (APA-213 / LPA-213)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Stevens, Robert R., USNR16 November 1944 - 7 December 1946
     Decommissioned7 December 1946 - 9 September 1950
    02CAPT. Murphy, John William, USN (USNA 1927)9 September 1950 - September 1952
    03CAPT. Farmer, William Howard, USN (USNA 1930) :RADMSeptember 1952 - October 1953
    04CAPT. Cox, William Ruffin, USN (USNA 1932) :RADMOctober 1953 - January 1954
    05CAPT. Gibson, Scott Kendall, USNJanuary 1954 - September 1954
    06CAPT. Scott, David Darwin, USN (USNA 1932)September 1954 - 1 October 1955
     Decommissioned1 October 1955 - 22 December 1961
    07CAPT. Compton, Emmett Mobley, USN (1939)22 December 1961 - May 1963
    08CAPT. Rizza, Joseph Patula, USN :RADMMay 1963 - May 1964
    09CAPT. Surface, Wayne Douglas, USN (USNA 1944)May 1964 - 26 July 1965
    10CAPT. Gray, William James, USN (USNA 1842) :RADM26 July 1965 - 7 November 1966
    11CAPT. Gray Jr., "O" "B", USN7 November 1966 - 9 December 1967
    12CAPT. Hamberg, Harold Adolph, USN (USNA 1946)1969 - 10 January 1970
    13CAPT. Mussetto, Bruno, USN10 January 1970 - 18 August 1970
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Amphibious Forces WWII- USS Mountrail APA 213
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Attack Transport (APA) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 11 March 2022