Renville (APA 227) - Naval Cruise Book

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Uss RENVILLE QAPA-2275 DEPLOY E T c RIBBEAN WESTPAC 27 ocT. '62- 27 DEC. '62. 15 DEC. '62 so MAY '63 U.S.S. RENVILLE KAPA 2275 sailed from San Diego on 27 October 1962 to the Caribbean, incident to the Cuban crisis. Succeeding events proved that the most effective weapon we possess today is the hard-hitting, fast-moving Navy-Marine amphibious team. You remember that we were loaded for a specific task and there was no doubt that the task could be accomplished. Our enemy was convinced, as the course of history will prove. Our return to San Diego for Christmas was a pleasant break in an otherwise long West- Pac deployment. On 27 December 1962 Renville sailed for WestPac. The crossing from Pearl Harbor to Yokosuka was one of the roughest ever experienced. The HANDCLASP material trans- ported to WestPac contributed greatly to our Nation's People-to-People Program. ln West- Pac our task was stand-by APA in the Amphibious Ready Group. The dependents cruise from Sasebo to Hong Kong and return placed Renville in an unusual role-transporting female dependents instead of combat troops. lt was an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Training in Sasebo, Okinawa and Subic Bay emphasized readiness of the ship to carry out any mission assigned. U.S.S. RENVILLE did not miss a single operational commitment during the Caribbean and WestPac deployments due to casualties or for any other reason. This reflects the com- etence rofessional skill and dedication of the crew. The long voyages home and words P v P A of praise from ComSecondFlt, ComPhibLant, ComPhibPac, ComSeventhFlt and Com- PhihForSeventhFlt reflect a job well done. Your determination and skill have amasse a recor p all. You have done your assigned tasks well and we have had fun. As long as men and ff ' l demonstrate readiness to act to respond to the d d of erformance which is evident to ships, in coordinated effort, can e ective y , Nationls call and to do more than is required, our Navy will be at the forefront of de- fense. Each in his own way has contributed to preserving our freedom, our Way of 'life and our beloved Nation. qi .DEPARTMF Q- 9 W 'U Nov ... 1963 , , M4- LIBRARY t 5' , MX

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V' E s J Z ...S- .f., K., i 4 E T. 5 4.1 Y! HISTORY The Renville is an attack transport, part of the amphibious forces of the U. S. Pacific Fleet. She is designed to com- bat load a troop battalion landing team with its equipment and supplies. She has the means of placing her embarked troops and equipment ashore on a hostile beach, and then provide logistic support from the sea. During actual hostilities, she would be a part of an Amphibious Task Force assigned the mission of launching an attack from the sea by naval and landing forces to seize a lodgement on land defended by the enemy. The Renville was constructed at the Vancouver, Washington, yards of the Kaiser Company. Her keel was laid 19 August 1944. On November 14, 78 days later, she was accepted by the U. S. Navy from the Maritime Commission on a loan basis and commissioned USS Renville QAPA 2271. She is named after counties in both North Dakota and Min. nesota. By March 15 she was ready for action and embarked troops, 1620 strong, from Guadalcanal. On 1 April 1945, the Renville landed these troops with her assault boats on the beaches of Okinawa in the last invasion of the war. After Okinawa, the remainder of the war was spent in transporting troops and cargo between the United States and various Pacific bases. Following the Japanese surrender, Renville was assigned the task of returning troops, sometimes civilians back to the U. S. In September, 1,436 allied military personnel, among them Dutch, British, and Canadians, were transported from Japan, where they had been used in slave labor, to Manila for rest and recuperation. In January 1946 the Renville became a permanent part of the U. S. Navy. Following a short stay in the States she was ordered to duty off the coast of China during the early battles between the Nationalists and Communists. Suddenly, in December 1947, the Renville was sent to Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies. It was here that she became Headquarters Ship for the United Nations Truce Commission negotiating settlement terms between the Dutch military forces and the Indonesian Nationalists. The ensuing treaty was known as the RENVILLE TREATY. In 1949 the Renville was decommissioned and placed in mothballs at Mare Island, California. I-Ier retirement was short lived. On 5 January 1952, she was recommissioned and sailed again to become part of the active fleet engaged in com- bat. Her duty included lifting troops from Japan to Korean ports including Pusan and Inchon.