USS Arenac ( APA - 128 ) USS " Arenac " ( APA - 128 ) was a of the US Navy . She was built and used during World War II . She was of the VC2 - S - AP5 Victory ship design type . " Arenac " was named for Arenac County , Michigan . World War II service . " Arenac " was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract ( MCV hull 44 ) on 9 July 1944 at Wilmington , California , by the California Shipbuilding Corporation ; launched on 14 September 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . L . D . Worsham ; delivered to the Moore Dry Dock Company , Oakland , California , on 24 September 1944 for completion ; acquired by the U . S . Navy and placed in commission , 8 January 1945 , Commander J . H . Carrington in command . After shakedown and amphibious training exercises off San Diego , California , " Arenac " took on a load of cargo and departed for Hawaii . On 3 February 1945 , " Arenac " was designated the flagship for Combat Transport Division ( COMTRANSDIV ) 68 , under the command of Commodore Chauncey Crutcher . She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 17 March 1945 and during the next two months operated out of Pearl Harbor carrying personnel and cargo to Eniwetok and Guam . On 12 May , " Arenac " arrived at Ulithi , Caroline Islands , and there embarked troops and took on supplies for support of the invasion of Okinawa . She got underway for that island on 23 May and anchored in waters off Okinawa on the 27th . While awaiting clearance to proceed to the beaches to unload her cargo " Arenac " underwent frequent alerts for enemy air attack . She moored off Hagushi Beach on 3 June , finished unloading her cargo and passengers by the 5th , and then began taking on personnel for evacuation from Okinawa . The transport left the area on 6 June and set a course for Saipan . " Arenac " paused at Saipan on the 12th to discharge a few of her passengers , continued on to Guam on the 13th , and remained in port there for six days before returning to Saipan on 20 June . She then began preparations to return to Okinawa . After a stop at Ulithi en route , the vessel arrived back at Okinawa on 5 July . Following discharge of her cargo , " Arenac " got underway on 8 July to return to the West Coast of the United States . Port calls at Saipan and Guam preceded the transport ' s arrival at San Francisco , California , on 28 July . Three days later , the vessel entered a shipyard at Richmond , California for an intermediate maintenance availability . She resumed operations on 11 August and made a course for Pearl Harbor . While the ship was en route , she received word of Japan ' s capitulation ending World War II . " Arenac " arrived in Hawaiian waters on the 17th and took on personnel for passage to the western Pacific . She set sail for Eniwetok on the 20th and after a brief pause at that atoll , stood out to sea to rendezvous with a convoy bound for Ulithi . " Arenac " reached Ulithi on 31 August . She got underway for the Philippines four days later and arrived at Manila on 9 September . She debarked her passengers there before moving on to San Fabian , Luzon , on the 18th to take on cargo and embarked troops for transportation to Japan . The ship set sail on 1 October and arrived at Wakayama , Japan on 7 October . However , before her passengers went ashore , she was ordered out of the area because of an approaching typhoon . The ship finally put into port at Nagoya , Japan , on 28 October and proceeded to debark her troops for occupation duty . On that same day , the transport was assigned to Service Force , Pacific Fleet for Operation Magic Carpet , transporting " high - point " military personnel from Japan and the Philippines to the West Coast of the United States for discharge . After off - loading passengers and equipment at Nagoya , " Arenac " set a course for the Philippines on 30 October 1945 , and arrived at Guiuan , Samar on 4 November . " High - point " Navy personnel were loaded for transport to San Francisco for discharge , but while en route , " Arenac " was diverted to Seattle , Washington instead , and arrived there on 25 November 1945 . After necessary voyage repairs and a period of liberty for the crew , " Arenac " resumed operations . On 8 December 1945 , she got underway for Nagoya , Japan but was diverted en route to the Naval Base at Sasebo on the island of Kyushu , Japan , arriving on 31 December 1945 . The ship debarked the Navy replacement passengers , then four days later departed for Nagoya , arriving on 6 January 1946 , embarking veterans for return to stateside and discharge . Arenac made three round - trip Pacific crossings in this service . The Operation Magic Carpet assignment was completed in March 1946 , and the ship was ordered to the East Coast of the United States for deactivation . The transport transited the Panama Canal and then continued on to Norfolk , Virginia . Proceeding to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard , Portsmouth , Virginia on 8 April 1946 and then the Naval Mine Depot at Yorktown , Virginia , " Arenac " was decommissioned on 10 July 1946 . She was transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet , James River Group at Fort Eustis , Virginia . Fate . On 14 January 1959 , the ship was transferred to the Maritime Administration at the same location . Her name was struck from the Navy List on 1 October 1958 . On 21 August 1974 she was sold to Consolidated Steel Corporation , for US $ 298 , 999 , to be scrapped . At 1425 EDT , on 25 October 1974 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker ' s yard . Awards . " Arenac " earned one battle star for her World War II service .