USS Osage ( LSV - 3 ) USS " Osage " ( LSV - 3 / AN - 3 / AP - 108 / MCS - 3 ) was the lead ship of her class of vehicle landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II . She was named after , an " old monitor of the navy " . Laid down as " AN - 3 " on 1 June 1942 at Pascagoula , Mississippi by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation ; redesignated as a transport , " AP - 108 " , on 1 May 1943 ; launched on 1 December 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . Dorothy K . McHenry , wife of Lt . John A . McHenry , Officer in Charge of Construction ( for both U . S . Navy and Maritime Commission vessels ) , Pascagoula ; redesignated as a vehicle landing ship , " LSV - 3 " , 21 April 1944 ; and commissioned alongside Outfitting Dock No . 2 , Tampa Shipbuilding Company , Florida , on 30 December 1944 with Captain Harry H . Keith in command . Service history . February – April 1945 . Following shakedown out of Galveston , Texas " Osage " embarked 703 officers and men of Casual Draft 2610 of the 126th Naval Construction Battalion and loaded 29 amphibian trucks ( DUKW ) at New Orleans . Transiting the Panama Canal on 8 February 1945 she continued on to Pearl Harbor for further amphibious training , conducted off Maui . On 17 March she sailed with vehicles and various units of the 10th Army units embarked , in company with attack transport and the submarine chaser s and . At Ulithi she joined Task Force 51 and continued on to Okinawa , arriving on 11 April . Despite repeated enemy air attacks , during which she frequently interrupted unloading operations to go to general quarters , laying smoke each night and opening fire as necessary to drive off Japanese planes when in range , " Osage " completed offloading within five days and on the 16th sailed for Saipan for provisioning , proceeding in company with the . April – August 1945 . Moving then to Peleliu , in the Palaus , she reached that place on 28 April 1945 . She stood out the following day for Guam , Marianas Islands , and steamed unaccompanied , loaded with tank landing vehicles ( LVTs ) of the 726th Amphibious Tractor Battalion , and marines of the 4th Anti - Aircraft Battalion , USMC . Reaching her destination on 1 May , " Osage " unloaded trucks and disembarked troops , and after fueling and provisioning sailed from Apra Harbor to return to Saipan , arriving on 4 May , where she launched the remaining vehicles via her stern ramp , and began a period of post - voyage repairs to her main and auxiliary engines . For a little over a month , " Osage " awaited orders at Saipan , painting ship and conducting inspections and training , after which time she received orders to proceed to Noumea , New Caledonia . Sailing on 6 June , the ship crossed the equator on 10 June at approximately 164º0 ' E , observing the event with appropriate ceremonies , during which time some 400 " pollywog s " received initiation into the realm of " King Neptune . " Arriving at her destination on 15 June 1945 " Osage " received engine repairs at Nouméa , culminating in trials on 25 June , then embarked the men and loaded the vehicles and equipment of the 47th Naval Construction Battalion , taking departure for Guam on 6 July . Unloaded and ready for sea four days later , she departed Guam on 11 July , and after a brief pause at Saipan to load supplies , pushed on for San Francisco , reaching her destination on 25 July for voyage repairs at the Kaiser yard at Richmond , California . During that period of yard work , that coincided with the cessation of hostilities with Japan , she received repairs to her engines , a drydocking , general repairs , and a revision of her paint scheme from " green and black camouflage to over - all gray . " She was ultimately reported " ready for sea " on 22 August . August – October 1945 . Five days later , on 27 August 1945 , with approximately 1 , 400 officers and enlisted men ( United States Army ) embarked , replacements for troops in the forward areas , " Osage " sailed for Ulithi , in the Western Carolines , arriving there on 10 September where she refueled , then continued her voyage to the Philippines , reaching Tacloban two days later to disembark almost half of her embarked soldiers . Underway for Manila on 14 September , the ship reached her destination two days later to disembark the balance of her passengers . Sailing on 21 September with nine officers and 496 enlisted infantry , field artillery , engineering , signal , quartermaster and chemical warfare division passengers , she reached Batangas later the same day , where she loaded 61 army vehicles . Having completed her work in the Philippines , " Osage " sailed for Japan in company with the attack cargo ship and attack transport , the trio later joining with Task Group 34 . 8 to comprise a convoy of 23 ships and two escorts . The ship arrived in Tokyo Bay on 3 October , to discharge her passengers and cargo at Yokohama . Ordered thence to perform " Magic Carpet " duty , transporting veterans back to the United States , " Osage " sailed for Okinawa on 7 October . Receiving typhoon warnings while en route , the ship steered courses and speeds designed to evade the bad weather , and stood in to Buckner Bay on 11 October , where she embarked some 75 officers and over 1 , 600 enlisted men on 13 October for transportation to San Francisco and release from the naval service . She sailed for the west coast the same day . October 1945 – June 1946 . " Osage " arrived at her destination on 26 October 1945 but would soon be underway on a return voyage to the Far East on 10 November . Calling first at Shanghai , China and then Buckner Bay , the ship returned to the West Coast immediately thereafter . Then , following a period of repairs at Portland that ended in mid - January 1946 , the ship remained at San Pedro until 1 May , when she sailed for Panama . Although she had been earmarked for conversion to a net cargo ship , she remained a vehicle cargo ship due to the selection of " Montauk " for the change . After transiting the Panama Canal ( 9 to 12 May ) , " Osage " shed her port propeller on 12 May . She then put in to New Orleans ( 16 May to 9 June ) , then moved to Mobile for overhaul , the availability of funds dictating when urgent repairs could be accomplished . Decommissioning and sale , 1947 – 1975 . " Osage " was towed to Orange , Texas by , where she was inactivated and placed out of commission , in reserve on 16 May 1947 . Redesignated as a mine warfare command and support ship , " MCS - 3 " , effective 18 October 1956 , " Osage " remained in reserve until delivered to the custody of the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Beaumont , Texas on 19 September 1960 . Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1961 the ship was delivered to the Maritime Administration , on permanent transfer , on 1 September 1962 . Returned to the Navy for stripping on 8 November 1972 incident to her future disposal , she was returned to the Maritime Administration on 27 November 1973 . Sold to Luria Brothers and Company , Inc . of Cleveland , Ohio on 11 December 1974 , the ship was delivered to her purchasers on 6 January 1975 to be broken up . " Osage " received one battle star for service in World War II .