USS Alpine ( APA - 92 ) USS " Alpine " ( APA - 92 ) was a built for the US Navy which saw service in World War II . The vessel was laid down as " Sea Arrow " under a Maritime Commission contract on 12 April 1943 at Los Angeles , California , by the Western Pipe and Steel Company ; launched on 10 July 1943 sponsored by Mrs . Helen Marsh , acquired by the Navy on 30 September 1943 , renamed " Alpine " on 30 August 1943 and simultaneously designated APA - 92 ; and commissioned on 30 September at San Francisco , California , Captain W . L . Taylor in command . That same day , the command of " Alpine " was transferred to Commander Roger E . Perry . Manned by a civilian crew , she got underway on 2 October and steamed to Portland , Oregon , where she arrived on 4 October . Four days later , she was decommissioned at the Commercial Iron Works for conversion to an attack transport . Operational history . Upon completion of the yard work , " Alpine " was recommissioned on 22 April 1944 , Commander George G . K . Reilly in command . She took ammunition , provisions , and supplies on board and left Portland on 7 May . While en route south , the ship held training exercises , and reached San Diego on 13 May , and continued shakedown in the San Diego area through 18 June . Guam . The next day , " Alpine " left San Diego and arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 25th . Soon thereafter , she began onloading the personnel and equipment of the 77th Army Division . On the 28th , " Alpine " was attached to Transport Division 38 . With 1 , 417 troops embarked , Alpine sailed on 30 June to support the seizure of Guam . Her first stop was Eniwetok , which she reached on 9 July . A week of debarkation exercises was followed by a few more days of replenishment of supplies . The ship at last set off for the Marianas on 17 July and began offloadmg her assault troops and equipment off the west coast of Guam on 21 July . For six days , the transport remained in the area providing support to her landing party on the beach . At 1544 on 27 July she began her journey back via Eniwetok to Pearl Harbor . She reached Hawaii on 7 August and commenced voyage repairs . Leyte . Alpine ' s next assignment was to carry troops to support the invasion and occupation of Leyte . On 27 August , with 1 , 416 soldiers on board , the transport left Pearl Harbor for one week of amphibious training exercises off the island of Maui . She returned briefly to Pearl Harbor but got underway again on 15 September . " Alpine " made a three - day stop at Eniwetok for supplies and then continued on to Manus in company with Task Group ( TG ) 33 . 1 . She arrived there on 3 October and began unloading troops to several smaller landing craft . On 14 October , " Alpine " got underway with TG 79 . 1 to Leyte with 791 troops embarked . Early in the morning of 20 October , she arrived in Leyte Gulf and , at 0830 , commenced the debarkation of her troops . Throughout the day , she unloaded supplies and received casualties . On the 21st , despite intermittent air attack warnings , she finished offloading her troops . The transport left Leyte at 2000 bound for Hollandia , New Guinea . " Alpine " stood into $ 3 on 26 October and transferred casualties to a hospital at Hollandia . She took on board provisions and fuel and then got underway on 5 November for Biak in the Schouten Islands . There , the transport loaded the headquarters squadron of the 5th Army Air Force and , on 14 November began the return voyage to Leyte Gulf . Air attack at Leyte . At 0728 on 18 November " Alpine " commenced debarking troops . She soon spotted an enemy aircraft , and the transport ' s gunners opened fire from a range of 3 , 000 yards . The plane banked to the right and was observed splashing off the starboard quarter . Later , a second Japanese plane approached ; and " Alpine " again opened fire . The plane was hit forward of the tail assembly , which exploded and left a trail of black smoke as the plane commenced a bank to the left and went into a full power dive toward " Alpine " ' s bridge . At an altitude of 1 , 200 feet , the aircraft burst into flames but still crashed into the attack transport ' s port side Two explosions produced a column of flame , and debris arose . Firefighting crews brought the flames under control in one - half hour . Five crew members were killed and 12 injured . " Alpine " finished unloading her troops and cargo , left the area at 1810 and retired to Manus . The transport anchored in Seeadler Harbor on 24 November and underwent hull repairs necessitated by her battle damage . On 1 December , she shifted to Finschhafen , New Guinea , and embarked 1 , 512 Army troops and their equipment . " Alpine " then participated in tactical and antiaircraft gunnery exercises in Huon Gulf . She returned to Manus to replenish her supplies , then sailed on 31 December for the island of Luzon in company with TG 79 . 3 . Luzon . The transport reached Lingayen Gulf on 9 January 1945 . After unloading her troops and cargo , she left the area on the 11th . The transport arrived at Leyte on 15 January , where she took on elements of the 38th Infantry Division . On 26 January , " Alpine " got underway back toward Luzon . Following two days of amphibious training exercises , the transport anchored off Luzon on 29 January and began lowering her boats at 0615 . The next day , she finished this landing and retired to Leyte . " Alpine " spent the next month providing logistical support to smaller craft present in San Pedro Bay . She also underwent a period of tender availability . Bombed at Okinawa . Alpine ' s next assignment was to support the invasion of Okinawa and Nansei Shoto . She loaded Army troops and got underway on 12 March to conduct a week of landing exercises off the southern coast of Samar . On 27 March , she sailed with TG 51 . 13 for Okinawa . On 1 April , " Alpine " began lowering her boats . At 1908 , a Japanese plane approached " Alpine " from the port quarter . At 1910 , she took a bomb hit on the starboard side of her main deck . The plane itself then hit the ship , causing fires in the number 2 and 3 holds . By 2200 , the transport was listing seven degrees to port . Another ship came alongside and assisted " Alpine " ' s firefighting efforts , and , by 2300 , the fires were under control . The crew then began their search for casualties and discovered that 16 men had been killed , and 19 were injured . On 2 April , came alongside to assist the ship ' s force in making repairs . Drydock repair . " Alpine " left Okinawa on the 6th , bound for the United States via Saipan and Pearl Harbor . She reached the naval station at Seattle , Washington , on 30 April and entered drydock on 1 May for overhaul and repairs . Her patching was completed by 29 June , and " Alpine " got underway on 5 July for three weeks of refresher training off the west coast . From 21 to 25 July , " Alpine " loaded supplies and personnel at Oakland , California , for shipment to Okinawa . En route , she stopped at Pearl Harbor on 31 July and Eniwetok on 9 August . While steaming to Ulithi on 15 August , " Alpine " received the announcement that hostilities had ended . She reached Ulithi on 18 August and remained there through 3 September awaiting orders . After hostilities . " Alpine " finally reported at Buckner Bay on 9 September . On 19 September , she was assigned to the 7th Amphibious Force , Pacific Fleet . On that day she sailed for the Philippines , where she took on troops scheduled to help occupy Korea . The transport got underway from San Pedro Bav on 10 October with units of the 6th Infantry Division embarked . She anchored at Jinsen , Korea , on 16 October and debarked her passengers . Operation Magic Carpet . " Alpine " again got underway on 24 October and headed for various ports in China to load American forces for passage home . After brief stops at Taku , Weihaiwei , and Tsingtao , China , " Alpine " set out for the long journey back to the West Coast . The transport reached San Diego on 19 November , then underwent a fortnight of voyage repairs . On 5 December , she returned to the $ 3 . " Alpine " steamed to Nagoya , Japan , arriving on 26 December . There , she embarked 1 , 915 Army troops , reversed her course , and steamed back to the United States . She arrived at Tacoma , Washington , on 14 January 1946 and , 12 days later , began a voyage , via the Panama Canal , to Norfolk , Virginia . She transited the canal on 13 February and arrived at Norfolk on 20 February . " Alpine " was decommissioned at Norfolk on 5 April 1946 , transferred back to the Maritime Commission for disposal on 10 April , and her name struck from the Navy List on 1 May . " Alpine " was awarded five battle star s for World War II service . Commercial service . In 1947 the Maritime Commission sold " Alpine " to American Mail Lines , who registered the vessel in Portland , Oregon and renamed her " India Mail " . She continued in service with American Mail until 1965 , when she was sold to Hudson Waterways Corporation , who re - registered her in New York and renamed her " Transwestern " . In 1969 the ship was sold again , this time to the Buckeye Steamship Company of Delaware who dubbed her " Buckeye Pacific " . In 1971 the ship changed hands yet again , this time becoming the property of the Empire Steamship Company of Panama . In 1971 the vessel changed hands for the last time , sold to Taiwanese interests for scrapping . Her final passage was to the scrapyard at Kaohsiung , where she arrived on 7 December of the same year .