USS Towner ( AKA - 77 ) USS " Towner " ( AKA - 77 ) was a of the United States Navy named after Towner County , North Dakota . She 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 18 months . " Towner " was laid down as a Type C2 - S - AJ3 ship under Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 1383 ) on 8 April 1944 at Wilmington , North Carolina , by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Co . ; launched on 13 June 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Harold Broudy ; acquired by the Navy from the War Shipping Administration on 27 June 1944 ; and commissioned on 3 December 1944 , Comdr . Robert P . Erdman in command . Service history . World War II , 1944 – 1945 . Following shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay area from 14 December to 23 December , the attack cargo ship loaded cargo at Bayonne , New Jersey , and , with , got underway on 4 January 1945 for the Pacific . The two ships transited the Panama Canal on 10 January and headed for Hawaii the next day , arriving at Pearl Harbor on the 25th . " Towner " stood out to sea again on 9 February bound for New Caledonia and arrived at Nouméa 10 days later . For the next two and one - half months , she made shuttle runs to Uarai Bay and participated in amphibious training exercises . In late April , " Towner " loaded elements of the 710th Tank Battalion and , with Transport Division 33 , sortied on 3 May for the Philippines . She unloaded at Dulag on the 16th and reported to the 7th Fleet the following week . On 27 May , she sailed independently , via Hollandia , to Milne Bay to load a deck cargo of boats which she delivered to Manus . In early June , she loaded base hospital units at Lae for transportation to the Philippines and unloaded them at Manila on the 16th . From mid - June to mid - October , she shuttled troops and cargo from New Guinea to the Philippines . Post - war activities , 1945 . On 26 August , " Towner " joined the Transport Division of the 3rd Amphibious Force at Cebu to assist in carrying troops and equipment of the Americal Division to Japan . The convoy sortied on 1 September and arrived at Yokohama a week later . " Towner " discharged her troops and cargo and was back in the Philippines on the 17th . In early October , she made another round - trip to Tokyo Bay . The cargo ship departed Leyte on 24 October and , after calling at Okinawa and Taku , arrived at Tsingtao on 17 November . On 2 December 1945 , " Towner " proceeded — via Guam , Guadalcanal , the Russell Islands , and Hawaii — to the United States . Decommissioning . " Towner " arrived at Seattle on 25 January 1946 and entered the Bremerton Navy Yard for voyage repairs . She got underway for the east coast on 19 March and arrived at Norfolk on 10 April . " Towner " was decommissioned on 10 June 1946 , returned to the War Shipping Administration on 13 June , and was struck from the Navy List on 19 June 1946 and sold for use as a civilian cargo vessel . Civilian Service and Fate . After being sold by the Navy , Ex - USS " Towner " was renamed ( in succession ) SS " Philippine Bear " , SS " Kaimana " , and SS " Guam Bear " . She served as a cargo ship for various carriers until July 1967 when ( as " Guam Bear " in the service of Pacific Far East Lines ) she was involved in a collision outside of Apra Harbor , Guam . Judged a constructive total loss , the hulk was towed 2 nautical miles off shore and scuttled .