Menifee (APA 202) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE ATTACK TRANSPORT Since Guadalcanal and Tunisia, the Navy ' s APA ' s, attack transports, have been carrying Allied fighting men and their gear to the coasts and on to the beaches of enemy-held territories. APA ' s are fitted to land 1500 assault troops on a schedule timed to the second and to put ashore the cargo of war behind the troops during a few succeeding hours. Although this landing of assault troops against opposition is the special- ized job of the APA, the more frequent duty is that of carrying men and cargo between friendly ports. Between in- vasions, the APA ' s ply the seas without letup, so that after a few months on an attack transport, a sailor has seen more lands than the average person does in a lifetime. What kind of a vessel has the Navy built for this duty? The U.S.S. Menifee, typical of the latest APA class, is a modified version of the Maritime Commission ' s Victory ship. It is 455 feet in length, 62 feet in beam, and of 10,452 long tons displacement. A 8500 h.p. steam turbine and the newly-developed high pressure boilers form the heart of the engineering plant. Sufficient fuel is carried for a non-stop 13,000 mile trip. A 5-inch gun, five multiple-barrel 40mm mounts, and 10 20mm guns enable the Navy transport to defend herself against aerial attack. The twenty-odd assault boats carried on these ships are the reason APA ' s are not ordinary passenger and cargo vessels, but attack transports. Twenty-two of the Menifee ' s 26 assault boats are LCVP ' s, that is Landing Craft, carrying vehicles and personnel. They ' re 36 feet long, weigh nearly nine tons, can do 10 knots on a 225 h.p. diesel engine, and are manned by a crew of four. Similar in size, slightly differ- ent in appearance, are the LCPR and LCPL, one of each being carried on the Menifee. They are ordinar- ily used for boat salvage and control, and are armed like LCVP ' s with two .30-cal. machine guns. The remaining two boats carried on APA 202 are LCM ' s, the granddaddies of assault boats. LCM ' s are from 50 to 56 feet long, weigh 27 tons, do 10 knots on two 225 h.p. diesel engines, and have a crew of five. An LCM can take a medium tank ashore. It has more armor them the smaller boats, and carries two .50-cal. machine guns. Manning these boats are the 130 officers and men of the Boat Group. Another group of specialists, approximately 50 of the 500 man total complement aboard, are the Beach Party members. They are the ship ' s representatives on the beach during an amphibious opera- tion, and in their battle dress are indistinguishable from Marines. The Beach Party receives intensive training ashore before reporting aboard for duty. Now the APA ' s, which were in every operation during the long way up from Guadalcanal, are concluding an honorable war record with their part in the occupation of Japan. And the last job, as well as the happiest, will be the returning of veterans to the States.

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TABLE OF COimnTS Introduction — Foreword — Staff — Contents — The Attack Transport — APA in Action — Letter by our Captain — Our Captains — Executive Officer and Dept. Heads — The Menifee — Amphib- ious Shield 1-12 Section 1 — Menifee under construction — Plankowners cert. — Officers roster — crews roster — Pre-ship training — Commissioning — Rigging for sea 13-24 Section 2 — Menifee travels — Crossing the Line — Shellback pictures — Certificate — Church call at sea — Map of travels — The invasion of Okinawa — Occupation of Nagasaki — Mog- Mog — Islands liberties 25-48 Section 3 — Group pictures of all divisions — Watch standers — Chiefs — Activity shots of all divisions — Group officer pictures — Bottoms up — In Memoriam 49-88 Section 4 — Plan of the day — Joe Pot — Sports — Remember? — Golden Gate 89-99

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Under the Shadow of a Tropic Squall, an APfl Convoy Saipan — and a glimpse of versatile float units. Funny, though, it ' s hard to get and keep a good tan in the tropics.