USS Gilliam ( APA - 57 ) USS " Gilliam " ( APA - 57 ) , named for Gilliam County in Oregon , was the lead ship in the her class of attack transport s serving in the United States Navy during World War II . She was launched 28 March 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract by the Consolidated Steel Corporation , Wilmington , California ; sponsored by Mrs . A . O . Williams of Wilmington ; acquired 31 July 1944 ; and commissioned 1 August 1944 , Comdr . H . B . Olsen in command . Operational history . World War II . The first of a new type of attack transport , " Gilliam " stood out of San Francisco Bay 16 October 1944 with 750 United States Army troops for Oro Bay , New Guinea , and delivered them to that port 4 November . Embarking nearly 1000 troops of the U . S . 11th Airborne Division , she sailed a week later and off - loaded her passengers at Leyte , subsequently returning to Humboldt Bay , New Guinea , 22 November . " Gilliam " got underway again 29 November under orders to steam to Leyte Gulf and embark elements of the 6th Army Headquarters for passage to Lingayen Gulf . Heavy air attacks . " Gilliam " was part of a 36 - ship convoy churning toward the Philippines when , on 5 December 1944 , the convoy came under heavy air attack while from Leyte Gulf . At 12 : 18 " Gilliam " spotted a plane coming in low on the water at deck level , headed for the middle of the convoy . Coming under limited fire , the Japanese plane released a torpedo 2 minutes later which smashed into . Just after 12 : 30 two more planes came in low and fast , and one got another torpedo into the stricken merchantman , which was then dead in the water . Intense fire from the convoy drove the planes off , but later that afternoon another Japanese aircraft dove in at 15 : 30 , and after running into heavy fire , made a suicide crash on SS " Marcus Daly " . The Japanese caught her on the bow at waterline and started fires and explosions . A second kamikaze tried his luck but missed and crashed into the sea after repeated hits from the convoy ' s gunners . " Anton Saugraine " and " Marcus Daly " were kept afloat by quick damage control , but the former ship was attacked again the next day while under tow and finally sunk . During this engagement , " Gilliam " ' s unflinching crew stood at General Quarters for nearly 12 hours and the ship reached Leyte 6 December without damage . Invasion of Luzon . At Leyte " Gilliam " acted as receiving ship for the crews of damaged warships and undertook medical and salvage operations in spite of continued air alerts . After embarking over 500 soldiers at Tacloban , she sailed from that port 7 January 1945 bringing troops to Lingayen Gulf in support of the invasion . She returned to Leyte on 14 January to embark elements of the 32nd Infantry Division and brought them safely back to Lingayen Gulf 27 January . Invasion of Okinawa . After loading casualties for passage to Leyte , " Gilliam " sailed from that port 2 February to embark Marines of the III Amphibious Corps at Guadalcanal and conducted training exercises in preparation for the coming invasion of Okinawa . " Gilliam " closed Okinawa on 1 April and in the face of kamikaze attacks debarked reconnaissance parties of the 3d Amphibious Corps and unloaded vital cargo . On 5 April she sailed for the United States via Saipan and Pearl Harbor , mooring at San Francisco 27 April for drydock repairs . Subsequently " Gilliam " embarked men of the 6th Seabee Battalion a Port Hueneme , California , and sailed 28 May 1945 for Okinawa via Eniwetok and Ulithi . She off - loaded cargo and passengers at Okinawa and then headed back to San Francisco . After hostilities . " Gilliam " arrived back at San Francisco on 10 August , where nearly 1 , 000 troops were embarked and brought to Pearl Harbor on 27 August . Men of the Headquarters and Service Battalions , 5th Amphibious Corps came on board at Hawaii , and " Gilliam " sailed 1 September for Sasebo , Japan , and put her occupation troops ashore 3 weeks later . On 25 September 1945 she got underway for Manila , and after embarking more than 450 veterans of the 33rd Infantry Division at Lingayen Gulf , she carried them to Sasebo , arriving 15 October . Operation Magic Carpet . After returning to Cebu in the Philippines 29 October , she became part of the Operation Magic Carpet fleet and sailed 2 November with 1 , 000 sailor s and soldiers , debarking them at Portland , Oregon , 21 November 1945 . Operation Crossroads . Following a voyage to Samar , " Gilliam " moored at Pearl Harbor 16 February 1946 and prepared to participate in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini atoll in the summer of 1946 . On the morning of 1 July 1946 , " Gilliam " , a target ship for Test Able , was the first ship struck by the blast and sunk in Bikini lagoon . Decorations . " Gilliam " received two battle stars for World War II service .