USS Brevard ( AK - 164 ) USS Brevard ( AK - 164 ) was an " Alamosa " - class cargo ship commissioned by the U . S . Navy for service in World War II . She was responsible for delivering troops , goods and equipment to locations in the war zone . Commissioning . The " Brevard " was laid down on 2 September 1944 at Richmond , California , by Kaiser Cargo Inc . , under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 2109 ) ; launched on 18 November 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . C . S . Wieringa , wife of the out - fitting superintendent at the builders ’ yard ; delivered to the Navy and commissioned on 19 February 1945 , Lt . Paul J . Wild , USNR , in command . “ In orderly procession , ” Lt . Wild later wrote , “ came ‘ Fitting - Out Availability ’ at Treasure Island , California , loading of stores and material at Oakland , California , two weeks of shakedown in San Pedro , California , and post - shakedown availability at San Pedro . ” Following those post - commissioning details , " Brevard " loaded cargo at San Francisco , California , and put to sea for Hawaii on 8 April . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . " Brevard " carried fleet freight , spare part s and equipment either consigned directly to operating units or to tenders in the forward areas for subsequent installation ; she also carried tanks , trucks , and amphibious vehicles for Marine Corps ’ replacements , and ship ’ s store stock . She arrived in Pearl Harbor on the 16th . She delivered cargo both at Pearl Harbor and at Hilo on the island of Hawaii before departing the islands on 1 May . " Brevard " reached Eniwetok on the 11th but departed again on the 13th . Her next stop was Guam where she remained from 17 May to 7 June . From there , she moved to Ulithi Atoll , in the Carolines , arriving on 8 June and staying until the 27th . She headed from Ulithi to the Palaus , where she paused between 29 June and 1 July . End - of - war activity . Reaching Leyte on 2 July , " Brevard " spent the next seven weeks there , during which time hostilities with Japan ceased , allowing her commanding officer to observe later that “ the ship neither encountered nor observed the enemy . ” Departing Leyte on 19 August , " Brevard " steamed to Ulithi , where she stopped over from 24 August to 3 September , and to the Marianas , where she stayed from 5 to 18 September . The cargo ship returned to Leyte on 23 September and remained there almost a month . On 19 October , she left Leyte on her way to occupation duty in China . " Brevard " arrived in Chinese waters on 28 October and provided logistics support for the occupation troops . Post - war return Stateside and decommissioning . On 22 January 1946 , The " Brevard " left Shanghai and sailed for the United States . On that day , beginning at 1520 the " Brevard " crew rescued 4 , 296 Japanese civilian repatriots from the ship " Enoshima Maru " as it sank near Shanghai . Later called an incredible " act of humanity " by the Embassy of Japan , this rescue was completed by 1550 — in less than 30 minutes — and is listed by " Guinness " for " Most people rescued at sea . ( civilians ) " . [ NOTE : Guinness has date wrong . 22 January 1946 is correct and taken directly from RESTRICTED copies of ship ' s record of this event . ] She stopped at Pearl Harbor from 16 February to 2 March . She then continued her voyage to the west coast , reaching San Francisco , California , on 14 March . Although slated to proceed thence to Norfolk , Virginia , to be returned to the Maritime Commission and be laid up in the James River , Virginia , to relieve the workload of yards on the U . S . East Coast , " Brevard " received orders the next day to proceed instead to Olympia , Washington , where she was decommissioned and returned to the Maritime Commission on 3 July 1946 . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 8 October 1946 , and she was sold into merchant service sometime the following year . Final Disposition : she was scrapped in 1970 . Military awards and honors . The record does not indicate any battle stars for " Brevard " . However , her crew was eligible for the following medals : Other information . Although there is a North Carolina city with the same name , the ship was named after Brevard County , Florida .