USS Botetourt ( APA - 136 ) USS " Botetourt " ( APA - 136 ) was a " Haskell " - class attack transport built and used by the US Navy in World War II and saw further service during the Korean War . She was a Victory ship design , VC2 - S - AP5 . She was named after Botetourt County , Virginia , USA . World War II service . " Botetourt " was laid down on 22 August 1944 at Wilmington , California , by the California Shipbuilding Corp . under a Maritime Commission contract ( MCV hull 52 ) ; launched on 19 October 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Robert C . Todd ; moved to Oakland , California , on 28 October 1944 for outfitting by the Moore Dry Dock Co . ; delivered to the Navy on 31 January 1945 ; and commissioned that same day , Comdr . William A . Barr , USNR , in command . Following shakedown training out of San Pedro , California , and amphibious exercises at San Diego , California , " Botetourt " completed post - shakedown availability at San Pedro and then moved to San Francisco to load troops and equipment . On 8 April , the attack transport got underway for the New Hebrides Islands . She arrived at Espiritu Santo on 22 April . From that time through the end of hostilities in mid - August , the ship transported troops and cargo between many of the islands in the rear areas of the western and southwestern Pacific . She was at Luzon in the Philippine Islands on 15 August 1945 when the Japanese agreed to capitulate . After embarking Japan - bound occupation troops , she departed Manila on 27 August in company with the other elements of Task Force ( TF ) 33 . The convoy entered Tokyo Bay on 2 September , the same day that Allied and Japanese representatives formalized the surrender on board . She unloaded cargo and disembarked troops before heading back to the Philippines on the 4th . The attack transport reached Leyte in the Philippines on 11 September and spent the next 10 days on the interisland circuit . On 22 September , " Botetourt " set sail from Abuyog , Leyte , on her way to the Ryukyus . She arrived at Okinawa on the 25th and — except for a brief period at sea to avoid a typhoon — remained there until early October . On 3 October , she put to sea and headed for Japan with additional occupation troops embarked . The attack transport disembarked her passengers at Aki Nada , Japan , between 5 and 10 October . On the 11th , the ship headed back to Okinawa , where she took on homeward - bound servicemen between the 13th and 16th . She resumed her voyage on the 16th and arrived in San Francisco on the 30th . " Botetourt " remained in San Francisco until 15 November , when she headed back to the western Pacific . She shuttled passengers between Korea and Japan until January 1946 , during which month she returned to the west coast of the United States . On 24 January 1946 , the attack transport departed Portland , Oregon , on her way to the east coast . She made a stop at San Francisco , transited the Panama Canal , and arrived in Norfolk , Virginia , where she reported to the Commander , 16th ( Atlantic Reserve ) Fleet for inactivation overhaul . " Botetourt " was decommissioned on 5 June 1946 and berthed with the Norfolk Group , Atlantic Reserve Fleet . There she remained until American participation in the United Nations ' effort to stem North Korean aggression in the summer of 1950 brought an increased need for ships in the active Navy . Korean War era service . " Botetourt " was recommissioned at Norfolk on 23 September 1950 , Capt . Robert R . Moore in command . " Botetourt " spent the rest of 1950 outfitting and conducting shakedown training . January 1951 brought post - shakedown availability at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard . She completed repairs on 27 January and , after a week of preparations , put to sea to begin operations out of Norfolk . Between late February and mid - June , the attack transport participated in a series of amphibious exercises and troop lifts . When not so engaged , she conducted independent ship ' s exercises and type training . In port , upkeep and maintenance occupied her time . On 15 June , she departed Norfolk for Morehead City , North Carolina , where she embarked marines . From there , " Botetourt " started out across the $ 3 on the only Mediterranean deployment of her career . While serving with the 6th Fleet , she participated in amphibious exercises at Sardinia , Crete , and Malta and visited ports in France , Greece , Italy , and Algeria . The attack transport departed Oran , Algeria , on 20 September and laid in a course for the United States . " Botetourt " disembarked her marine contingent at Morehead City on 30 September and reentered Norfolk immediately thereafter . Her return to Norfolk heralded a resumption of troop lifts and amphibious exercises . Between mid - October and mid - November , she participated in an exercise at Vieques Island in the West Indies and in a similar evolution at Onslow Beach , North Carolina , upon her return . " Botetourt " reentered Norfolk on 18 November and enjoyed an extended leave and liberty period through the end of the year . The first three months of 1952 brought more local operations out of Norfolk . On 1 April 1952 , she entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a two - month regular overhaul . At the conclusion of the repair period , the attack transport headed south to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , for refresher training . Upon her return to Norfolk , she conducted additional amphibious training at Little Creek , Virginia In August , " Botetourt " made a round - trip voyage from the United States to Bremerhaven , Germany , to carry 1 , 600 Army troops there . She returned to Norfolk early in September and , after two weeks of upkeep , resumed normal operations out of her home port . " Botetourt " continued in active service for a little more than three years . Her assignments during that time were quite repetitious . She participated in landing exercise after landing exercise — most frequently at Vieques Island or Onslow Beach . Those duties were punctuated with training cruises for naval reservists and summer training cruises for Naval Academy and NROTC midshipmen . Throughout that period , she operated either along the east coast or in the West Indies . On 14 November 1955 , " Botetourt " got underway from Norfolk bound for Philadelphia and inactivation . She arrived at her destination that same day and began preparations for inactivation immediately . Fate . On 27 April 1956 , " Botetourt " was placed out of commission and was berthed with the Philadelphia Group , Atlantic Reserve Fleet . On 12 December 1960 , she entered the Maritime Administration ' s National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River , Virginia . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1961 . Ex - " Highlands " was sold for US $ 288 , 166 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation for scrapping on 21 August 1974 . At 1035 EDT , on 10 October 1974 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker ' s yard . External links . N / A