USS Brookings ( APA - 140 ) USS " Brookings " ( APA - 140 ) was a " Haskell " - class attack transport acquired by the U . S . Navy during World War II for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas . " Brookings " ( " APA - 140 " ) was laid down on 5 September 1944 at Wilmington , California , by the California Shipbuilding Corp . , under a Maritime Commission contract ( MCV hull 24 ) ; launched on 20 November 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . T . C . Johnson ; and commissioned on 6 January 1945 , Capt . Herbert C . Berger in command . World War II service . After conducting shakedown training , " Brookings " returned to San Pedro , California , on 17 February for post - shakedown availability before proceeding to San Francisco , California , to load cargo . Sailing through the Golden Gate on 22 March 1945 , " Brookings " steamed westward and reached Pearl Harbor with a cargo of ammunition on the 28th . Transporting troops across the Pacific Ocean . For the next four months , " Brookings " carried troops and cargo to such ports as Hilo and Pearl Harbor ; the island of Guam ; Ulithi , in the Carolines ; Manus , in the Admiralty Islands ; Hollandia , New Guinea ; Manila , Philippine Islands ; and the island of Leyte . The end of the war in mid - August found her sailing en route from Tacloban to Guam . End - of - war operations . " Brookings " was then assigned to forces supporting the occupation of Japan , and she transported elements of the Army ' s 43d Division to the Tokyo - Yokohama area . The ship remained in Tokyo Bay between 7 and 13 September 1945 . After returning to Guam soon thereafter and proceeding thence to Saipan , " Brookings " sailed for North China in October and landed elements of the 29th Regimental Combat Team of the 6th Marine Division at Tsingtao . Assigned to Operation Magic Carpet on 15 November , the attack transport returned American servicemen from Jinsen , Korea , and Sasebo , Japan , to Seattle , Washington , in two voyages between late November 1945 and early March 1946 . Post - war decommissioning . Departing San Francisco , California , on 3 April 1946 , " Brookings " sailed for the U . S . East Coast , touching briefly at the Panama Canal Zone from 12 to 16 April before arriving at Norfolk , Virginia , on 21 April . Decommissioned at Norfolk on 25 July 1946 , " Brookings " was laid up in the York River berthing area . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 October 1958 , and the ship was transferred to the Maritime Commission . Moved to Wilmington , North Carolina , later in the year , she was berthed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet . Later shifted to the James River , Virginia , berthing area , she remained in the hands of the Maritime Administration until 16 November 1987 when she was returned to the Navy to be used as a non - destructive target . " Brookings " was blown ashore at Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico by Hurricane Hugo in September 1989 prior to being sunk as a target by the US Navy . Attempts to refloat her failed and a contract was issued to Resolve Marine Group to remove her . " Brookings " was partially dismantled onsite from 5 January 1992 until 28 March 1992 when her remains were refloated . Her remains were scutted off Puerto Rico on 1 April 1992 .