USS Almaack ( AKA - 10 ) USS " Almaack " ( AKA - 10 ) was an " Almaack " class attack cargo ship named after " Almaack , " a star system in the constellation " Andromeda " . She served as a commissioned ship for 4 years and 11 months . Laid down as the merchant ship " Executor " on 14 March 1940 , under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 104 ) , at Quincy , Massachusetts , by the Fore River yard of Bethlehem Steel Co . ; launched on 21 September 1940 ; sponsored by Mrs . A . R . Winnett ; and delivered to her owners , the American Export Lines , on 22 October 1940 . " Executor " made two voyages to India before being acquired by the Navy on 3 June 1941 for conversion to a cargo ship . Renamed " Almaack " and classified as AK - 27 . Converted at the Tietjen and Lang Dry Dock Co . , Hoboken , N . J . , " Almaack " was commissioned at the Army Transport Service Base , Brooklyn , on 15 June 1941 , Comdr . Thomas R . Cooley in command . Pre - War North Atlantic convoy operations . " Almaack " — with a cargo of heavy roadbuilding equipment and coal — cleared New York in convoy on 27 July 1941 , bound for Iceland . Screened by a battleship , three heavy cruiser s , and seven destroyer s , the convoy included " Almaack " , a transport , a storeship and an oiler , and the aircraft carrier — the latter with planes of the 33d Pursuit Squadron ( Curtiss P - 40 s ) on board , earmarked for the defense of the base in Iceland . The convoy reached Reykjavík on 6 August , with " Wasp " launching the planes without incident . " Almaack " discharged her cargo at Reykjavík over the ensuing days , and departed that port on 12 August . After loading at New York , " Almaack " proceeded to Trinidad , arriving there , via San Juan , Puerto Rico , on 20 September 1941 . Returning thence to New York , the cargo ship sailed independently for Halifax , Nova Scotia , there joining convoy HX 154 for her second run to Iceland . On 13 November 1941 , " Almaack " , together with the storeship , an Iceland - registry freighter , and five American destroyers , cleared Iceland for a rendezvous with west - bound convoy ON 35 south of Iceland . Within 24 hours of sailing , one of the escorts , , picked up a definite sound contact and attacked , dropping depth charges . Over the next 36 hours , the ships marched and countermarched through rough seas , awaiting the tardy convoy which ultimately arrived on the morning of 15 November . Difficulty in maintaining position in convoy . As Comdr . Cooley later reported , " Almaack " , " being light and big , was unable to maintain position in the convoy at speeds less than . " The heavy weather wrought havoc on the abilities of the ships to stay in formation , and " Almaack " found herself on her own on three occasions , each time managing to rejoin the convoy . Upon rejoining for the third time , Comdr . Cooley informed the escort commander " what speed he would make and what positions he would pass through if separated again . " When this came to pass , and the cargo ship was again on her own , " Almaack " proceeded independently to New York without incident . Reflecting back on the voyage , on 6 December 1941 , " Almaack ' s " commanding officer opined that his ship would have been far safer " steaming alone . . . than in any convoy that does not maintain a speed of at least . " He also used that occasion to press for his ship to be armed with at least two 4 - inch or guns . In endorsing Comdr . Cooley ' s report on 19 December , Admiral Ernest J . King , Commander in Chief , United States Atlantic Fleet , agreed to recommend independent routing for fast cargo ships such as " Almaack " unless " available information indicates undue danger from submarine concentration . . . . " Preparations for war . " Almaack " then proceeded to Norfolk , where she underwent an overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard . During this refit , she was armed with a gun , four guns and eight . 50 - caliber machine guns . She also received a new paint job , Measure 12 ( mod . ) designed to alter her silouhette . She then loaded cargo , and sailed for Bermuda , returning thence to New York . World War II North Atlantic convoy operations . Loaded with a cargo of heavy construction equipment , " Almaack " sailed from New York on 19 January 1942 , as an element of Convoy AT 12 : 13 ships carrying 14 , 688 men — of this number 8 , 493 were Army troops being transported to Belfast , Northern Ireland , and 1 , 153 were sailors to man the new naval operating base being established at Derry . Other transports in the host were to take Army troops to Iceland to relieve the marines that had been there since July 1941 . " Almaack " then returned to the United States in ballast , and , after again loading at New York , sailed for the Pacific on 9 April 1942 . Pacific Theatre operations . Transiting the Panama Canal for the first time on 19 April 1942 , " Almaack " sailed for the Tonga , or Friendly Islands , arriving at Tongatapu on 8 May . Discharging cargo there , the ship then sailed for the West Coast of the United States , arriving ultimately at San Diego on 5 June . Assigned to Transport Division 2 with Amphibious Forces , Pacific Fleet , " Almaack " underwent repairs and alterations at the Craig Shipbuilding Co . at Long Beach , before she returned to San Diego on 15 July for landing exercises off the southern California coast . Supporting the invasion of North Africa . Returning to the East Coast of the United States and arriving at Norfolk on 12 September , " Almaack " underwent further alterations and repairs before proceeding to New York to load cargo . She sailed on 26 September for Scotland in TF 38 . There , at Loch Fyne , the cargo ship participated in training for the invasion of North Africa until 21 October . Five days later , " Almaack " sailed for her first amphibious operation . The voyage toward the coast of North Africa proved uneventful until 7 November 1942 . " Almaack " — in column 01 of convoy KMFA1 — went to general quarters at 0515 , and soon thereafter heard an aircraft close by , on her port hand . At 0538 , her watch noted the torpedoing of the nearby transport . Ultimately , at 1800 the section of KMFA1 to which " Almaack " had been attached was directed to proceed to the waters off Algiers . As she stood toward the coast , she observed navigation lights — still burning but with reduced visibility — at Cape Matifu and Cape Caxine . Reaching her release position at 2200 , " Almaack " commenced lowering boats at that time , and completed the evolution in a little over an hour , at 2307 . At 0145 on Sunday , 8 November 1942 , the ship ' s boats began making their way shoreward , from about eight miles ( 13 km ) off the beachhead . At 0208 , all ships in " Charlie " sector stood shoreward to a position two miles ( 3 km ) off " Charlie - Red " beach , where they would ultimately anchor several hours later . In the interim , " Almaack ' s " first boat returned from the beach at 0304 , shortly before the ship reached her position . Under fire from enemy beach batteries . About 0346 , " Almaack " observed gunfire starting in the vicinity of the city of Algiers ; action continued intermittently until dawn . Anchoring off Beach Red at 0904 , Almaack ceased cargo operations at 1015 , " evidently because of excessive congestion of boats " at beach Charlie Red Two . Within the hour , however , the ship resumed unloading , but only vehicles and guns , as directed . As she did so , she observed three German Junkers Ju - 88 bombers pass overhead at — evidently looking for bigger game or possessing empty racks , since they dropped no bombs . Working to get high priority vehicles and antiaircraft guns unloaded , " Almaack " soon found the wind and sea making operations difficult . A strong breeze from the northeast rendered the operation of small boats hazardous by 1400 , but the unloading continued in the face of mounting difficulties . By 1645 , however , after the ship had managed to put ashore some 52 vehicles and guns during the day , " loading became impossible " in the teeth of a fresh to strong breeze and a rough sea . Under attack by German aircraft . " Almaack " sighted three more Ju - 88s at shortly after sunset , and went to general quarters , opening fire with her antiaircraft battery soon thereafter as the three Junkers ' dive - bombed the nearby " Samuel Chase " . Following the dive bombers , other enemy planes , identified as Heinkel He 111 s , attacked the disposition in the twilight , varying their manner of attack with shallow dives and low - level horizontal attacks from all directions , cleverly utilizing a land background to cover their approach . " Almaack ' s " lookouts noted bombs or torpedoes dead ahead and on the starboard bow , and witnessed the torpedoing of around 1715 . " Almaack " ceased fire at 1735 , and stood down from general quarters at 1801 . At 2020 , the ship secured her cargo - handling details because of the wind and sea conditions , with six of her boats secured to the stern — a condition that soon changed with worsening weather ; two boats swamped , and the remainder were sent ashore . All night the wind continued to blow , and " Almaack ' s " coxswain s put their landing craft on the beach . The following day saw more attacks from German aircraft ; " Almaack " went to general quarters twice before dawn , once during the mid watch , once during the morning watch . She went to general quarters again five more times before the day ended : once during the forenoon watch , thrice during the afternoon watch , and once during the first dog watch . She seemed to bear a charmed life ; while her guns were busy adding to the general curtain of fire to repel the attacks of German planes ( principally Ju 88 s ) , ships nearby came under attack . Bombs apparently aimed at " Almaack " struck a British antiaircraft cruiser some astern . Underway late that afternoon , standing toward the port of Algiers , Almaack eventually anchored at 1721 ; the last attack for the day ended some 40 minutes later , with nightfall . Underway at 0530 on 10 November , the cargo ship stood in to Algiers harbor and secured to a berth at the Mole Louis Billiard shortly before the commencement of the forenoon watch . Completing cargo operations early the following afternoon ( 11 November ) , " Almaack " cleared the mole and anchored in Algiers Bay , having completed her part in Operation " Torch . " On 12 November , " Almaack " departed Algiers , and soon thereafter rendezvoused with the nine transports and five escort vessels of Convoy MKFl ( y ) at Gibraltar . Bound for the British Isles on the morning of 15 November , " Almaack " , shortly before 0315 , noticed escort vessels on her port beam firing ' machine guns ; almost simultaneously the convoy commodore called for an immediate right turn . Struck by a torpedo . " Almaack " had just completed the turn and steadied on her new course when she was struck by a torpedo fired from U - 155 . " Kapitanleutnant " Adolf Piening ' s marksmanship proved deadly . About the same time , torpedoes from his U - boat struck the freighter " Ettrick " ( she later sank at 0836 that morning ) and the escort carrier HMS " Avenger " ; the latter blew up , taking with her almost all of her complement . " Almaack " went to general quarters ; a quick investigation of the damage revealed the engine and fire rooms , as well as hold number five and the shaft alley , flooded . Fortunately , the strength of the bulkheads contained the flooding and the ship remained afloat , although in a dangerous state . Four men died , and four more were badly burned in the explosion in the engine room . Towed to Gibraltar for repairs . Daybreak revealed , an escort vessel , standing by the sinking " Ettrick " , picking up survivors . " Almaack " arranged for " Glaisdale " to take on board some of her men , and transferred 8 officers and 185 men to the escort ship ; 12 officers and 112 men remained on board to handle the ship and man the guns . HMS " Brilliant " arrived at 1540 to provide antisubmarine protection , and at 1340 the following day a British tug , " Jaunty " , accompanied by two trawlers , arrived to take the damaged cargo ship — at that point some eight miles ( 13 km ) from the coast of Portugal — in tow , ultimately arriving at Gibraltar at 2300 on 17 November 1942 . Drydocked on 3 December at Gibraltar , " Almaack " was then placed on a waiting list for temporary repairs to enable her to return to the United States . While she lay in limbo at the British Crown Colony , she was reclassified to an attack cargo ship , AKA - 10 , on 31 January 1943 . Placed in drydock again on 3 March 1943 , Almaack remained there until the last day of March ; towed thence to Casablanca , French Morocco , the cargo ship began her long voyage home , astern of the fleet tug , on 3 May . Stateside repairs . Over the next several months , " Almaack " underwent repairs and alterations at Norfolk Navy Yard ; during this time she was repainted overall Measure 11 , Sea Blue , and received new masts to handle the brood of landing craft assigned the ship . She also received new men ; among them Ens . Wilmer H . Cressman , USNR , the father of one of the principal writers of this Dictionary volume . Following trials , " Almaack " shifted down the East Coast to Jacksonville , Florida , where she loaded a cargo of Florida orange juice . She steamed to the West Coast , discharging her cargo at San Pedro , and then proceeded to San Diego , whence she conducted amphibious training exercises , chiefly at Oceanside and Coronado , into January 1944 . Return to Pacific Theatre operations . " Almaack " sailed from San Diego on the morning of 13 January 1944 , bound for Lahaina Roads , off the island of Maui . From there , she sailed for the Marshall Islands , and the first of her six amphibious operations of the Pacific war , departing Lahaina — the final staging area for Operation " Flintlock " — on the afternoon of 22 January , with elements of the 4th Marine Division embarked . Sailing as part of Task Force ( TF ) 53 , " Almaack " reached the transport area for the initial assault on " Jacob " and " Ivan " — islands in Kwajalein Atoll — at 0500 on 31 January . That evening , " Almaack " hoisted out her boats and discharged cargoes of ammunition in response to a request for three units of fire to " Ivan " . Using her engines constantly to maintain position in the transport area against the two - knot northeasterly current and the northeast trade winds , " Almaack " provided LCM s to unload artillery from attack transports and LCVP s to unload men early on 1 February , and upon anchoring later that day received the services of two tank landing craft ( LCT ) to expedite unloading her own cargo . This unloading slowed down on the 2d , but picked up again on the 3d , the ship being aided in her cargo discharging by boats from , and . Ultimately , by 1330 on D + 4 ( 4 February ) , " Almaack " had completed her unloading . Two days later , on 6 February , having loaded 22 LVTs of the 4th Tractor Battalion , USMC , and embarked their crews , " Almaack " sailed for Funafuti , in the Ellice Islands , in convoy with an amphibious command ship , three dock landing ships , a transport and a cargo ship , screened by four destroyers ; she arrived at her destination on 10 February . From there , she sailed to Guadalcanal , in the Solomons , again in convoy , and reached her destination on the afternoon of 13 February . There the ship unloaded the marine amphibious tractors brought down from Kwajalein , and disembarked their crews . Proceeding thence to Nouméa , New Caledonia , for liberty , as well as firing and landing exercises , " Almaack " returned to Guadalcanal ( Tulagi ) , and then to Funafuti , before she pushed on for Canton Island , and a stopover there to load " worn - out equipment " en route back to Hawaii . Exchanging cargoes at Pearl Harbor . Arriving at Honolulu on 10 April 1944 , " Almaack " unloaded the cargo she had brought from Canton and then moved up to Pearl Harbor , where she underwent repairs and alterations and loaded 300 tons of 6 - inch cruiser ammunition . She departed " Pearl " on 1 May for Maui , arriving later the same day , and there loaded combat equipment for elements of the 4th Marine Division earmarked for the invasion of Saipan , in the Marianas . Proceeding back to Pearl Harbor after loading , " Almaack " then sailed for Lahaina , where she and the other ships slated to take part in the next major amphibious operation conducted rehearsals for it . Returning thence to Honolulu on the morning of 20 May , the ship remained there until the 29th , when she sailed as part of TG 52 . 15 for the Marshalls , the staging area for the Marianas . Hit by an enemy shell during Saipan invasion . " Almaack " arrived in the transport area off Saipan at 0535 on D - day , 15 June 1944 , and had all of her tank lighters in the water in 19 minutes ; expeditiously loading the eight M - 4 " Sherman " tanks into her seven lighters and one provided by " Sumter " , the LCM - 3s were on their way shoreward by 0711 . During the day , an enemy shell ( a mortar shell from Saipan or an artillery shell from Tinian ) , struck " Almaack ' s " number three LCM - 3 , killing one man outright — Seaman 2d Class Bernard V . Camerlinck , Sr . , USNR of Independence , Missouri { fact } — and wounding three other men , as well as three marines of the tank crew . Although nearly demolished , the LCM - 3 put its cargo ashore safely . " Almaack " retired seaward that night , returning the next day to commence working her cargo , but limited beach space for unloading and the danger of enemy air attacks resulted in the ship ' s retiring until 21 June ( D + 6 ) , when she could resume the unloading task . Ultimately , the task aided immeasurably by the embarked two platoons of the Army ' s 311th Port Company , " Almaack " completed working her cargo by the 24th , unloading the ship in 79 hours . She then sailed to Eniwetok , and thence to Honolulu , independently , arriving there on 5 July 1944 . Taking on board combat equipment of the Army ' s 77th Division ( designated as the reserve for the assault on Guam ) the attack cargo ship cleared Honolulu on 9 July for Eniwetok , arriving there on the 17th . There becoming a unit of TG 53 . 19 , Almaack sailed for Guam , arriving on the morning of 22 July , W + 1 day . She landed neither troops nor cargo the first day , retiring to seaward early that evening . Supporting the invasion of Guam . For six days , from W + 2 to W + 8 , " Almaack " supported the invasion of Guam ; the first three days she retired at night after conducting unloading operations during the day , returning the following morning to the transport area to resume working her cargo . On the 14th , the attack cargo ship fueled the fast minesweeper . The wind blew the two ships toward the fire support area where shells from the nearby battleship whistled overhead . Finally , after anchoring in a berth off the invasion beaches of W + 5 ( 27 July ) , " Almaack " commenced working her cargo again , aided immeasurably by two tank landing ships and a tank landing craft assigned to her for that purpose , LST - 731 , LCT - 962 and LST - 986 . After debarking 16 Army officers and 306 soldiers on 29 July , " Almaack " sailed for Eniwetok in company with the attack transport . She proceeded thence to Pearl Harbor , arriving there on 23 August . The next day , she entered drydock to have her hull sand - blasted and painted . Following that repair period at Pearl , " Almaack " loaded troops , equipment , and supplies of the Army ' s 96th Infantry Division , slated to take part in the planned invasion of the island of Yap , in the Carolines . After expeditiously completing the cargo loading and embarkation , the attack cargo ship sailed on 1 September for Maui , and from 2 to 6 September conducted exercises there until returning to Pearl Harbor on the 7th to complete preparations for her next operation . On 15 September , " Almaack " departed Hawaiian waters for the staging point , Eniwetok . One day out , however , the ship received a message indicating the planned invasion of Yap had been cancelled ; a later message gave the ultimate destination as the island of Leyte , in the Philippines . Preparations for the invasion of the Philippines . Reaching Eniwetok on 25 September for replenishment , " Almaack " took on fuel and supplies there and pushed on for Manus , in the Admiralties , reaching that place — the staging area for the assault on Leyte — on 3 October . Now assigned to the 7th Fleet for the Leyte operation , Almaack remained at Seeadler Harbor , Manus , from 3 to 13 October , provisioning , fueling , and exercising troops . On the latter date , the ship transferred three wave guide officers , 21 men and six LCVPs to various tank landing ships for the operation , receiving in their place six boat officers , 36 men and six LCSs , for transportation to Leyte . Almaack entered Surigao Strait , en route to Leyte Gulf , early on the morning of 20 October 1944 , going to general quarters soon thereafter , anchoring in transport area number two , five miles ( 8 km ) east of San Jose , Leyte , at 0841 , having hoisted out her embarked landing craft . Soon after she anchored , " Almaack " — assigned the task of unloading 13 light tanks in the seventh wave of Orange Beach 2 — commenced working her priority cargo , sending her first wave toward the line of departure at 0940 and the second , five minutes later , having unloaded her baker ' s dozen tanks into her own LCMs , augmented by six from four other amphibious ships . An hour later , the ship commenced unloading cargo . Late that morning , the ship ' s no . 13 LCVP took a direct hit , damaging it beyond repair and wounding one man . Later that afternoon , " Almaack " got underway for transport area number three , and went to general quarters within a half hour of her getting underway ; en route she witnessed the torpedoing of the light cruiser . Over the next two days , frequently blanketed by an almost impenetrable smoke screen to shield the ship from Japanese air attacks , " Almaack " worked her cargo . On 21 October , " Almaack " thrice went to general quarters in the course of the day , and fueled two ships , the fast transport and the fast minesweeper , in addition to continuing her unloading cargo . On the day following , A + 2 , she again conducted cargo operations , and provided fuel and stores to the landing craft , LCI - 472 , in addition to disembarking the last of her embarked troops . All boats on board by 1753 on 22 October , " Almaack " sailed for Hollandia , Dutch New Guinea . Commendation for efficient performance at Leyte . Her performance at Leyte earned her favorable comments : Rear Admiral Forrest B . Royal , commanding Group 6 of the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Forces , called " Almaacks performance of duty " excellent " and her unloading carried out in " an outstanding manner . " Commander , 3d Amphibious Force , Vice Admiral Theodore S . Wilkinson , considered " Almaacks unloading — an overall average of 72 tons of cargo per hour , and maintaining an average of 105 tons per hour for one nine - hour stretch — as " outstanding and in close accord with estimates made during planning . " Arriving at Hollandia on 27 October , " Almaack " departed that place on 2 November , being routed to Morotai and arriving there after daylight on the 5th . She commenced loading cargo — 163 vehicles , 169 drums of gasoline , and equipment of the Army ' s XI Corps Headquarters units and of the Army Air Force ' s 310th Bombardment Wing . Japanese air raids , executed in nearly clockwork fashion , made the ship ' s stay at Morotai memorable . " Almaack " went to general quarters 13 times as a result of enemy aircraft in the vicinity . On one occasion , " Almaack " contributed eight rounds of 5 - inch and four of 3 - inch to a barrage . During her stay at Morotai , she also fueled six destroyers . Under attack by Japanese fighter bombers . The attack cargo ship sailed on her second trip to Leyte on 10 November , and proceeded in company with two transport divisions , the 8th and 24th . One day out of their destination , the transports were attacked by Japanese torpedo planes ( " " Jills " " ) , one of which closed to visual range of " Almaack " . This " Jill " launched her torpedo at , the last ship in the left flank column and directly astern of " Almaack " . The latter ' s 3 - inch and 5 - inch batteries took the Japanese plane under fire at ; her 20 - millimeter guns opened up at 800 . " Almaack ' s " automatic weapons scored hits on the right wing and tail of the " Jill " ; shedding parts , the enemy aircraft went out of control about from " Catskill " , passed slightly astern of her , and then plunged into the sea , leaving no survivors . In the meantime , " Catskill " maneuvered and evaded the torpedo . " Almaack " suffered three men very slightly wounded during the brief engagement , nicked by fragments of " friendly " 20 - millimeter projectiles which hit a ship ' s guy wire . Entering Surigao Strait at 0036 on 14 November , " Almaack " went to general quarters at 0600 and entered the transport area a little under an hour later , sending her seven LCMs to assist the other ships in the group to complete their unloading by nightfall . Four LCTs and one LSM carried " Almaack ' s " cargo , and in return the attack cargo ship provided provisions , clothing and small stores to these and an LCT that had been unsuccessful in securing provisions from the ships for which she had worked . Having completed her unloading by 0900 on the following day , " Almaack " returned to Hollandia , arriving on the 19th . Underway again on the 26th , the attack cargo ship sailed for the Solomons , and reached Empress Augusta Bay on 30 November , commencing loading cargo — vehicles , ammunition , petroleum products , engineering supplies and signal equipment — immediately . She completed the task by 4 December . " Almaack " , assigned to TG 79 . 1 and carrying elements and equipment of the Army ' s 37th Infantry Division , cleared Empress Augusta Bay for Lae , New Guinea , where the ship participated in landing exercises . Back at Manus , in the Admiralties , on 21 December , " Almaack " spent Christmas there . Then , on the last day of 1944 , the attack cargo ship stood out of Seeadler Harbor for her third trip to the Philippines ; this time , " Mack " was bound for Lingayen Gulf . Under continued air attack . On S - 3 day ( 6 January 1945 ) , the convoy to which " Almaack " was attached , steaming through the Mindanao Sea , encountered its first enemy aircraft , a Japanese reconnaissance plane which was being hotly pursued by four F4U Corsair s . The " Corsairs " splashed the enemy about off " Almaack ' s " port beam . " Almaack " had a close call as the convoy neared its objective on S - l day ( 8 January ) , when two " Betties " ( Mitsubishi G4M Type 1 land attack plane ) made a glide - bombing run on the ship , straddling her with three bombs released at . The enemy ordnance missed by , and inflicted no damage . The air action intensified as " Almaack " stood up the coast of Luzon ; at 1818 , she saw combat air patrol ( CAP ) planes knock down four " Vals " ( Aichi D3A Type 99 carrier dive bombers ) . Later that afternoon , after the ship had gone to general quarters for the second time that day , " Almaack " witnessed a Japanese suicide plane making a dive on an escort carrier ( CVE ) eight miles ( 13 km ) off the cargo ship ' s port bow . The ship under attack proved to be , which was crashed by an " Oscar " ( Nakajima Ki - 43 fighter ) at 1857 . Minutes later , another suicider appeared ; " Almaack " opened fire with all port guns as the enemy plane — identified as either a " Judy " ( Yokosuka D4Y carrier attack plane ) or " Val " — seemed bent on crashing the next ship astern in the formation . Gunfire from the ships , however , splashed the kamikaze off the port bow . On S - day , 9 January 1945 , " Almaack " went to general quarters twice during the 0400 - 0800 watch before executing her deployment for the approach disposition and hoisting her boats to the rail . Lowering her landing craft within a half - hour , " Almaack " anchored in transport area " C " , Lingayen Gulf , and at 0745 sighted three Japanese planes in the vicinity , one of which crashed the nearby light cruiser . Before the day was over , " Almaack ' s " men would see two more victims of the relentless Japanese aerial attacks , the battleship and the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS " Australia " ( D84 ) , both crashed by Japanese suiciders . In the meantime , " Almaack " commenced working her cargo at 0825 after she had opened her hatches and sent boats allocated to other ships for the assault phase . She commenced her initial unloading of equipment from the Army ' s 148th Regimental Combat Team ( RCT ) at 0825 , shortly after her beach party shoved off to take up its position ashore . Shifting to transport area " M " two hours later to continue to work cargo , LCT - 1070 came alongside to assist the ship in the cargo - handling evolution . She continued working cargo for the remainder of the day , going to general quarters twice more before the day was out . Early the following day , Almaack took alongside at 0210 and commenced fueling her at 0225 , before she logged in evidence of further Japanese activity to attempt to disrupt the landings : LST - 925 reported being attacked by an enemy torpedo boat ; was attacked by the same type of craft , and the transport suffered damage from a Japanese suicide motor boat . Soon after these occurrences , at 0457 , " Almaack " extinguished lights in her cargo holds and ceased cargo operations and boat movements . " Barton " cast off at 0640 , a half - hour after she completed fueling . For the remainder of S + 1 , " Almaack " worked her cargo , unloading it to a barge and LCT - 719 , before she took on board her boats at 1635 preparatory to retiring from the area , getting underway for an anchorage off San Fabian . Her orders were changed , however , and she put back into Transport Area " M " , where she had been before . Later , she resumed cargo operations in her number one hold , while a picket boat watch , as well as armed deck sentries , kept a lookout for potential Japanese suicide swimmers . The following day , " Almaack " continued unloading cargo , and , when the occasion demanded , supplied fresh water and provisions to LCI — 1020 , supplies and water to LCI - 451 , her stream anchor to LSM - 137 to replace the one the landing ship had lost ; provided gasoline and stores to LC1 - 567 . She transferred cargo to LSM - 31 during the course of the afternoon . The next day , S + 3 , " Almaack " provided fresh water to the motor minesweeper YMS - 319 ; water and supplies to LCI - 975 , and LCI - 373 ; water to LC1 - 751 ; gas and fog oil to LC 1 - 567 ; stores and gas to LCI - 462 . Having completed unloading the last of her six holds at 1441 on S + 3 day , " Almaack " hoisted on board her boats and stood out of Lingayen Gulf at 1710 , her part in the invasion completed . The first morning out , the convoy was attacked by suicide planes ; one crashed the lead ship , the attack transport . From 15 to 19 January 1945 , " Almaack " lay anchored in Leyte Gulf , before she pushed on for the Western Carolines , reaching Ulithi on 23 January . She remained there until 6 February , when she sailed for Guam to load elements of the 3d Marine Division , in preparation for what would prove to be the last amphibious operation for " Almaack " in the war — the assault on Iwo Jima . Supporting the invasion of Iwo Jima . Arriving at Guam on 8 February , " Almaack " commenced loading troops and cargo of the 3d Engineer Battalion , 3d Pioneer Battalion , and a replacement company , as well as vehicles , ammunition , petroleum products , rations , and water that same afternoon , bringing the operation to a completion on the following morning . She sailed for Iwo Jima on the morning of 17 February . " Almaack " arrived in the maneuvering area southeast of Iwo Jima at 2200 , 19 February , and , in company with the other ships in the task group , awaited orders . Sent in to the transport areas , the ship arrived off Iwo on 22 February , but did not unload any cargo that day or the next . Each evening during those days , the ship would retire to seaward . Due to the congested beaches , " Almaack ' s " loading was delayed until the 24th ; that morning the ship put all of her boats in the water to dispatched to attack transports to disembark assault troops . " Almaack " unloaded her cargo " on call " as the situation ashore demanded it , from 24 February 1945 to 3 March . On 1 March , the ship took on board shell cases from cruisers and destroyers . She put her last priority cargo item , one vehicle , on board LSM - 238 late on the 3d . The attack cargo ship remained in the transport area during the night of 3 March , and retired the following night , arriving back in the transport area on the morning of the 5th . She unloaded all of the remaining vehicles and " B " rations and took on board more shell cases from cruisers and destroyers on the 6th before departing that same day ( 6 March ) for Guam . " Almaack " reached Garapan anchorage , Saipan , on the morning of 9 March , and there debarked casualties brought from Iwo ; she pushed on for Apra Harbor , Guam , on the late afternoon of the following day , and reached her destination on the morning of 11 March to unload marine supplies not required at Iwo Jima . Sailing thence the following morning for the Solomons , " Almaack " reached Tulagi on the afternoon of the 18th , where she picked up new landing boats . Proceeding thence to Nouméa , the attack cargo ship arrived there on the 23d for liberty , repairs , and to embark elements of the Army ' s 81st Infantry Division . Shifted from a combat load to a regular cargo load , " Almaack " sailed for the Admiralties on the morning of 3 May , and thence to the Philippines , reaching Leyte on the 16th . There the 81st Infantry Division units went ashore , and after ten days in the Philippines , " Almaack " sailed for Pearl Harbor on the morning of 26 May . Stopping at Pearl only briefly , the attack cargo ship sailed for San Francisco on the afternoon of 7 June , arriving on the 13th . End - of - war operations . Following repairs and alterations at the AmShip Co . , of Alameda , California , " Almaack " took on supplies at the naval supply depot , completing loading on 21 August — one week after Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and agreed to surrender . Receiving word cancelling all blackout restrictions on 6 September while en route to the Philippines , " Almaack " reached Samar on 10 September . After discharging a small portion of her cargo there , she sailed to Subic Bay , arriving on the 26th . From the Philippines she sailed thence to Japan , reaching Nagoya on 28 October to embark men of the Army ' s llth Replacement Depot , and sailed for Portland , Oregon , on 14 November . Return to Stateside . Discharging her passengers there on the 24th , " Almaack " shifted down the coast to Albany , California , where she loaded a cargo of petroleum products ; she sailed for China on 18 December 1945 , and arrived at the North Chinese port of Tientsin on 21 January 1946 . She sailed from there on 30 January with Army and Navy passengers embarked , ultimately arriving at Seattle . Post - war decommissioning . Ordered to New York to report to the Commandant , 3d Naval District , for disposition , " Almaack " reported on 10 May 1946 , and was decommissioned at Brooklyn on 23 May 1946 . Regarded as not essential to the defense of the United States , " Almaack " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 August 1946 , removed from naval custody on 12 September 1946 , and transferred to the War Shipping Administration . Awards . " Almaack " was awarded six battle stars for her World War II service .