USS Natrona ( APA - 214 ) USS " Natrona " ( APA - 214 ) was a that saw service with the US Navy in World War II . " Natrona " was named after Natrona County , Wyoming . She was laid down as MC hull 562 under Maritime Commission contract on 30 June 1944 by the Permanente Metals Corporation of Richmond , California ; launched 27 September 1944 ; and acquired and commissioned by the Navy on 8 November 1944 , Capt . Eric E . Winquist in command . Operational history . World War II . Following shakedown off Southern California , " Natrona " sailed for Hawaii 3 January 1945 , as a unit of Transport Squadron 17 . At Pearl Harbor , she debarked Marines , loaded men and equipment of the 806th Engineering Battalion , and continued her westward passage on the 16th . By 1 February , she reached Saipan , debarked her passengers and cargo , and sailed to Ulithi . Invasion of Okinawa . At Ulithi , " Natrona " took on marine night fighters and sailed for Leyte to prepare for operation " Iceberg " , the invasion of the Ryūkyūs . On 21 March , " Natrona " , with marine night fighters and 77th Infantry Division men and equipment on board , departed Dulag in TG 51 . 1 . Early on the 26th , she arrived off Kerama Retto and proceeded to area " Jig " . At 0539 , she lowered away nine wave guide boats , then moved to " Transport Area Fox " where , at 0705 , she had her first experience with Japanese kamikaze s . After that air attack she moved to " Inner Transport Area George " to commence discharging her cargo of fuel and ammunition into small craft . At 1951 , she proceeded to the night retirement area . Until the 30th , " Natrona " continued daylight replenishment of small craft in area " George " , with nightly retirements . On 1 April , Okinawa was invaded and on the 2nd the Kerama Retto anchorage was the scene of a 13 hour battle against suicide planes , swimmers and boats . On the 6th , the anchorage was subjected to its most severe kamikaze attack , during which " Natrona " bagged her first unassisted kill . On the 7th , she completed unloading 77th Division cargo . The following day , she crossed to the Hagushi Beach area of Okinawa to debark the Marine night fighters and then returned to Kerama Retto to transport the C . O . , General Bruce and staff of the 77th Division to the same location . Between 14 April and 10 July , " Natrona " remained anchored at Kerama Retto , serving as station and receiving ship . She also acted as Fleet Post Office , headquarters for ComDesRon 2 and ComRepDesPac , Fleet Replacement Center , Fog Oil coordinator and distributor , and subsistence center for crews of damaged and sunken ships . On 10 July , the transport shifted to Buckner Bay and , on the 15th , departed for the U . S . , a veteran of 16 weeks and 208 air attacks in Okinawan waters . After hostilities . " Natrona " arrived San Francisco 5 August . Celebrating the end of the war there , she got underway again on the 20th on the first of two extended transpacific runs carrying replacement troops to forward areas , occupation troops to Japan and returning veterans to the United States . On 13 January 1946 , she completed her second cruise at San Pedro . Decommission . Moving to Mare Island , she underwent inactivation overhaul , and on 29 July decommissioned and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Stockton , California . She remained at Stockton until struck from the Navy List and transferred to the Maritime Administration 1 October 1958 . " Natrona " was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet , Suisun Bay , California , until being sold for scrap in March 1975 . Decorations . " Natrona " received one battle star for World War II service .