USS Suffolk ( AKA - 69 ) USS " Suffolk " ( AKA - 69 ) was a of the United States Navy , named after counties in Massachusetts and New York . " Suffolk " was designed to carry military cargo and landing craft , and to use the latter to land weapons , supplies , and Marines on enemy shores during amphibious operations . She served as a commissioned ship for 20 months . " Suffolk " ( MC hull 1396 ) was laid down on as a Type C2 - S - AJ3 ship on 11 July 1944 by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company , Wilmington , North Carolina ; launched on 15 September 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . W . T . Dixon ; and commissioned on 23 October 1944 , Comdr . E . C . Clusman , USNR , in command . Service history . World War II , 1944 – 1945 . " Suffolk " , after outfitting , got underway for the Charleston Navy Yard where she was depermed on 19 November and , on the 25th , began her shakedown cruise in the Chesapeake Bay . After a post - shakedown availability period , she sailed for the Panama Canal Zone on 11 December and arrived at San Francisco on 29 December 1944 . She loaded cargo on 10 January 1945 and sailed the following week for Manus , Admiralty Islands . " Suffolk " arrived at Seeadler Harbor on 3 February , discharged part of her cargo and proceeded on to New Guinea , arriving at Hollandia on the 7th . She embarked naval beach party personnel and sailed for the Philippines on 9 February . Her passengers were disembarked at Leyte on the 17th , and the cargo was offloaded at Samar between 19 February and 3 March . She returned to Leyte where she combat - loaded troops and cargo . " Suffolk " sortied with Task Group ( TG ) 51 . 1 , the Western Islands Attack Force , on 21 March for Kerama Retto . She arrived there four days later , and Army troops landed on 26 March . The ships were under almost daily air attack and , on 2 April , was crashed by a kamikaze . " Henrico " lost all power . A tow line was passed to her by the crew of " Suffolk " and then towed to comparative safety at Kerama Retto . " Suffolk " remained at Okinawa until 30 April when she got underway for Saipan . She was ordered to return to the United States via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor . " Suffolk " arrived at San Francisco on 24 May and proceeded to Seattle for repairs and loading . On 16 June she stood out to sea , en route to Eniwetok , Saipan , and the Bonin Islands , arriving at Iwo Jima on 7 July . All cargo was discharged within three days , and the ship headed back to San Francisco , arriving on 26 July . Japan ceased hostilities on 14 August , but the cargo ship continued loading passengers and cargo . She stood out of San Francisco on 20 August and steamed to the New Hebrides Islands . Post - war activities , 1945 – 1946 . " Suffolk " arrived at Espiritu Santo on 4 September ; discharged cargo and passengers ; and sailed for Leyte on the 6th . She arrived there on 15 September , and loaded troops and cargo destined for Hokkaidō , Japan . " Suffolk " departed the Philippines on 26 September and arrived at Otaru , Hokkaidō , on 5 October ; disembarked her troops ; and departed for Guam the next day . " Suffolk " loaded elements of the 6th Marine Division at Guam and sailed , on 22 October , with Transport Division 35 for China . Tsingtao was reached on 28 October . The ship remained there until 4 November when she was ordered to return to the United States , via Okinawa . She arrived at Portland , Oregon where she landed her passengers before proceeding to the east coast . Decommissioning and Civilian Service . She reported to the 5th Naval District in March 1946 for layup with the reserve fleet in the James River . " Suffolk " was decommissioned on 27 June , returned to the War Shipping Administration on 28 June , and struck from the Navy List on 19 July 1946 . Ex - " USS Suffolk " was sold by the Maritime Administration for commercial service in 1947 and renamed SS " Southport " . United States Lines acquired the ship in 1961 and renamed her SS " American Retailer " . Sold to the Alcoa Steamship Company , she was rechristened as SS " Alcoa Master " . In the years that followed she was resold and renamed SS " Columbia Star " and then SS " Antillian Star " . The ship was sold for the last time in 1971 and scrapped at Kaohsiung , Taiwan . Awards . " Suffolk " received one battle star for her service in World War II .