USS Butte (APA-68)

USS Butte (APA-68) was a Gilliam class attack transport serving in the United States Navy during World War II. She was launched July 20,1944 by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, CA., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas W. Mearns; acquired November 21, 1944; and commissioned the next day, Commander J. A. Gillis, USNR, in command. Butte was named for counties in California, Idaho, and South Dakota.

Following shakedown training along the California coast, Butte embarked troops at San Diego, Calif., and, on January 5, 1945, got underway for the western Pacific. En route to the Philippines, Butte made stops of varying duration at Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Saipan, Ulithi, and in the Palau Islands. She arrived at Leyte on February 21 and began five weeks of training in preparation for the amphibious assault on Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands. On March 27, Butte set sail for Okinawa as a unit of Task Group (TG) 55.1 of the Southern Attack Force (Task Force (TF) 55) with elements of the Army's 7th Infantry Division embarked. She arrived off the objective early in the morning of April 1--the day the assault was launched. During the next two weeks, Butte disembarked her troops and helped to repel air attacks, both conventional and kamikaze. On one occasion, two of her crewmen suffered wounds, but the ship escaped damage.

On April 14, Butte departed the Ryukyus with Okinawa wounded embarked. The ship made brief stops at Saipan, Ulithi, and in the Palaus before arriving at Leyte on April 24. Five days later, she returned to sea to begin making the passenger circuit among the various islands of the western Pacific. Her last port of call in the western Pacific was Eniwetok from which she took departure on June 5. Butte made an overnight stop at Pearl Harbor on June 11 and then resumed her voyage to the west coast. She reached San Francisco on June 18. On June 21, the Butte shaped a course for Seattle, Washington. She stayed at Seattle from June 23 to July 8.On July 8, Butte stood out of Seattle to return to the western Pacific. She made a short visit at Eniwetok on July 21 and July 22 then continued on to Ulithi where she remained from July 25 to August 8. From Ulithi, Butte moved on to her true destination, Okinawa, and arrived there on August 12. Three days later, hostilities ceased; and the Japanese surrendered formally on September 2. On September 5, Butte put to sea from Okinawa carrying occupation troops to Korea. She arrived at Jinsen, Korea, on September 8 and remained there until September 13. The ship returned to Okinawa on September 18 towing another transport crippled by a floating mine in the East China Sea. After 11 days at Okinawa, Butte shaped a course for northern China on September 26 carrying another complement of occupation troops. She arrived at Taku, China, on September 30 and remained there until October 5. From Taku, the ship headed for Manila in the Philippines and an eight-day liberty call.

On October 23, she laid in a course back to China. Arriving at Kowloon, near Hong Kong, on October 25, she embarked Chinese Nationalist troops for passage to northern China where the Chinese communists were on the advance. Butte disembarked her first contingent of Chinese soldiers at Chinwangtao between October 31 and November 2. She returned to Kowloon on November 8 and took additional Nationalist troops on board. The ship departed Kowloon on November 10 and arrived in Tsingtao on November 15. Later that month, she embarked homeward-bound American servicemen and shaped a course for the west coast of the United States.

Butte arrived in the United States December 18, 1945 and, after repairs, was ordered to Pearl Harbor February 23, 1946 for assignment to JTF 1. She served as a unit of the target group. for Operation Crossroads. She survived the atomic bomb tests and was retained for structural and radiation study at Kwajalein until May 12, 1948 when she was disposed of by sinking. Her name was struck from the Navy list on May 28, 1948.

USS Butte (APA-68) earned one battle star during World War II.

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b11/butte-i.htm