USS Bland ( APA - 134 ) USS " Bland " ( APA - 134 ) was a acquired by the U . S . Navy during World War II for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas . " Bland " ( " APA - 134 " ) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract ( MCV hull 50 ) on 2 August 1944 at Wilmington , California , by the California Shipbuilding Corp . ; launched on 26 October 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Lawrence A . Collins , wife of the editor and publisher of the Long Beach , California , " Independent " ; acquired by the Navy on a loan charter basis from the Maritime Commission on 14 December 1944 ; and commissioned at San Pedro , California , on 15 December 1944 , Comdr . Laurence E . Eastman , USNR , in command . World War II service . Following her shakedown training in the vicinity of Los Angeles , California , and amphibious exercises at Coronado Strand , near San Diego , California , the attack transport departed San Pedro on 5 February 1945 , bound for Seattle , Washington . A strong southeasterly gale forced her to lie to for 15 hours on 7 and 8 February , but she finally reached her destination on the 9th . She then underwent a three - day voyage availability period before embarking 85 U . S . Army officers , 1 , 219 enlisted men , and 42 sailors on 16 February for transportation westward . She sailed for Hawaii the following day . From Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima . The ship arrived at Honolulu on Washington ' s Birthday and disembarked 835 men and 68 officers before embarking more westward - bound passengers , both military and civilian . She sailed for the Marshalls in convoy PD - 312T . Touching briefly at Eniwetok , " Bland " resumed her voyage on 13 March in company with an Eniwetok - to - Guam convoy . Reaching Apra Harbor on the 13th , she embarked casualties from the invasion of Iwo Jima before heading to Hawaii alone . She arrived in Pearl Harbor on the last day of March but returned to sea again on 3 April , bound for San Francisco , California , with a mixed roster of passengers . Diverted to San Diego en route on the 5th , she reached her new destination three days later . The ship did not linger on the U . S . West Coast for long , but sailed for Hawaii on the 17th with 1 , 550 passengers and reached Pearl Harbor a week later . Over the ensuing weeks , the attack transport practiced amphibious landings at both Maui and Oahu . " Bland " sailed for the west coast on 29 May , reached San Francisco on 4 June , and disembarked 430 sailors and marines . On 6 June , she got underway for Seattle , Washington , and reached her destination two days later . Delivering troops to Okinawa . Following voyage repairs , " Bland " departed Seattle on 26 June , loaded with cargo and with 1 , 512 soldiers embarked the previous day . En route to Okinawa , the attack transport reached Eniwetok on 8 July and remained there until pushing on for the Western Carolines six days later . Making port at Ulithi on the 18th , " Bland " proceeded on to Okinawa , sailing on 29 July with Convoy WOK - 42 . She arrived at Naha on 5 August , disembarking her passengers and unloading her cargo by means of her own landing craft at Hagushi Beach . Three days later , she sailed for Saipan . End - of - war operations . During her time at Hagushi and the ensuing voyage to the Marianas , the atomic bomb s were dropped on Hiroshima ( 6 August ) and Nagasaki ( 9 August ) . Japan ' s leaders wrestled with the decision to surrender , and " Bland " completed her voyage , reaching Saipan on 14 August . The announcement of the war ' s end the following day , however , did not signal rest for the attack transport since the occupation of the former enemy ' s homeland still lay ahead . Ordered to the Philippines , " Bland " got underway on 16 August and arrived in San Pedro Bay , Leyte , four days later . She remained at anchor there for three days before sailing for Cebu . At that port , she embarked 78 officers and 1 , 240 men of the Americal Division and sailed for Japan on 1 September . Evacuating prisoners - of - war . Leaving troops and cargo at Yokohama on 9 and 10 September , " Bland " headed back to the Philippines with Task Group ( TG ) 33 . 3 on 10 September . Diverted once en route to Formosa to evacuate Allied prisoners of war , " Bland " was rerouted again on the 12th back to her original destination , Leyte . After a three - day layover there , the attack transport sailed for Cebu where she arrived on 19 September . Providing occupation troops for Hokkaidō . " Bland " sailed for Japan on 25 September with elements of the Army ' s 77th Division embarked , as part of TG 34 . 8 , and arrived off Hokkaidō on the 5th . She reached Otaru that day and began disembarking troops and discharging cargo lifted from the Philippines . Hers was part of the 10 , 000 men from the 77th Division and IX Corps put ashore to occupy Hokkaidō . Her part in the operation completed , " Bland " then sailed for Okinawa on the 7th . China operations . After being rerouted once because of a typhoon , " Bland " reached Hagushi beach , Okinawa , on the 14th and , over the next few days , loaded stores . She then proceeded to an anchorage off Naga Wan , Okinawa , where she embarked men and cargo of the 1st Marine Division bound for the occupation of North China between 16 and 21 October . Underway on 21 October , " Bland " sailed for Tientsin and arrived off Taku Bar on the 24th . She commenced disembarking her marines the following day , but did not start discharging cargo until the 29th . She completed the entire process by 1 November and then began her " Operation Magic Carpet " duties by embarking men to be returned to the United States . Mission of mercy at sea . Underway for Korea on 5 November , " Bland " reached Jinsen ( Inchon ) the following day and embarked more dischargees before sailing for Japan on the 7th . Reaching Sasebo on the 9th , she took on additional homeward - bound servicemen and sailed for Okinawa two days later . Arriving in Buckner Bay , Okinawa , on Armistice Day 1945 , " Bland " got underway for San Francisco three days later . While en route back to the United States , " Bland " rendezvoused with the Liberty Ship " SS Leonidas Merritt " on 20 November to take on board a man " in dire need of medical care " and diverted briefly to Midway Island the following day before resuming her homeward course . She arrived at San Francisco on 3 December 1945 and disembarked her passengers before shifting to Hunter ' s Point for voyage repairs . On 15 December she sailed for the Philippines for her second Magic Carpet run . Post - war decommissioning . " Bland " completed this mission and carried out one more Magic Carpet voyage before departing San Francisco on 7 February 1946 and proceeding , via Panama , to the U . S . East Coast . She reached Norfolk , Virginia , on 7 March and was decommissioned there on 27 April 1946 . " Bland " was turned over to the War Shipping Administration the next day , and her name was struck from the Navy list on 8 May 1946 . Placed in reserve in the James River , she was ultimately sold to the Consolidated Steel Corp . of Brownsville , Texas , on 23 January 1974 , along with sisterships , , and for scrap .