USS Skagit ( AKA - 105 ) USS " Skagit " ( AKA - 105 / LKA - 105 ) was a named after Skagit County , Washington . She served as a commissioned ship for 22 years and 11 months . " Skagit " ( AKA - 105 ) was laid down as a Type C2 - S - AJ3 ship MC hull 1696 on 21 September 1944 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company , Wilmington , North Carolina ; launched on 18 November 1944 ; sponsored by Miss Heloise Pike ; acquired by the Navy on 28 November 1944 ; converted by the Bethlehem Steel Co . , Brooklyn , N . Y . , into an attack cargo ship ; and commissioned on 2 May 1945 , Capt . Harold R . Parker , in command . Service history . World War II , 1945 . " Skagit " completed preparations for sea and sailed for Norfolk , Virginia on 13 May . After completing shakedown , the ship stood out of port on 3 June en route to Marseille , France . She arrived there on 16 June ; loaded cargo and passengers bound for Manila , Philippines ; and sailed again on the 29th . " Skagit " arrived at Manila on 15 August , discharged her cargo there and reloaded with supplies for Tokyo . She was present at the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945 . Post - war activities , 1945 – 1949 . For the remainder of the year , the ship shuttled supplies and troops between American bases in the Far East , calling at Okinawa , Guam , Tientsin , Tsingtao , and Shanghai . She returned to the West Coast on 16 December 1945 and operated out of San Diego with Amphibious Forces , Pacific Fleet until 22 June 1946 when she was deployed to Pearl Harbor for three months . She then returned to San Diego until 22 February 1947 when she sailed for Okinawa . " Skagit " operated between Okinawa , Guam , and China until the following November , broken only by a 19 - day cruise back to the West Coast in July . In early 1948 , the cargo ship was fitted out to make a polar expedition . On 26 July , " Skagit " departed the United States with the Point Barrow , Alaska , Expedition and remained there until 23 August . She was back in Alaskan waters in January and February 1949 . The cargo ship returned to San Francisco on 25 February ; was prepared for inactivation ; and , on 30 June , was placed out of commission , in reserve , and berthed at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard . Korean War , 1950 – 1953 . On 25 June 1950 , the North Korean People ' s Army invaded South Korea . This necessitated a fast increase in American surface shipping to meet the logistical demand placed upon it . Many ships of the mothball fleet were reactivated ; and , on 26 August 1950 , " Skagit " was placed in full commission . She moved to San Diego for shakedown training and then trained other crews until 26 March 1951 . On that date , the cargo ship sailed for Pusan , South Korea , with troops and combat supplies . After unloading , she proceeded to Yokosuka and conducted landing exercises for elements of the Army ' s 40th Division . This training period was interrupted for a month in May when " Skagit " was ordered to sail to Inchon at flank speed to evacuate personnel and equipment if the situation there became more critical . However , Inchon was secured , and the ship resumed normal overseas operations until returning to San Diego on 15 October 1951 . " Skagit " was deployed to the Far East again from May to December 1952 . The Army was setting up new prisoner of war camps at Yongcho Do and Pongnam Do as a result of the riots at Koje Do . " Skagit " transported construction material to the new sites from Pusan and then assisted in the transfer of prisoners . Pacific operations , 1954 – 1964 . During her deployment in 1954 , " Skagit " was ordered to Tourane , French Indochina , to participate in " Operation Passage to Freedom " . The ship transported 4 , 089 refugees from Hai Phong in the north to Saigon and Cape St . Jacques in the south . The refugees were fleeing from the communists then closing in on Hanoi and Hai Phong . For the next ten years , the cargo ship divided her time between the western Pacific and operations along the West Coast , south to Acapulco , Mexico , and north to Alaska . Vietnam , 1965 – 1967 . On 23 August 1965 , " Skagit " deployed to the Far East and remained there until 14 May 1966 . This was not to be a peacetime cruise as during the past decade . The United States was committed to the defense of South Vietnam , and the services of " Skagit " were required for combat operations . On her way west , she carried cargo and marines to Okinawa . Between 13 November and 8 December 1965 , she delivered two loads of cargo from Okinawa to Da Nang . In January 1966 , " Skagit " embarked combat cargo and combat - loaded marines at Okinawa in preparation for an amphibious landing . On 28 January , " Skagit " , as a unit of Task Group 76 . 6 made an assault landing near Thach Tru in southern Quảng Ngãi Province , in Operation " Double Eagle . " Twelve amphibious force ships landed 5 , 000 United States Marines against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese there . On 16 February , the ship proceeded to Chu Lai to unload her remaining cargo . In early March , she returned to Okinawa for another load of cargo and , upon her return to Vietnam , spent the remainder of the month shuttling supplies between Da Nang , Phu Bai , and Chu Lai . " Skagit " entered the Todd Shipyard , San Pedro , California , on 25 October 1966 for an overhaul and remained there until 7 March 1967 . On 31 May , the ship deployed to the western Pacific for a seven - month tour . She offloaded her cargo at Da Nang on 29 June and sailed to Sasebo for voyage repairs . " Skagit " returned to Vietnam and during the period from 15 September to 1 November , she used her LCMs to transport more than 6 , 700 tons of combat supplies from Da Nang up the Perfume River to Huế . Decommissioning and disposal . " Skagit " returned to San Diego on 10 December 1967 , and operated along the West Coast until 4 April 1969 when she was notified to prepare for inactivation . Her designation had been changed from AKA - 105 , attack cargo ship , to LKA - 105 , amphibious cargo ship on 1 January 1969 . " Skagit " was decommissioned and struck from the Navy List on 1 July 1969 . On that date , she was also transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal . Awards . " Skagit " received two battle star s for Korean service and two for service in Vietnam .