USS Henrico ( APA - 45 ) USS " Henrico " ( APA - 45 ) , call sign " NKIG , " was a that served with the United States Navy in World War II , and subsequently in the Korean War , Cold War and Vietnam War . The ship was laid down as SS Sea Darter , a Type C3 - S - A2 hull , under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 393 ) by Ingalls Shipbuilding Co . , Pascagoula , Mississippi . Assigned to the Navy as Naval Transport ( AP - 90 ) , she was reclassified as Attack Transport ( APA - 45 ) on 1 February 1943 . The ship was launched on 31 March 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . W . D . Pelan , acquired by the Navy on 23 June 1943 , and commissioned next day for transfer to Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation , Hoboken , New Jersey . Decommissioned on 8 July 1943 , " Henrico " then fitted out , and recommissioned on 26 November 1943 , Commander J . H . Willis in command . Service history . World War II , 1943 – 1945 . Following shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay , the attack transport remained to train Army combat teams before departing Norfolk for New York on 2 February 1944 . Arriving the next day , " Henrico " embarked troops and sailed for Scotland on 11 February . Arriving at the Firth of Clyde on 22 February , the ship began amphibious training in preparation for the invasion of Normandy . Normandy invasion . " Henrico " embarked her invasion troops on 26 May at Portland , England , and sailed on 5 June as a part of Rear Admiral John Hall ' s Omaha Beach Assault Force . On the following day , 6 June , " Henrico " landed her troops in the first assault wave in the face of heavy seas and strong enemy fortifications . As the tempo of fighting increased , the ship received casualties from the beaches , returning to Portland later on " D - Day " . As the assault area was secured and the advance began , " Henrico " stood by for shuttle duty , finally sailing for the Firth of Clyde on 19 June . Mediterranean operations . With the liberation of France underway , the transport sailed on 4 July 1944 to the Mediterranean for the invasion of the southern coast of France . Arriving on 16 July at Naples , " Henrico " took part in amphibious rehearsals before departing on 13 August from Castellamare for the invasion area . She landed her troops at Baie de Pampelonne against light opposition and departed the next day for Oran , Algeria . For the next two months she brought troops and cargo into the beach area and on her last shuttle brought English and Polish repatriates to Naples . To the Pacific . " Henrico " sailed from Naples on 17 October 1944 , arriving at Boston on 8 November to prepare for duty in the western Pacific . She departed Norfolk with troops and replacement boats on 13 December , steaming via the Panama Canal and San Diego to Pearl Harbor , where she arrived on 23 January 1945 . Five days later she sailed for the Philippines , arriving at Leyte on 21 February after stops at various Pacific bases . In the Philippines the ship engaged in amphibious exercises leading to the invasion of Okinawa , the last operation on the long island road to Japan itself . Invasion of Okinawa . Assigned to the Kerama Retto attack group under Rear Admiral Kiland , " Henrico " began the landing on 26 March . The Kerama Islands were needed as a staging area for the invasion of nearby Okinawa and were secured on 30 March . The ship retired at night during the operation , and Japanese air attacks were nearly constant . While retiring on 2 April , the ship was attacked by a fast " Frances " kamikaze diving out of a cloud formation . Although " Henrico " quickly brought her guns to bear , the suicide bomber crashed into the bridge on the starboard side , her bombs exploding below . The ship lost power , but her fire parties soon brought the flames under control . Forty - nine officers and men were killed in the attack , including " Henrico " s captain , her embarked division commander , and the two troop commanders . Her Executive Officer took command , however , and brought the ship to Kerama Retto . She sailed under her own power for San Francisco on 14 April and arrived on 13 May . Post - war activities , 1945 – 1949 . " Henrico " sailed from San Francisco Bay on 1 September with replacement troops for the Philippines . She continued to serve the " Magic Carpet " fleet assigned to return the thousands of American soldiers from the Pacific , until May 1946 . She sailed on 25 May from Pearl Harbor to take part in the atomic tests at Bikini — " Operation Crossroads " . For the next three months " Henrico " supported these scientific experiments , returning to San Francisco on 29 August 1946 . After operations on the West Coast , she sailed on 6 February 1947 for a cruise in the western Pacific , returning in July . From 6 July 1948 to 25 February 1949 the ship operated in the Tsingtao , China , area in support of American troops . Korean War , 1950 – 1953 . Early in 1950 " Henrico " took part in amphibious exercises in the Caribbean , returning to San Diego on 8 April 1950 . Soon afterward the invasion of South Korea began , and " Henrico " was immediately called back to the western Pacific . " Henrico " and other ships embarked the 1st Marine Brigade and sailed on 12 July for Korea . She developed mechanical trouble which forced a return two days later , but repair work had her at sea again on 18 July , and by 2 August she was with the original formation as they steamed into Pusan with the vitally - needed troops . " Henrico " played an important part in the early stages of the Korean War . She landed troops at the Inchon beachhead on 15 September 1950 ; and , as United Nations troops swept northward , she sailed to various ports deploying and supplying the soldiers . In November Chinese troops made their appearance on a massive scale , and by December U . N . ground units in the Wonsan - Hŭngnam area were cut off . During December " Henrico " and other ships evacuated thousands of soldiers from the two ports to stabilize the lines farther south . The attack transport arrived at Seattle on 22 March 1951 , and after repairs and amphibious exercises sailed again for Korea on 16 October 1951 . During this second tour she carried troops to strategic points on the coast , and took part in amphibious operations for training purposes . She arrived back at San Diego on 26 July 1952 , and in September returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs and training . " Henrico " sailed again for Korean waters on 7 March 1953 , resuming the job of redeploying troops along the coasts and to Japan . During July and August she operated between Pusan and Japan , and joined in the transfer of prisoners following the armistice agreement . For her outstanding performance during the first months of the conflict , " Henrico " was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation . Pacific deployments , 1953 – 1962 . Arriving at San Francisco on 24 August 1953 , the attack transport engaged in coastal training operations for the next year . She sailed for another tour in the Far East on 24 October 1954 , and participated in an amphibious training exercise in December . As war over the Tachen Islands threatened in February , " Henrico " and other naval units moved in on 8 February 1955 to evacuate Nationalist Chinese troops . After arriving Keelung , Formosa , on 13 February ; she carried troops between the Philippines and Hong Kong before returning to San Diego on 22 April 1955 . Hereafter the ship deployed annually to the western Pacific with the 7th Fleet to engage in amphibious warfare training exercises in Korea , in Okinawa , and in the Philippines , contributing to the combat readiness of both United States Marines and the troops of SEATO members . Cuban Missile Crisis , 1962 . " Henrico " was diverted to the Caribbean Sea on 27 October 1962 after the deployment of Soviet missiles in Cuba brought a swift and strict American quarantine of the island . " Henrico " arrived on the scene on 5 November . Her embarked Marines provided part of a ready force to supplement the naval blockade if this proved necessary . When the missiles were removed , the crisis subsided , and " Henrico " departed the Caribbean on 6 December for San Diego , California , arriving on 15 December . Pacific Deployment , 1963−1964 . The ship deployed to the Western Pacific for a routine deployment with the 7th Fleet . While deployed , she conducted amphibious operations with Marine and Army troops at Okinawa and Korea . In addition to Okinawa and Korea , " Henrico " made port visits in Japan , the Philippines , and Hong Kong . The ship returned to its homeport of San Diego early in 1964 , followed by overhaul at Todd Shipyard in San Pedro . Vietnam War , 1964 – 1967 . The ship resumed amphibious training duties on the West Coast until 16 December 1964 , when she deployed again with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific . Loading a Marine Battalion Landing Team at Okinawa , the ship departed on 11 January 1965 for Hong Kong , arriving on 14 January . On 20 January she commenced special operations in the South China Sea as the 7th Fleet joined in the intensive buildup of strength in southeast Asia . " Henrico " disembarked her Marines at Da Nang , South Vietnam , in early March , returning to Okinawa for a second landing team which reached Da Nang on 15 April . By 21 April , the ship embarked a third landing team bound for Chu Lai , South Vietnam . Offloading these troops on 7 May , " Henrico " made a fourth passage to Okinawa to return with the headquarters unit of the 3rd Marine Division , which arrived in Chu Lai on 21 May . Following her performance off South Vietnam , the ship sailed from Yokosuka , Japan , on 28 May for San Diego , arriving on 16 June . During the next 13 months " Henrico " operated out of San Diego along the coast of Southern California , conducting squadron exercises and supporting amphibious training operations . After embarking Marines at San Diego , she sailed for the Far East on 27 July , and debarked her passengers at Da Nang a month later . During the next seven months she carried troop reinforcements and replacements from Okinawa and the Philippines to American bases in South Vietnam . In addition she ranged the coastal waters of Vietnam from the demilitarized zone to the Mekong Delta , supporting amphibious assaults against Viet Cong coastal strongholds . She departed Vietnam late in March 1967 and returned to San Diego the following month . Decommissioning and sale . " Henrico " was decommissioned on 14 February 1968 . Held in reserve , she was redesignated LPA - 45 , on 1 January 1969 , and finally struck from the Navy List on 1 June 1973 . The ship was sold by MARAD on 1 October 1979 .