USNS Sgt . George D Keathley ( T - APC - 117 ) USNS " Sgt . George D . Keathley , was a World War II United States cargo vessel that was used for troop transport and later converted to a survey vessel . She was laid down and launched as MS " Alexander R . Niniger , Jr . , then renamed MS " Acorn Knot . She was put into US Army service as USAT " Acorn Knot " , then renamed USAT " Sgt . George D . Keathley . She was transferred to the US Navy and became USNS " Sgt . George D . Keathley " ( T - APC - 117 ) , but was later re - designated T - AGS - 35 . She was leased to the Republic of China , where she served as " Chu Hwa " ( AGS - 564 ) . Both Nininger and Keathley were posthumous Medal of Honor recipients . History . The ship , a C1 - M - AV1 design , was built under Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 2247 ) , was laid down as " Alexander R . Niniger , Jr . " , on 16 June 1944 by Walter Butler Shipbuilders Inc . , Duluth , Minnesota ; launched on 7 December 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . G . A . Meyer ; renamed " Acorn Knot " in February 1945 ; and delivered to the War Shipping Administration on 30 March 1945 . United States service . Operated initially by Grace Lines in the Atlantic and the Caribbean , " Acorn Knot " was returned to the Maritime Commission and transferred to the Army Transportation Corps on 28 July 1946 and assigned to the Ryukyus Command as an inter - island cargo carrier . On 6 May 1948 , she departed the Far East for California ; and , in July , she entered the Moore Dry Dock Company ' s yard at Oakland for conversion to a cargo - troop - passenger ship . During the eight - month conversion , spaces for troop and cabin passenger accommodations and for hospital facilities were constructed . The work was completed in early March 1949 ; and , on the 15th , she was renamed USAT " Sgt . George D . Keathley " . On 19 April , " Sgt . George D . Keathley " sailed for Japan , where , in May , she resumed her Army Transportation Service on a schedule which included Japan , the Philippines , the Marianas , Okinawa , and Korea . When war broke out in the latter country in June 1950 , " Sgt . George D . Keathley " was at Yokohama awaiting transfer to the Navy for service in the newly established Military Sea Transportation Service ( MSTS ) . Within 24 hours of receipt of the news of the Communist crossing of the 38th parallel , she had taken on a full cargo of ammunition and a deck load of guns . On 27 June , she sailed for Sasebo , whence , with , she continued on to Pusan . On 1 July , she became the USNS " Sgt . George D . Keathley " ( T - APC - 117 ) ; and , on the fourth , her civil service crew got her underway back to Japan to take on Army Signal Corps units and their equipment and ' transport them to Korea . With the completion of that run , the APC was assigned to shuttle service between Korea and Japan - evacuating hospital patients to Hakata and carrying troops and cargo to Pusan . In September , hospital ships took over that duty , and " Sgt . George D . Keathley " resumed cargo and troop operations out of Yokohama . During October , she carried cargo to the east coast of Korea , as far north as Hungnam . During November and early December , she carried troops and cargo to Inchon . Then , as the Chinese People ' s Volunteer Army added men and equipment to the Communist effort and pushed back down the peninsula , she assisted in the evacuation of that port - carrying Korean nationals to Pusan and cargo and ammunition back to Japan . From 6 January to 2 March 1951 , the APC was at Yokohama for overhaul . She then resumed shuttle runs between Japan and Korea . With November , she commenced runs to Okinawa and Formosa ; and , in September 1952 , after more bunk spaces had been added to her troop quarters , she resumed a Japan - Korea schedule which was alternated with runs to Okinawa and Formosa until February 1953 . From then until the signing of the truce in July , she operated primarily between Sasebo and Pusan , with only two runs to Naha and Keelung . After the Korean War , " Sgt . George D . Keathley " remained in the Far East and continued to be employed primarily between Sasebo and Pusan for another two years . In 1955 , she was transferred to MSTS Atlantic ; and , on 11 December 1956 , she was placed out of service and transferred , temporarily , to the Hudson River Group of the Maritime Administration ' s National Defense Reserve Fleet ( NDRF ) . Ten months later , on 24 October 1957 , her name was struck from the Navy list and her transfer to the NDRF was made permanent . In late 1966 , however , " Sgt . George D . Keathley " was ordered activated . In November , she was towed to Norfolk , Virginia for conversion to a survey ship . On 1 December , she was reacquired by the Navy ; assigned to MSTS ; and given the designation T - AGS - 35 . The following spring , 1967 , " Sgt . George D . Keathley " , again a United States Naval Ship , manned by a civil service crew , commenced survey operations in the Atlantic for the Oceanographer of the Navy which she continued until December 1971 . She then returned to the United States for inactivation . Republic of China service . On 29 March 1972 , she was transferred , on lease , to the Republic of China , where she was named " Chu Hwa " ( AGS - 564 ) . Fate . On 15 April 1976 , she was struck from the US Naval Vessel Register . She was struck from the China Naval Register on August 1988 and returned to US custody . She was ultimately sunk as a target . Awards . " Sgt . George D . Keathley " was awarded nine campaign star s for her service during the Korean War .