USS Allegan ( AK - 225 ) USS " Allegan " ( AK - 225 ) was a 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 . " SS Van Lear Black " was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract ( MCE hull 2416 ) on 21 December 1943 at Baltimore , Maryland , by Bethlehem - Fairfield Shipyard ; launched on 21 January 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Van Lear Black ; acquired by the Navy under a bareboat charter on 7 August 1944 ; renamed " Allegan " and designated AK - 225 on 12 August 1944 ; converted for naval service at Baltimore by the Maryland Drydock Co . ; and commissioned on 21 September 1944 , Lt . Comdr . J . Huling in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . Following shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay , " Allegan " took on a cargo of pontoons at Davisville , Rhode Island , for transportation to the Philippines . She left Davisville on 19 October and shaped a course for the Pacific Ocean . The ship transited the Panama Canal on the 30th and continued sailing westward . She reached Eniwetok on 27 November and departed that atoll on 6 December in a convoy bound for Leyte . The vessel paused en route at Ulithi before reaching Leyte on 22 December . Carrying pontoons to the Philippines . " Allegan " operated in Philippine waters in and Samar through late January 1945 , discharging cargo and assembling pontoons . She successfully carried out this assignment despite being subjected to frequent enemy air attacks . The ship left the Philippines on 23 January and shaped a course for the west coast of the United States . She paused en route at Manus , Admiralty Islands , on 30 January ; then sailed on for California and reached San Pedro , California , on 23 February . There , she took on board another cargo of pontoons and got underway again on 9 March bound for Okinawa . Delivering pontoons to Okinawa . After making brief port calls at Eniwetok and Ulithi , the vessel arrived off Okinawa on 3 May . During the next three months , she remained in the area discharging and assembling pontoons . She was subjected to frequent air attacks throughout this period and assisted in downing three enemy planes . End - of - war activity . " Allegan " departed Okinawa on 5 August , bound for Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , via Saipan . She arrived in Hawaiian waters on 26 August , and stood out two days later for San Francisco , California . The vessel reached San Francisco Bay on 5 September and , after a period of voyage repairs , got underway again on 6 October bound for Hampton Roads , Virginia . After retransiting the Panama Canal , " Allegan " reached Norfolk , Virginia , on the 27th . Post - war decommissioning . She was decommissioned at Portsmouth , Virginia , on 15 November 1945 ; was returned to the War Shipping Administration a week later , and her name was struck from the Navy list on 28 November 1945 . She had a very varied history after being released by the Navy . ( See second external link below . ) Military awards and honors . " Allegan " received one battle star for her World War II service . Her crew was eligible for the following medals and campaign ribbons :