USS Fayette ( APA - 43 ) USS " Fayette " ( APA - 43 ) was a that served with the US Navy during World War II . " Fayette " was launched 25 February 1943 by Ingalls Shipbuilding , Pascagoula , Mississippi , as " Sea Hawk " ; acquired by the Navy 30 April ; placed in ferry commission between 30 April and 14 May ; and commissioned in full 14 October 1943 , Commander J . C . Lester in command . Operational history . " Fayette " embarked marines at Norfolk , Virginia for transportation to Pearl Harbor , where she arrived 21 December 1943 . Kwajalein . After training , she embarked soldiers , and sailed from Honolulu 22 January 1944 for Kwajalein , where she landed her troops on 1 February , one day after the initial assault . For 4 days , she offloaded combat cargo , and acted as receiving ship for casualties whom she transferred to a hospital ship before sailing 5 February for Funafuti . Marianas . After training in landing exercises at Nouméa , " Fayette " redeployed Marines and soldiers between March and May 1944 , calling at Guadalcanal , Kwajalein , Cape Gloucester , and in the Russell Islands on this duty before sailing from Kwajalein 12 June for the assault on the Marianas . With her troops destined for Guam , she was called back to Eniwetok when the invasion was delayed , and sortied once more 17 July for Guam . " Fayette " sent her boats away with assault troops 21 July , then received casualties from the shore for 4 days , returning with them to Espiritu Santo 5 August . Palaus . In the Russells , " Fayette " loaded troops and rehearsed for the assault of the Palaus . She arrived off Peleliu for the initial landings 15 September 1944 , and within 5 days was loaded to capacity with wounded from the bitter fighting ashore . These she carried to Manus , then sailed on to New Guinea to prepare for the liberation of the Philippines . Leyte . " Fayette " landed her troops at Leyte 20 October , and before the Battle for Leyte Gulf exploded , sailed for $ 3 and Morotai to load reinforcements . " Fayette " twice fired to drive off Japanese air attacks before clearing Morotai 10 November 1944 for San Pedro Bay , P . I . , where she arrived and unloaded 14 November . Lingayen Gulf . Returning to Manus and Aitape to replenish , reload troops , and rehearse landings , " Fayette " sailed from New Guinea 28 December for Lingayen Gulf . The task force in which she sailed met a variety of resistance from the Japanese , and " Fayette " joined in the general barrage which drove a dive - bomber off before it could strike a nearby battleship on the morning of the landings , 9 January 1945 . Unloaded by mid - afternoon , she fired to fight off several dusk attacks on the transport area , and the next day sailed for Leyte Gulf , firing several times to drive off air attacks . Iwo Jima . After 6 days at Leyte , " Fayette " sailed to replenish at Ulithi and to embark Marines at Guam . These she landed at Iwo Jima as reinforcements 24 February 1945 , then sailed with casualties for Tulagi and Nouméa . There she loaded soldiers , and began a period of training during which she was in reserve for the Okinawa invasion . With her troops not required there , she carried them to the Philippines , and sailed from Leyte 25 May for a west coast overhaul which lasted through the close of the war . After hostilities . " Fayette " voyaged to the Far East between 28 August 1945 and 13 November 1945 , carrying out occupation troops , and returning with servicemen eligible for discharge . Similar duty took her to Pearl Harbor , Guam , and Saipan between 28 November and 17 January 1946 . From the west coast she sailed to Mobile , Alabama , where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve 6 March 1946 . Fayette was transferred to the Maritime Commission 19 April 1946 . Fayette received six battle star s for World War II service . Commercial service . " Fayette " was sold for commercial service in 1947 and renamed SS " Robin Gray " . Later she was simply named SS " Grey " . She was scrapped at Kaohsiung , Taiwan in 1971 .