USS James O ' Hara ( APA - 90 ) USS " James O ' Hara " ( APA - 90 ) was a that served with the US Navy during World War II and later in the Korean War . The ship was named after a Continental Army officer who fought in the Revolutionary War and who later became Quartermaster General of the US Army . Initially acquired as an Army transport , the ship was soon acquired by the Navy and reclassified an attack transport for the duration of the war , then returned to the Army and redesignated USNS " James O ' Hara " . In the 1950s she was reacquired once again by the Navy and reclassified , serving as USS " James O ' Hara " ( T - AP - 179 ) until her final decommissioning . The ship was laid down for the Army under Maritime Commission contract by Seattle - Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation , Tacoma , Washington , 16 June 1941 ; launched 30 December 1941 ; and delivered to the Army 30 November 1942 . World War II . From December 1942 to April 1943 , " James O ' Hara " served as an Army transport , steaming from the West Coast to Australia , thence via the Panama Canal to New York . Arriving New York early in April 1943 . she was acquired by the Navy 15 April and commissioned 26 April , Comdr . Charles Allen in command . Mediterranean Theatre . After shakedown , " James O ' Hara " departed Norfolk , Virginia early in June for duty with the 8th Fleet in the Mediterranean . Arriving Oran , Algeria , 22 June , she prepared for the forthcoming invasion of Sicily . Invasion of Sicily . Carrying troops of the 45th Infantry Division , she departed 5 July for Operation Husky , and , as part of CENT Force under Rear Admiral A . G . Kirk , she closed the Sicilian shore off Scoglitti 10 July . Despite heavy seas and an enemy air attack , she debarked her troops as Allied forces sought to wrestle the strategic island from Axis control . During almost the next 2 months " James O ' Hara " shuttled troops from North Africa to Sicily ; then she prepared to take part in the Allied invasion of Italy . Invasion of Italy . Assigned to Rear Admiral J . L . Hall ' s Southern Attack Force , she departed Oran 5 September and approached the Gulf of Salerno late 8 September as the Allies announced the armistice with Italy . During mid - watch , 9 September , she debarked assault troops in landing boats , and later began unloading cargo . Her boats assisted HMS " Abercrombie " , damaged by a German mine . Undaunted by German air attacks , the veteran transport discharged cargo at the Paestrum beaches before departing for Oran 11 September . As Allied forces secured Salerno , entered Naples , and began the hard - fought drive up the boot of Italy , she continued to transport reinforcements and cargo from North Africa to Italy . On 30 November she departed Oran in convoy for the United Kingdom ; and , with almost 2 , 000 troops embarked , she arrived Belfast , Northern Ireland , 9 December Departing for the United States 20 December , she reached New York 31 December . Pacific Theatre . Sailing for Norfolk 15 February 1944 , " James O ' Hara " embarked marines and loaded cargo before departing for the Pacific 26 February . She arrived Pearl Harbor 16 March and during the next 2 months practiced for the forthcoming invasion of the Marianas . Invasion of Saipan . As part of Vice Admiral R . K . Turner ' s Northern Attack Force , she departed Pearl Harbor 29 May ; touched at Eniwetok ; and carrying troops of the 4th Marine Division , arrived off Saipan in the early hours of 15 June . She debarked her troops in the initial assault waves , then discharged cargo as bitter fighting raged on shore . After embarking casualties and enemy prisoners , she departed 17 June and cruised northeast of Saipan while Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher ' s Fast Carrier Task Force defeated Admiral Ozawa ' s Mobile Fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea , the greatest carrier battle of the war . Following the resounding American victory , " James O ' Hara " returned to Saipan 23 June ; completed unloading cargo ; and departed 24 June for Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor . Invasion of the Palaus . Following additional amphibious training , " James O ' Hara " departed in convoy 12 August and reached Guadalcanal the 24th . On 8 September she sailed for the Palau invasion , aimed at securing air bases prior to the scheduled invasion of the Philippines . She closed the Palaus 15 September , and 2 days later , debarked troops during the amphibious assault against Angaur Island . She remained off the Palaus until 23 September when she sailed for the Admiralties , arriving Manus 27 September . Invasion of Leyte . At Manus , " James O ' Hara " embarked troops of the 1st Cavalry Division and departed in convoy 12 October for the invasion of Leyte . Assigned to the Northern Attack Force , she entered Leyte Gulf 20 October , closed about 7 miles off San Ricardo and debarked five waves of assault troops . After unloading 476 tons of combat cargo , she sailed that evening for the Palaus and arrived Kossol Passage the 23rd . She embarked survivors of escort carrier s " Gambier Bay " and " St . Lo " , sunk while gallantly defending the Leyte beachhead in the Battle off Samar , and from 28 to 31 October carried them to Guam . After returning to Manus 15 November , between 17 and 29 November she transported reinforcements to Leyte and sailed to Hollandia , New Guinea , to prepare for the invasion of Luzon . Invasion of Luzon . As part of Vice Admiral D . E . Barbey ' s San Fabian Attack Force , " James O ' Hara " departed Sansapor , New Guinea , 30 December with troops of the 6th Infantry Division embarked . Steaming via Leyte Gulf and Surigao and Mindoro Strait , she entered Lingayen Gulf 9 January 1945 and boated assault troops and cargo during amphibious landings which spearheaded the liberation of Luzon . Departing the same day , she steamed via Leyte and Ulithi to Guam where she arrived 6 February to stage for the amphibious invasion of Iwo Jima . Invasion of Iwo Jima . Carrying men of the 3rd Marine Division , the attack transport departed Guam 17 February and arrived off Iwo Jima the 19th . Until 27 February she operated in the retirement area ; then during the next week she debarked reinforcements , unloaded cargo , and embarked casualties . On 5 March she sailed for Guam where she arrived 8 March to debark more than 400 casualties of the bitter fighting on Iwo Jima . From 9 to 27 March , " James O ' Hara " sailed via the Solomons and the New Hebrides to New Caledonia where , during the next month , she practiced amphibious attacks . Between 3 May and 15 July she transported men and supplies from New Caledonia and New Guinea to the Philippines . After loading cargo at Guiuan , Samar , she sailed for the United States 18 July and reached San Francisco 4 August . After hostilities . After the cessation of hostilities , the veteran transport departed 25 August and carried troops via Eniwetok to the Philippines . Arriving Manila Bay , Luzon , 17 September , she operated along the Luzon coast until 1 October when she departed Lingayen Gulf for Japan . Steaming in convoy , she reached Wakayama , Honshū , 7 October and debarked occupation troops . She departed Nagoya , Honshū , 28 October , embarked returning veterans at Tinian 3 November ; and sailed for San Francisco 5 November . After arriving 17 November , between 22 December and 4 February 1946 she made another Operation Magic Carpet run to Saipan and back to the West Coast . Decommission and return to the Army . USS " James O ' Hara " decommissioned at San Francisco 5 April 1946 and was transferred to the Army the same day . During the next 4 years she served out of Seattle , Washington as a transport with the Army Transportation Corps , under the name USNS " James O ' Hara " . Korean War . Reacquired by the Navy 1 March 1950 , she was reclassified T - AP - 179 on 28 April and assigned to MSTS . During the struggle to repulse Communist aggression in South Korea , " James O ' Hara " transported troops and supplies from the West Coast to the Far East . Operating primarily out of Seattle , between October 1950 and July 1954 she made 18 deployments to ports in Japan and South Korea . In addition she supplied American bases in the Marshalls and the Marianas , and she made numerous troop training and rotation runs to bases in Alaska . Final decommission . She continued this pattern of deployment and readiness operations until 30 November 1959 when she arrived Seattle for inactivation . She entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Puget Sound 14 January 1960 . Transferred to the Maritime Administration in November , her name was struck from the Navy List 1 July 1961 , and she was berthed at Olympia , Washington . Awards . " James O ' Hara " received seven battle star s for World War II service and one battle star for Korean War service .