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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Bland (APA-134)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Oscar - Echo
NDOE

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

Haskell Class Attack Transport

Laid down, 2 August 1944, under as a Maritime Commission type (VC2-S-AP5) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 50) at California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, CA.

Launched, 26 October 1944

Acquired by the Navy on a loan charter basis from the Maritime Commission, 14 December 1944, at Wilmington, CA.

Commission, USS Bland (APA-134), 15 December 1944, at San Pedro, CA., CDR. Laurence E. Eastman, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Bland was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
TransRon Twenty-One, COMO. J.R. Palmer USN (13);
TransDiv Sixty-Three, CAPT. F. M. O'Leary USN (20)

Following World War II USS Bland was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 7 to 14 September 1945

Decommissioned, 27 April 1946, at Norfolk, VA.

Returned to the Maritime Administration, 28 April 1946, and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 8 May 1946

Withdrawn from the James River Reserve Fleet, 18 May to 21 July 1955, to Shepard Steamship Co. (Repair Program) General Agency Agreement

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 23 January 1974, in a five ship deal to Consolidated Steel Corp. Brownsville, TX., (PD-X-970 dated 14 December 1973) for $958.999.00, withdrawn from the James River Reserve Fleet, 1 March 1974

Specifications:
Displacement 6,873 t.(lt) 14,837 t.(fl)
Length 455'
Beam 62'
Draft 24'
Speed 17.7 kts.

Complement

56 Officers

480 Enlisted

Troop Accommodations

86 Officers

1,475 Enlisted

Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.

Cargo Capacity 2,900 DWT

non-refrigerated 150,000 Cu ft

Boats

two LCMs

one open LCPL

one covered LCPL (Captain's Gig)

two LCPRs

eighteen LCVPs

Armament

one single 5"/38 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 Joshua-Hendy geared turbine

two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 465 psi 750°

double Joshua-Hendy Main Reduction Gears

three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

single propeller, 8,500 shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By
	57k	*USS Bland* (APA-134)** at anchor, date and location unknown.		Kelly Walters for her grandfather Earl K. Lofstedt, Coxswain, USS Bland
100313402	170k	*USS Bland* (APA-134)** completing a Magic Carpet voyage as she steams into San Francisco Bay with her decks crowded with homeward-bound servicemen, circa 1945-1946. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 83472		Robert Hurst

USS Bland (APA-134)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Eastman, Laurence E., USNR	15 December 1944 - 9 December 1945
02	CAPT. Banks Jr., James Oliver, USN (USNA 1925)	9 December 1945 - 27 April 1946


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Data Base

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 26 May 2023