# Benewah-class barracks ship

The Benewah-class barracks ship was a class of barracks ships of the United States Navy after the Second World War, in the late 1940s.

## Development

Thirteen ships were converted into repair ships throughout the later stages of World War II. The ships were converted from the LST-1 and LST-542 classes. After the war, a few ships were then sold to the Philippines and Indonesia.
The ship's hulls remained nearly the same but with new equipment to carry out their purpose were placed on deck alongside several cranes. The ships' armament was slightly changed and relocated to make way for the ships' equipment. All ships served in the Pacific Theater until the end of the war with no ships lost in combat.
APL-40 (ex-USS Nueces) is still active, serving as a transport and berthing vessel for the United States Navy in Yokosuka. APL-39 (ex-USS Mercer) also now berthed in Sasebo.

## Ships of class

Benewah-class repair ship :
| Pennant number | Name | Callsign | Builders | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
| APB-35 | Benewah | NUIX | Boston Navy Yard | 6 May 1945 | 9 March 1946 | 26 February 1971 | Sold to Philippines and renamed RPS Tulungan (AH-3), sunk as artificial reef in 1975 |
| APB-36 | Colleton | NUIN | Boston Navy Yard | 30 July 1945 | 28 January 1967 | 15 December 1969 | Scrapped on 6 January 1973 |
| APB-37 | Echols | NUIZ | Boston Navy Yard | 30 July 1945 | n/a | n/a | Sold to Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS), in active service since mid-2000s |
| APB-38 | Marlboro | - | Boston Navy Yard | 17 November 1944 | 18 August 1945 | 5 May 1947 | Scrapped |
| APB-39 | Mercer | NUIQ | Boston Navy Yard | 17 November 1944 | 19 September 1945 | 7 January 1970 | Part of the CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program and is berthed at Sasebo, Japan |
| APB-40 | Nueces | NUIR | Boston Navy Yard | 6 May 1945 | 30 November 1945 | 13 March 1970 | Part of the CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program and is berthed at Yokosuka, Japan |
| APB-41 | Wythe | NEWW | Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. | 9 June 1944 | 30 June 1944 | 29 May 1947 | Scrapped on 10 September 1959 |
| APB-42 | Yavapai | NFKT | American Bridge & Machine Co. | 6 June 1944 | 30 June 1944 | 3 December 1946 | Scrapped on 11 September 1959 |
| APB-43 | Yolo | NFLE | American Bridge & Machine Co. | 16 June 1944 | 3 July 1944 | 9 August 1946 | Scrapped on 6 February 1960 |
| APB-44 | Presque Isle | NFLK | American Bridge & Machine Co. | 16 June 1944 | 19 July 1944 | 18 April 1947 | Sold to Indonesia and renamed KRI Teluk Ratai (LST-509), decommissioned and laid up |
| APB-45 | Blackford | NBCK | Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. | 9 April 1945 | 9 June 1945 | 26 April 1947 | Sold to merchant service, sunk as artificial reef between 1968 and 1970 |
| APB-46 | Dorchester | NBCY | Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. | 12 April 1945 | 15 June 1945 | 16 October 1946 | Sold to merchant service, in active service since 1 August 1974 |
| APB-47 | Kingman | NBDB | Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. | 17 April 1945 | 17 April 1945 | 15 January 1947 | Scrapped on 19 November 1980 |
| APB-48 | Vanderburgh | NBFT | Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. | 20 April 1945 | 3 July 1945 | 17 January 1947 | Scrapped on 12 November 1972 |
| APB-49 | Accomac | NFRR | Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co. | 28 June 1944 | 24 July 1944 | 9 August 1946 | Scrapped on 7 December 1959 |
| APB-50 | Cameron | NKBB | Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard | 5 July 1944 | 30 July 1944 | 13 December 1946 | Sold to merchant service, fate unknown |