USS Winston ( AKA - 94 ) USS " Winston " ( AKA - 94 / LKA - 94 ) was an named after counties in Alabama and Mississippi . She served as a commissioned ship for 19 years and 11 months . " Winston " ( AKA - 94 ) was laid down on 10 July 1944 at Kearny , New Jersey , by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 216 ) , launched on 30 November 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . Benjamin Fairless , delivered to the Navy on 18 January 1945 , and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 19 January 1945 , Comdr . Morgan C . Wheyland , USNR , in command . Service history . World War II , 1945 . " Winston " completed her fitting - out at New York and then departed on 3 February , bound for the Virginia Capes . She reached Hampton Roads the following day and , for the next nine days , conducted shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay . Following post - shakedown availability at the Norfolk Navy Yard , she put to sea once again on 1 March , bound for Hawaii . En route , the vessel transited the Panama Canal on 7 March and arrived in Pearl Harbor on the 20th . After discharging her cargo , the attack cargo ship stood out of Pearl Harbor on 29 March , set a course for the west coast , and reached San Francisco on 4 April . There , " Winston " loaded 2 , 496 tons of cargo bound for the 4th Marine Division , headed back toward Hawaii on 10 April , and arrived at Maui nine days later . She discharged her cargo there and , on 27 April , received orders to conduct amphibious training at Kahoolawe Island . That operation lasted until 1 May . The following day , she stopped briefly at Honolulu before departing Hawaii on her way back to the west coast . She arrived in San Francisco Bay on 9 May , loaded ammunition at Port Chicago , and headed back to Hawaii on the 14th . In June and July , she made two more such round - trip voyages ferrying ammunition between Oahu and San Francisco . After her return to Pearl Harbor in August , " Winston " resumed duty with the amphibious forces . The war , however , ended before she saw any combat action . Far East , Atlantic & Pacific deployments , 1945 – 1950 . " Winston " supported the American postwar occupation in Asia . On 7 September , she stood out of Pearl Harbor to transport the Army ' s 98th Infantry Division to Japan . She stopped at Saipan from the 19th to the 22nd and arrived at Wakayama , Japan , on 27 September . On 1 October , " Winston " got underway for the Philippines and , a week later , entered port at Manila . On the 8th , she moved to Subic Bay where she loaded landing craft to replace those she had left with the occupation forces in Japan . The following day , the ship left Subic Bay and headed — via Lingayen Gulf and Aringay — back to Japan . She reached Hiro Wan on 22 October and remained there for eight days . She put to sea again on the 30th and set a course for Pearl Harbor . " Winston " made a three - day stop at Oahu , from 10 to 13 November , before continuing on toward the United States . She transited the Panama Canal on 29 November and arrived at Norfolk , Virginia , on 7 December . For almost two years , the ship plied the waters of the western Atlantic , participating in amphibious maneuvers with Marines from the Central American coast in the south to the shores of Greenland in the north . Late in 1947 , " Winston " was inactivated briefly at Baltimore ; but she returned to active service early in 1948 . During that year , she resumed exercises with the Marines and travelled the length of the coast of North America . At the beginning of 1949 , she embarked units of the 2nd Marine Division and sailed on 3 January for a four - month tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea . On 24 May , the attack cargo ship returned to the United States from her first cruise with the 6th Fleet . After disembarking the Marines at Morehead City , North Carolina , she proceeded to Norfolk and resumed east coast operations out of that port . On 2 September , she left the Chesapeake Bay on her way to the Pacific Ocean . The ship transited the Panama Canal on the 7th , remained at Balboa until the 10th , and then headed north to the Pacific Northwest . She visited Olympia , Seattle , and Tacoma before moving south to San Diego on 29 September . " Winston " departed that port on 10 October , bound for Hawaii . For the next three weeks , she participated in Operation " Miki " , a combined Army , Navy , Air Force , and Marine Corps exercise simulating a massive invasion of the Hawaiian Islands . She returned to the west coast in mid - November and paid visits to Tacoma , Washington , and San Francisco , California , before heading south toward Panama on 22 November . She entered the canal on 4 December , set a course back toward the Virginia Capes later that day , and arrived in Hampton Roads on 8 December . For the next seven months , " Winston " made training voyages out of Norfolk and conducted amphibious exercises with Marines embarked . Korean War , 1950 – 1953 . However , the eruption of hostilities in the Far East late in June 1950 — when communist North Korea invaded South Korea — took the attack cargo ship back to the Orient . On 14 August , " Winston " stood out of Hampton Roads , bound — via the Panama Canal and the California coast — for the western Pacific . She transited the canal on the 19th and arrived in San Diego on the 27th . On 1 September , the ship embarked upon a non - stop voyage to Kobe , Japan , which she reached on the 16th . After two days at Kobe , " Winston " continued her voyage to the combat zone off the coast of Korea . On 26 September , she and the other units of Transport Division ( TransDiv ) 11 landed reinforcements at Inchon where , only 11 days before , the United States Navy had landed troops in a classic combined operation which forced communist forces to withdraw from much of South Korea . She continued participation in that operation for five days before retiring to Sasebo , Japan . Two weeks later , she returned to Inchon to reembark Marines for the landings at Wonsan carried out between 25 and 31 October . Completing her part in that operation , the attack cargo ship began a shuttle service between Pusan and the combat areas ferrying fresh troops and supplies — first to Wonsan and , later , to Hŭngnam . Late in November , Chinese communist forces entered the conflict and began an all - out drive against United Nations forces to drive them out of North Korea . By early December , most UN troops were pushed across the 38th parallel into South Korea , but a few held coastal enclaves at Wonsan and Hŭngnam . " Winston " participated in the evacuation of troops from both areas . That operation occupied most of the final month of 1950 . During the first eight months of 1951 , the attack cargo ship continued her duty running troops and supplies between various points on the eastern coast of Korea . When UN forces began their push back northward , the naval forces along the eastern coast supported their advance by elaborate feints at amphibious landings far behind enemy lines . " Winston " participated in three of those diversions between April and June . Otherwise , her mission remained one of cargo and troop transportation . After visits to Sasebo and Hong Kong in June and July , respectively , she departed Hong Kong on 14 July and shaped a course back to the United States . She arrived in San Diego on 1 August and began operations along the California coast . At the beginning of 1952 , she left the coast for a voyage to Hawaii and an overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard . At the conclusion of this refurbishing work , she resumed operations along the west coast out of San Diego . In November , " Winston " loaded ammunition at San Francisco and , on the 12th , headed out to sea to return to the western Pacific . She arrived in Yokosuka , Japan , on the 29th ; but , instead of heading back to the Korean coast immediately , the attack cargo ship made a circuit of port visits , stopping at Sasebo , Hong Kong , Subic Bay , and , returning to Japan , at Naha and Kobe before reentering Yokosuka . Between 12 and 14 February 1953 , she made her first return visit to Korea , carrying troops and equipment from Japan to Pusan . From then until the armistice in July , shuttle missions between Japan and Korea remained her sole mission . Then , as the diplomatic offensive replaced military operations , the issue of prisoner exchange came to the fore , and " Winston " was chosen as one of the ships to participate in " Operation Big Switch " . She made four trips between Koje - do , Cheju - do , and Pusan repatriating over 3 , 000 prisoners of war and civilian internees between August and September 1953 . Pacific Fleet , 1953 – 1957 . She returned to Japan early in September and , after stops at Sasebo and Yokosuka , the ship departed the latter port on 22 September to return to the United States . En route , she made a two - day layover at Pearl Harbor between 3 and 5 October and arrived in San Diego on the 12th . She remained there until 8 December , at which time she put to sea en route to Pearl Harbor and another shipyard overhaul . After completing those repairs in February 1954 , she headed home on the 24th and arrived at San Diego on 3 March . Six months of west coast operations under the auspices of the Commander , Amphibious Force , Pacific Fleet , ensued . In September , she headed back to the western Pacific once more for a five - month deployment during which she participated in 7th Fleet amphibious exercises and transported Marine Corps units between various bases in the Far East . On 17 March 1955 , " Winston " arrived back in San Diego to begin another six months with the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Force . Coastal operations , including participation in amphibious exercises at Camp Pendleton , occupied her through the summer . On 29 August , she stood out of San Diego on her way to the Far East once again . The ship entered Yokosuka on 15 September to begin an eventful tour of duty with the 7th Fleet . She participated in Marine Corps landing exercises at Okinawa in November and , in February 1956 , joined in another amphibious operation but this time at Iwo Jima . Late in February , she visited Yokosuka before heading home via Pearl Harbor . She reentered San Diego on 23 March and resumed local operations along the California coast . Those operations included a brief period of service in conjunction with the shooting of the film , " The Good Shepherd " . On 1 February 1957 , " Winston " was placed out of commission , in reserve , apparently berthed at either San Diego or San Francisco . Recommissioned into the Pacific Fleet , 1961 – 1965 . After more than 45 months of inactivity , " Winston " was recommissioned at San Francisco on 24 November 1961 . For the next year , she conducted operations in the eastern Pacific . In the fall of 1962 , she began preparations for a deployment to the western Pacific . She stood out of San Diego on 16 October and stopped at Pearl Harbor at the beginning of November . There , she received orders to carry relief supplies to typhoon - stricken Guam which she did later that month . At Subic Bay for upkeep early in December , " Winston " began her first tour of duty with the 7th Fleet since recommissioning . That tour included a period of service as station ship at Hong Kong and missions training South Korean marines in amphibious operations at Pohang . She also carried an entire United States Marine Corps air group from Yokosuka to Kaohsiung , Taiwan . On 2 May 1963 , the attack cargo ship ended her cruise back at San Diego ; and she resumed local operations in the eastern Pacific . Amphibious training occupied her time during the summer , and an overhaul at Portland took care of late September , October , and November . After post - overhaul training early in 1964 , the ship voyaged to Hawaii to take part in amphibious exercises . She returned to the west coast in May and began preparations for another Far Eastern cruise . On 18 June , she stood out of San Diego bound , via Pearl Harbor , for the Orient . During her stop at Pearl Harbor , " Winston " and her boats took part in the shooting of Otto Preminger ' s film , " In Harm ' s Way " . By the time the ship arrived at Okinawa , the Gulf of Tonkin Incident had occurred and revised all 7th Fleet deployment plans . Thus , for the remainder of that tour of duty , " Winston " ranged the South China Sea conducting contingency patrols with combat - loaded Marine Corps units embarked , though her only Vietnam duty came as a result of a natural disaster rather than the civil war in that country . She supported relief efforts in the flood - soaked area around Da Nang . Near the end of the year , the ship pulled into San Diego to end her second western Pacific deployment since re - commissioning . " Winston " spent the first five months of 1965 engaged in operations — amphibious exercises for the most part — along the coast of southern California . Late in May , she embarked Marines and their equipment for a brief deployment to the Far East . The ship stood out of San Diego on 24 May , made a three - day stop at Pearl Harbor along the way , and arrived in Buckner Bay , Okinawa , on 17 June . Between 21 and 28 June , she made a voyage from Buckner Bay to Sasebo , Japan , and back . During the latter part of the first week in July , " Winston " steamed from Okinawa to South Vietnam , arriving at Da Nang on the 7th . After a three - day layover , " Winston " put to sea , bound for Japan , and arrived at Yokosuka on the 19th where she remained for eight days . On the 27th , she sailed for the United States and , on 11 August , entered port at San Diego . Through the end of September , the ship went " cold iron " there for repairs but resumed operations out of her home port at the beginning of October . Amphibious exercises , independent ship ' s drills , and upkeep at San Diego occupied her during much of the winter of 1965 and 1966 . Vietnam War , 1966 – 1969 . During the latter half of February 1966 , the ship prepared for another tour of duty in the western Pacific . " Winston " departed San Diego on 1 March 1966 for the first Far Eastern deployment in which she would conduct major operations in Vietnamese waters . She stopped at Pearl Harbor overnight on 10 and 11 March and arrived at Okinawa on the 26th . There , she unloaded one cargo and took on another — mostly lumber for construction activities at Chu Lai , South Vietnam . She arrived at Chu Lai on the 5th and spent the next four days unloading her cargo . On the 10th , she moved to Da Nang where she helped unload her cargo , and she herself loaded elements of the 4th Marines . The following day , she departed Da Nang for the Colo area near Huế , arriving there on the 12th . Between 13 and 15 April , her boats ferried ammunition and supplies up the Huế River , both banks of which were in enemy hands . At the completion of that dangerous mission , she reembarked all boats and crewmen and got underway for Hong Kong . Following a week of liberty , she returned to sea , set a course for Japan on 23 April , and arrived at Sasebo on the 27th . She spent three weeks in upkeep there before sailing on 16 May for Okinawa . She held amphibious training exercises in the Okinawa area on 17 and 18 May and , from 19 to 23 May , embarked Regimental Landing Team 5 and its equipment for transportation to Chu Lai . She set out for Vietnam on the 23rd and arrived at Chu Lai on the 27th . She unloaded cargo ; disembarked passengers ; and , after a brief stop at Da Nang on 2 June , got underway for Taiwan . She arrived in Keelung on 4 June and remained there until the 7th when she returned to sea bound for Subic Bay in the Philippines . En route , however , she was rerouted to Yokosuka , Japan , where she arrived on 11 June . At the end of almost a month of upkeep at Yokosuka and several days of operations near Okinawa , " Winston " suffered damage to one of her boilers . That casualty forced her into Subic Bay for repairs , and she did not return to sea until 22 July . On 26 July , after a rough transit which had taken her through the developing Typhoon " Ora " , the cargo ship returned to Vietnam at Cam Ranh Bay . The next day , she embarked men and equipment of the Army ' s 572rd Light Equipment Company for transportation north to Tuy Hoa . She anchored there the same day and began unloading . That operation lasted two days and proved difficult and hazardous due to the soft sand beach , large numbers of fishing craft and equipment crowding the area , and large amounts of debris . On the 29th , she headed north from Tuy Hoa to evacuate a South Vietnamese unit from Qui Nhon . That reverse amphibious operation saved the unit the heavy casualties it would have sustained fighting its way south along routes held by strong insurgent forces . " Winston " departed Qui Nhon on 31 July and delivered the South Vietnamese troops to Tuy Hoa that same day . Over the next three days and nights , she completed another difficult unloading operation complicated by the proximity of the enemy and the possibility of hostile fishing craft . She departed the Vietnamese coast on 3 August and , after a stop at Okinawa , arrived at Yokosuka on the 11th . A week later , she headed home , stopped at Pearl Harbor from 27 to 29 August , arrived back in San Diego on 5 September , and resumed local operations along the southern California coast . On 11 January 1967 , " Winston " entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and began a three - month overhaul . She completed repairs on 27 April and spent the month of May engaged in refresher training . In June , she conducted amphibious exercises , and July brought preparations for her return to the western Pacific . The ship departed San Diego on 21 July and arrived in Pearl Harbor on the 29th . During the first week in August , she participated in another series of amphibious exercises conducted off Molokai . Two days after completing that training , she exited Pearl Harbor to resume her voyage west . She arrived in Da Nang on 2 September and , after three days in port , returned to sea to join Amphibious Ready Group Alpha . During her six - week tour of duty with that mobile , self - contained amphibious unit , " Winston " participated in two combat operations . On 9 September , she helped backload marines of Special Landing Force ( SLF ) Alpha at Da Nang . On 16 September , she found herself off the Vietnamese coast near Hoi An . During Operation " Ballistic Charge " , the Special Landing Force went ashore by both helicopters and surface assault craft . " Winston " s boats participated in the lift and in the backload operation a week later . Almost a month later , she again participated in an amphibious landing , Operation " Bastion Hill " , near Quang Tri City . That operation ended on 20 October , and " Winston " served with ARG Alpha just eight more days before heading for Hong Kong and a liberty visit . From Hong Kong , she proceeded to Japan , arriving in Yokosuka on 17 November . After a brief upkeep , she began her homeward voyage on the 21st and entered San Diego on 10 December . During the early months of 1968 , " Winston " made preparations for another deployment to the western Pacific . She spent most of March in the shipyard at Treasure Island undergoing repairs . Late in April , she took part in Operation " Beagle Leash " , an amphibious exercise which simulated an attack on the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton . Throughout the summer , the ship participated in various single - and multi - ship training exercises honing her amphibious landing skills in preparation for another combat cruise off the coast of Vietnam . On 31 October , " Winston " stood out of San Diego and set course , via Pearl Harbor , for the Far East . She arrived at Okinawa on 24 November but departed the following day , bound for Vietnam . She arrived in Da Nang on 29 November , unloaded 300 tons of cargo , and set sail for Subic Bay that same day . The attack cargo ship entered Subic Bay on 2 December and reported for duty with ARG Alpha . On the 9th , she put to sea to return to the coast of Vietnam . She arrived at Da Nang on the 11th and , for about a month , engaged in routine steaming with ARG Alpha . On 1 January 1969 , the ship was redesignated ( LKA - 94 ) . On 5 January , her troops went ashore in the I Corps combat zone for operations against Viet Cong forces in Operation " Valiant Hunt " . That action continued until 12 January but proved to be only a preliminary to Operation " Bold Mariner " which she joined on the 13th . " Bold Mariner " was purported to be the largest amphibious operation of the Vietnam War to that date , and " Winston " participated in it until 25 January . After a brief stop at Da Nang on the 26th to unload some cargo , the ship got underway for a liberty call at Singapore which lasted from 1 to 10 February . She arrived back at Da Nang four days later . The ship operated off the coast of Vietnam , periodically departing the area for port calls at various places , until May 1969 . After a stop at Yokosuka , Japan , near the end of the month , she headed back to the United States . " Winston " arrived back in San Diego on 12 June . Decommissioning . There , she began preparations for inactivation . " Winston " was placed out of commission sometime in November 1969 and , on 17 February 1970 , she was transferred to the temporary custody of the Maritime Administration for lay up with the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay , California " Winston " remained berthed at Suisun Bay until 1 September 1976 at which time her name was struck from the Navy List , and her transfer to the Maritime Administration was made permanent . " Winston " was sold for scrap on 15 November 1979 to Apolina Limited , Hong Kong and removed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 18 December 1979 . Scrapping was performed by Keun Hwa Iron , Steel Works , and Enterprises Ltd of Taiwan , completed as of 23 April 1980 . Awards . " Winston " earned seven battle stars during the Korean War and another seven battle stars for service during the Vietnam War .