USS Lamar ( APA - 47 ) USS " Lamar " ( APA - 47 ) was a " Bayfield " - class attack transport acquired by the U . S . Navy during World War II for the task of mounting amphibious invasion s on hostile shores . Service career . " Lamar " ( " AP - 92 " ) was reclassified " APA - 47 " on 1 February 1943 ; laid down 31 March 1943 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp . , Pascagoula , Mississippi , under a Maritime Commission contract ; launched 28 August 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . James Oliver Eastland , wife of Senator Eastland of Mississippi ; acquired by the Navy 9 November 1943 ; placed in ferry commission 10 November for transfer to Brooklyn , New York , Lt . Comdr . J . H . Budd in command ; decommissioned 22 November 1943 for conversion by Todd - Erie Basin , Brooklyn ; and commissioned 6 April 1944 , Capt . Bruce K . Culver in command . After steaming to Norfolk , Virginia , 16 to 17 April for shakedown , Lamar embarked 1 , 621 U . S . Marines , and departed 13 May for the Pacific Ocean . The attack transport reached Pearl Harbor 1 June , sailed for the U . S . West Coast 5 June , visited San Diego , California , and Seattle , Washington , and arrived Pearl Harbor 26 June to deploy troops to the Marianas . Departing in convoy 1 July , she steamed via Eniwetok to Guam , where she debarked 1 , 445 troops 21 July . After returning to Pearl Harbor 10 August , " Lamar " held landing rehearsals off Maui Island to prepare for the invasion of the Philippines . As flagship for TransDiv 38 , she steamed to Manus , Admiralties , 15 September to 3 October and joined the U . S . 7th Fleet . From 14 to 20 October she sailed in convoy to Leyte Gulf for the long awaited reconquest of the Philippines . While debarking assault troops and unloading cargo at Dulag under cover of smoke , she fought off enemy air attacks , and on the 21st splashed a Japanese bomber . That day " Lamar " sailed for Hollandia , New Guinea ; arrived Hollandia 26 October ; embarked troops at Biak and Mios Woendi ; and returned to Leyte Gulf 18 November with reinforcements and cargo . She departed the same day , touched Manus , and reached Bougainville , Solomons , 1 December . She took on board troops and cargo before returning to Manus 21 December to prepare for the Luzon invasion . Sailing 31 December with task group TG 79 . 1 , she entered Lingayen Gulf 9 January 1945 and began debarking combat troops . Despite frequent alerts and intermittent air attacks , the transport completed unloading the 11th and departed for Leyte , where she arrived 14 January . She returned to the western coast of Luzon 29 January to debark American engineers and troops at San Narciso . From 1 February to 27 March " Lamar " operated out of Leyte Gulf in preparation for Operation Iceberg , the invasion of Okinawa . On 27 March she departed the Philippines with 1 , 366 assault troops embarked . Assigned to task group TG 55 . 1 , she reached Okinawa 1 April and completed landing men and cargo the next day . She embarked battle wounded ; transported them to Guam 4 to 9 April ; then sailed the 10th for San Francisco , California , arriving 29 April . Departing San Francisco 22 May , " Lamar " deployed passengers and cargo to Pearl Harbor and Ulithi before reaching Guiuan , Samar , 23 June . From 27 June to 14 July she served as receiving ship for ServRon 10 . After loading cargo at Guiuan , she steamed to Pearl Harbor 19 July to 1 August ; discharged cargo ; and departed the following day for San Francisco where she arrived the 9th . After repairs at Seattle , " Lamar " sailed 8 September for the Marianas , reaching Guam 24 September . She discharged 1 , 517 military passengers , embarked 1 , 829 returning veterans , and steamed to San Diego , California , 28 September to 12 October . On the 28th she departed for Japan on “ Operation Magic Carpet ” duty . Arriving Yokosuka 28 November , she embarked 1 , 810 passengers before sailing 1 December for Seattle , Washington , where she arrived the 14th via the North Pacific . On 14 January 1946 " Lamar " departed Puget Sound for the U . S . Gulf Coast , arriving New Orleans , Louisiana , 3 February . She proceeded to Beaumont , Texas , 23 to 24 February , decommissioned 7 March , and was turned over to the Maritime Commission 3 July . " Lamar " received five battle stars for World War II service .