USS Uvalde ( AKA - 88 ) USS " Uvalde " ( AKA - 88 ) was an named after Uvalde County , Texas , the home of former Vice President John Nance " Cactus Jack " Garner . " Uvalde " ( AKA - 88 ) ( formerly projected as the merchant freighter " Wild Pigeon " ) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 1188 ) on 27 March 1944 at Oakland , California , by the Moore Dry Dock Co . ; launched on 20 May 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . George J . Kean ; and commissioned on 18 August 1944 , Lt . Comdr . William M . McCloy , USNR , in command . Service history . World War II , 1944 – 1945 . After fitting out at Oakland , " Uvalde " ran her trials before departing San Francisco Bay on 29 August , bound for San Pedro , California She conducted extensive shakedown training out of that port before she shifted to San Diego , there to train in amphibious warfare from 15 through 30 September in company with the attack transport . In yard hands at Terminal Island , California , for post - shakedown availability until 10 October , " Uvalde " got underway and churned out of Los Angeles harbor , bound for San Francisco . " Uvalde " subsequently loaded cargo at that port from 11 through 19 October . The destruction of " Mount Hood " . Departing " Frisco " on 20 October , " Uvalde " reached Manus , in the Admiralty Islands , on 6 November . Over the next few days , the ship lay at anchor in Seeadler Harbor , Manus , awaiting orders for onward routing . While there , she witnessed the volcanic explosion of the ammunition ship at 0820 on 11 November . Fortunately at a distance far enough away to be unaffected by the blast , " Uvalde " responded to the emergency by sending medical assistance and supplies to some of the other ships closer to where the ill - fated ammunition ship had been anchored — ships that had taken heavy casualties when shrapnel from the atomized " Mount Hood " had ripped into them . Subsequently , three days after the " Mount Hood " tragedy , " Uvalde " got underway to unload cargo at East Murzim Dock . Completing that evolution a little over a week later , on the 21st , " Uvalde " got underway for New Guinea on the 29th , reaching Milne Bay , her destination , on 3 December . The attack cargo ship then took on board 100 tons of miscellaneous cargo earmarked for the 489th Port Battalion , Transportation Corps , 6th Army . She shifted to Oro Bay , New Guinea , within a few days , there loading additional cargo — 1 , 025 tons of vehicles , gasoline , and organizational equipment for the 6th Army . On 21 December , " Uvalde " and her escort , got underway for the Admiralties , reaching their destination the following day . Philippines campaign . " Uvalde " spent Christmas at Manus before she got underway on her first " mission of war " as part of Task Group ( TG ) 77 . 9 on 2 January 1945 , shaping course for the island of Luzon . The attack cargo ship subsequently entered Lingayen Gulf on the morning of 11 January and , at 0925 , sent her first wave of landing craft onto the beaches . During her ensuing stay at Lingayen Gulf , " Uvalde ' s " sailors witnessed their first attacks by the Japanese kamikazes on ships in the vicinity . On the 13th , " Uvalde " weighed anchor , shifting to Leyte and reaching there on the 16th . Two days later , the attack cargo ship got underway again , this time headed for the Schouten Islands . Bound for Biak , " Uvalde " reached her destination on the 23rd and commenced loading cargo at dock number 2 soon thereafter . Completing loading on 2 February , " Uvalde " returned to Leyte , joining formation with TG 78 . 5 on the following day . Subsequently anchoring in Leyte Gulf on the 6th , the attack cargo ship pushed on for Mindoro the following day , arriving on the 9th . Twenty - seven hours later , the ship completed the unloading evolution , receiving a " well done " from Capt . R . W . Abbott , the officer in tactical command of the task group . " Uvalde " returned to Leyte and , over the days that ensued , prepared for her next operation . For six weeks , the attack cargo ship participated in the practice evolutions that ultimately led up to the final big assault landing of the war in the Pacific — the invasion of Okinawa in the Ryūkyūs . Okinawa campaign . Underway on 27 March , " Uvalde " reached the assault areas on 1 April , the day of the initial landings . By noon of that day – Easter Sunday – the loading operations were proceeding apace . At 0559 on 2 April , " Uvalde ' s " gunners drew their first blood , downing a suicide aircraft making a run on the nearby attack transport . " Uvalde " received official credit for the kill — she soon sported a miniature Japanese flag on her bridge . Off Okinawa from 1 April to 9 April , " Uvalde " spent much of her time at general quarters due to the heavy Japanese aerial resistance . The attack cargo ship subsequently weighed anchor on the 9th and headed to Saipan in the Marianas , en route to her ultimate destination . The end of the war . After provisioning ship at Pearl Harbor , " Uvalde " returned to the western Pacific , departing the Hawaiian Islands on 10 May . Reaching Eniwetok in the Marshalls 10 days later , the attack cargo ship got underway for Guam in the Marianas after exchanging cargo and embarking passengers . " Uvalde " then discharged and unloaded at Guam before she proceeded for the west coast of the United States on 27 June , her course shaped for San Francisco . " Uvalde " arrived at the Golden Gate on 12 July , en route to Everett , Washington , for a drydocking and repairs . Reaching Everett on the 16th , the ship underwent nearly two weeks of repair work there , completing her assigned availability on 28 July . Departing the Pacific Northwest on 1 August , " Uvalde " proceeded to San Francisco to load cargo in preparation for her return to the western Pacific theater of operations . Completing the loading process on 11 August , the attack cargo ship got underway for the Hawaiian Islands on the 12th . She was at sea when at 1400 on 14 August 1945 , President Harry S . Truman announced in a radio broadcast address that a state of war no longer existed between the United States and Japan . World War II was over at last . Post - war operations , 1944 – 1950 . For " Uvalde " , the war had been a short one , but there still remained the duty of returning the many soldiers , sailors , marines , and airmen home from the fighting fronts . The attack cargo ship took part in those operations well into 1946 , also earning the Navy ' s Occupation Service Medal for operations in Chinese waters in ensuing months . Korean War , 1950 – 1953 . Up until mid - 1950 , " Uvalde " transported troops and cargo to American outposts in Asia , supporting the United States presence in that area of the world " Uvalde " participated in the United Nations efforts to stem North Korean aggression after that nation invaded neighboring South Korea in June 1950 , deploying to Korean waters with troops and cargo on numerous occasions . New Year ' s Day 1951 found " Uvalde " at Sasebo , Japan – nine days later she got underway , bound for the west coast of the United States , and she reached her destination two weeks later on the 24th . Shifting to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for repairs and alterations on the 30th , the attack cargo ship remained in yard hands until early April , when she shifted to San Diego to conduct underway training evolutions . After three weeks of post - repair training , " Uvalde " shifted to the naval supply center at Oakland , California , when she loaded cargo earmarked for the Far East . The attack cargo ship subsequently made three round - trip voyages , touching at Sasebo and Yokosuka in the west and Oakland in the east over the remainder of 1951 . " Uvalde " spent much of 1952 engaged in the same shuttle operations that had kept her occupied since the onset of the Korean War . She visited Korean waters in the latter half of the month of March 1952 , touching at Sokcho Ri and Paengyong Do before resuming her west coast - to - Japan shuttle voyages with her termini at Oakland , Sasebo , and Yokosuka . During August , 1952 , the ship made a short recreational stop at Pearl Harbor . During the late autumn of 1952 , " Uvalde " remained in Japanese waters , undergoing a drydocking at Yokosuka in late November before she sailed for Oakland on the 23rd of that month . Reaching Treasure Island , San Francisco , on 8 December , the attack cargo ship went into the naval shipyard at Mare Island three days later . " Uvalde " overhauled at Mare Island into mid - February , 1953 , after which time she conducted the usual under way training evolutions before resuming west coast - to - Japan shuttle voyages . She called at Korean ports once , visiting Pohang in May 1953 , spending most of her time in Japanese waters . Ports included during that cruise included Sasebo , Yokosuka , and Nagasaki . Pacific Fleet , 1954 – 1957 . February through July of the following year , 1954 , was spent in shuttle service between the Naval Supply Center , Oakland , and the Far East , with a recreational visit to Nagasaki in April . During July , the ship arrived at Yokosuka and , after a trip to Sasebo and return , loaded a cargo of rice and medical supplies , setting sail for French Indochina to assist in " Operation Passage to Freedom . " " Uvalde " reached Tourane Bay , French Indochina , on 28 August and remained there , supporting " Passage to Freedom " operations until 10 September , when she got underway to return to Oakland . Over the next few years , " Uvalde ' s " routine would remain much the same , sailing back and forth across the Pacific on the supply line from the west coast of the United States to American military bases in the Far East . Reserve and reinstatement , 1957 – 1961 . Mothballed in 1957 , and becoming a part of the Reserve Fleet , " Uvalde " was struck from the Navy List on 1 July 1960 , but was reinstated on 1 September 1961 , because of the Berlin Crisis . " Uvalde " was recommissioned on 18 November 1961 , Capt . C . A . Baldwin in command . Atlantic Fleet , 1957 – 1962 . Ordered to duty with the Atlantic Fleet , the attack cargo ship — with a new lease on life — got underway for Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and five weeks of training in December . After a voyage that had taken her via Mazatlán , Mexico ; the Panama Canal ; and Guantanamo ( where she engaged in refresher training operations as scheduled ) , " Uvalde " reached her new assigned home port , Norfolk , Virginia , in February 1962 . She thus became a part of the Amphibious Force of the Atlantic Fleet . After a post - shakedown overhaul , " Uvalde " took part in amphibious exercises at Vieques , Puerto Rico ( Lant - PhibLex 1 - 62 ) in April — her first major exercise since recommissioning . By the end of the year 1962 , the veteran attack cargo vessel had deployed on various 2nd Fleet exercises and maneuvers in the western Atlantic and Caribbean areas . Attached to Amphibious Squadron ( PhibRon ) 10 from 22 October to 5 December , " Uvalde " supported the Fleet during the Cuban Missile Crisis , when President John F . Kennedy " quarantined " Cuba over the presence of offensive Soviet missiles on that strategic isle . Mediterranean , 1963 – 1968 . Subsequently , " Uvalde " spent all of January 1963 , engaged in pre - deployment upkeep . She sailed on 4 February , shaping course for the Mediterranean , and operated with the 6th Fleet through mid - May , touching at Naples , Italy ; Athens , Greece ; İzmir , Turkey ; Rhodes , Greece ; Golfe Juan , France ; and Barcelona , Spain ; during the course of her operations . After returning to Norfolk for upkeep and independent ship exercises , " Uvalde " deployed to the Caribbean as part of the Amphibious Ready Squadron , calling at San Juan , Puerto Rico , during that cruise that carried over into late February 1964 as part of PhibRon 8 . She deployed again to the Caribbean from late June to late September 1965 , before she later participated in Exercise " Steel Pike I " , during the latter cruise , she visited Gran Canaria , Tenerife , in the Canary Islands . Returning to her home port , Norfolk , in late November , " Uvalde " shifted to the New York Naval Shipyard , Brooklyn , New York , on 7 January . She remained there , undergoing repairs and alterations , until 28 April , after which time she headed south , ultimately conducting refresher training in Guantanamo Bay . In late June , " Uvalde " supported the American intervention in the Dominican Republic , serving as " bulk fuel control ship " between 18 June and 28 June . The ship then conducted independent exercises and underwent some needed upkeep through mid - July . " Uvalde " subsequently trained out of Little Creek , Virginia , for 10 days in July before resuming scheduled independent ship exercises and upkeep periods out of , and at , Norfolk . That autumn , she deployed to the Mediterranean for the second time as a unit of PhibRon 10 . During that cruise — lasting into mid - March 1966 — " Uvalde " operated with Task Force 61 , visiting Marseilles and Toulon , France ; Malta ; Naples , Genoa , and Livorno , Italy ; Barcelona and Mazarron , Spain ; and Porto Scudo and Santa Manza , Corsica . Reaching the end of the deployment , " Uvalde " left Palma , Majorca , in her wake on 17 March , bound for Rota , Spain , the turnover point , where she would be relieved of her duties with the 6th Fleet . She then began her homeward - bound voyage on 20 March , setting course for Morehead City , North Carolina . Midway across the Atlantic , " Uvalde " picked up distress signals from a Danish merchantman , the refrigerator ship SS " Chilean Reefer " . One of the freighter ' s crewmen was desperately ill and needed prompt medical attention — care that the ship was apparently unable to supply . " Uvalde " immediately reversed course and sped to her assistance . The attack cargo ship took on board the patient , transferring him from " Chilean Reefer " in an LCM , where treatment commenced as soon as he came on board . The sailor remained on board to return to a hospital in the United States for treatment . " Uvalde " ultimately reached Morehead City and there disembarked her detachment of marines and off - loaded their equipment . " Uvalde ' s " crew , eager to continue on the homeward - bound leg of their voyage after the six - month Mediterranean cruise , worked all night to unload the ship so that the ship could sail the next morning , as soon as possible . " Uvalde " reached her home port , Norfolk , on 3 April 1966 . As her commanding officer wrote in retrospect : " It was a good deployment , but it was even better to be back home again . " The attack cargo ship subsequently deployed to the Mediterranean two more times in her career , from April to August 1967 and again during the summer of 1968 , returning to Morehead City , N . C . , on 14 September and Norfolk the following day . She remained on active operations with the Atlantic Fleet into 1968 . Decommissioning and sale . Ultimately declared " unfit for further service " , and replaced by a , with significant increases in combat vehicle and cargo stowage and better combat characteristics , " Uvalde " was decommissioned and struck from the Navy List on 1 December 1968 . Transferred to the Maritime Administration on 26 June 1969 for disposal , " Uvalde ' s " hulk was simultaneously sold to Levin Metals Corp . , of San Jose , California , and scrapped . Awards . " Uvalde " earned one battle star for her World War II service and three for the Korean War . The anchor and bell of the USS " Uvalde " are displayed in Uvalde , Texas .