USS Achernar ( AKA - 53 ) USS " Achernar " ( AKA - 53 ) was an " Andromeda " - class attack cargo ship in the service of the United States Navy , named after the star Achernar . She served as a commissioned ship for 19 years and 5 months . She was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract on 6 September 1943 at Kearney , New Jersey by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co . , launched on 3 December 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . Adela Rogers St . John , acquired by the Navy on 29 January 1944 , and commissioned on 31 January 1944 with Comdr . H . R . Stevens in command . World War II service . Following conversion and fitting out at the New York Navy Yard , the attack cargo ship got underway on 28 February and held shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay . On 13 March , she arrived at Staten Island , New York — where she loaded cargo and embarked Army personnel for transportation to Britain — and stood out to sea on 19 March , with Convoy CU - 18 . She arrived at Swansea , Wales on 30 March and spent the next two months transporting cargo and personnel between various ports in the United Kingdom in preparation for the Normandy invasion . The last week in May found " Achernar " in Plymouth , England . On 1 June 1944 , she was designated the 1st Army ' s headquarters ship . On 6 June , she steamed across the English Channel and anchored in her preassigned position in Baie de la Seine , France . For the next few days , she acted as a nerve center for troops fighting for a foothold in France . On 11 June , the 1st Army ' s headquarters disembarked , and " Achernar " got underway for England . After a three - day respite in Plymouth , the ship moved to Roseneath , Scotland to take on the cargo and personnel of two construction battalions . On 19 June , she returned to Plymouth to onload materials to repair damaged assault craft and , on 22 June , got underway for the assault area in France . While on station , she underwent several enemy air attacks . The cargo ship again left the French coast on 29 June to return to England and arrived in Plymouth on 1 July . On 5 July , the ship was ordered to sail as a part of Task Group ( TG ) 120 . 6 , which was bound for the Mediterranean Sea to support the invasion of southern France . The ship entered the harbor at Oran , Algeria on 10 July ; but , six days later , sailed to Naples . After loading operations there , she switched to an anchorage at Castellamare , Italy on 2 August . Here , she embarked personnel of the 36th Division and proceeded to sea on the 13th for the assault in southern France . On the morning of 15 August , her crew commenced discharging her cargo and sending it to the beaches . The next day , after finishing the delivery of cargo , she received casualties on board and embarked 13 German prisoners of war before getting underway to return to Naples . For the next two months , " Achernar " continued making trips from Naples and Oran to points along the southern coast of France . On 25 October , she sailed from Oran westward through the Strait of Gibraltar towards the United States . She arrived at Hampton Roads on 8 November and underwent repairs and overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard . On 7 December , " Achernar " got underway for a brief period of trials and exercises in Chesapeake Bay . The ship returned to Norfolk on 11 December , took on cargo , and got underway on 18 December . She transited the Panama Canal on Christmas Day 1944 and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 10 January 1945 . Following tactical maneuvers off Oahu from 17 to 19 January , the cargo ship began loading cargo on 12 February and put to sea on 18 February . " Achernar " stopped at Eniwetok on 26 February , Kossol Roads on 4 March , and anchored in San Pedro Bay , Philippine Islands , from 15 to 20 March , before arriving off Okinawa on 1 April to support the seizure of that key island . At 0043 the next day , a Japanese suicide plane hit the attack cargo ship ' s starboard side ; and , almost simultaneously , a bomb exploded on her port side . Fires broke out , and the ship began listing slightly to port . " Achernar " lost five crew members killed and 41 injured . By 0100 , the fires were out and the list had been corrected . At 1525 , the battered ship transferred her casualties to USS " Solace " and proceeded to anchor off Hagushi beach , where temporary repairs began . On the morning of 3 April , " Achernar " moved to Kerama Retto to begin unloading her cargo . She remained at Okinawa until 19 April , when she sailed for the United States via Ulithi and Pearl Harbor . The vessel arrived at San Francisco on 13 May and began offloading ammunition and fuel . Two days later , she entered drydock for repairs and overhaul . She got underway again on 10 July for shakedown along the California coast . On 4 August , " Achernar " left San Francisco to return to Pearl Harbor , where she arrived a week later and immediately began discharging her cargo . She was still in Hawaii when hostilities ended on 15 August . " Achernar " then shuttled personnel and equipment between Japan , various other Pacific islands , and took part in " Magic Carpet " operations , returning veterans to the United States . On 28 November , " Achernar " arrived in Seattle , Washington . One week later , SS " H . H . Raymond " collided with her during a storm . As a result of the damage she sustained in the accident , " Achernar " entered dry dock on 22 December for repairs . " Achernar " got underway again on 16 January 1946 and resumed operations between the west coast and various ports in the Far East and the Pacific . AKA 53 made two trips to the Pribiloff Islands bringing back to Seattle fur seal pelts and products for a Fouck Fur Company of Saint Louis . In 1947 she made a trip to the Phillipines , Japan and China . Subic Bay , Yokuska , Shanghai , Tsingtao were visited but a scheduled visit to Tiensen was curtailed because of fighting between the Nationals and the Communists in 1947 . Korean War service . When the Military Sea Transportation Service was formed on 1 October 1949 , she was one of a group of attack cargo ships selected for service in the new organization . At the outbreak of the Korean War , " Achernar " was completing overhaul at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard . She got underway on 7 July 1950 and soon began onloading troops and cargo for transportation to the war zone . On 14 July , the ship joined TG 53 . 7 and sailed for Japan . She unloaded her cargo at Kobe , Sasebo , and Yokosuka . On 22 September , she left Japan and proceeded to Inchon , Korea , to support nearby ground operations . After American forces had liberated the territory near Inchon and Seoul , elements of the 1st Marine Division and their equipment were loaded on board " Achernar " for landing on the east coast of Korea at Wonsan . She sailed as part of TG 90 . 2 and arrived in Wonsan on 25 October . She unloaded her passengers and proceeded to Moji , Japan , arriving there on 31 October . There , she took on men of the 2nd Infantry Division for transportation to Wonsan . Following this mission , she returned to Yokosuka on 20 November . The attack cargo ship was then ordered to report back to the United States . She left Japan on 27 November accompanying USS " Brush " and USS " Mansfield " — both of which had been damaged by naval mine s — ready to assist them , if necessary . They made brief stops at Midway and Pearl Harbor before reaching San Francisco on 17 December . Following a short availability period , " Achernar " went to Port Hueneme , California on 18 January 1951 to onload cargo and personnel for transportation to the Aleutians . After unloading at Amchitka , she visited Adak , Whittier , Alaska , and Kodiak Island to pick up cargo to be returned to Seattle . On 17 March , " Achernar " set course for Norfolk . She transited the Panama Canal on 26 March ; paused at Morehead City , North Carolina on 1 April ; and finally arrived at Norfolk on 3 April . The ship was assigned to the Amphibious Force , Atlantic Fleet , and took part in various fleet exercises and cargo runs in the Caribbean and along the east coast . On 18 February 1956 , " Achernar " was decommissioned , placed in reserve , and berthed at Orange , Texas . Later service and decommissioning . " Achernar " was placed back in commission at New Orleans on 1 September 1961 . She arrived at Norfolk on 1 December 1961 and became a unit of Amphibious Squadron 6 , Atlantic Fleet . " Achernar " held shakedown in the Caribbean and spent the remainder of her career conducting various training exercises in the Virginia capes operating area . " Achernar " was again placed out of commission on 1 July 1963 and transferred to the Maritime Administration . She was reacquired by the Navy on 29 January 1964 but saw no active service before she was transferred to the government of Spain on 2 February 1965 . She served the Spanish Navy as " Castilla " ( TA - 21 ) until scrapped in 1982 . " Achernar " received three battle star s for World War II service and three battle stars for Korean War service .