USS Libra ( AKA - 12 ) USS " Libra " ( AK - 53 / AKA - 12 / LKA - 12 ) was an named after the constellation Libra . She served as a commissioned ship for 11 years . " Libra " ( AK - 53 ) was laid down as " Jean Lykes " by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , Kearny , N . J . , under contract for Lykes Brothers Steamship Company , Galveston , Texas ; launched 12 November 1941 ; sponsored by Lindy Boggs , wife of Congressman Hale Boggs of Louisiana ; acquired by the Navy on 30 December 1941 ; named " Libra " on 9 January 1942 ; and commissioned on 13 May 1942 , Comdr . W . B . Fletcher in command . " Libra " received nine battle stars for World War II service . Operational history . World War II . Solomons and Bougainville campaigns . Completing conversion at New York City on 26 May 1942 , " Libra " loaded combat equipment at Hampton Roads and sailed on 10 June for Wellington , New Zealand , arriving 11 July . Laden with cargo for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force , she sailed 22 July for rehearsals in the Fijis for the first Allied offensive of the Pacific War , the Solomons campaign . " Libra " arrived off Tulagi on 7 August , and began an unloading interrupted six times in the next three days , as enemy air attack caused her to go to general quarters and stand off to maneuver in open waters . In the early morning 9 August she heard heavy gunfire to the northwest , where Allied warships engaged the Japanese in the Battle of Savo Island , fighting to protect the transports and their vital cargo . Later the same day , empty , she sailed for Wellington , arriving 20 August . For the next three months , Libra sailed from Noumea to the Ellice Islands and Espiritu Santo , base for the Guadalcanal operation , building up supplies . She returned to Guadalcanal 11 November , and her group almost immediately came under enemy air attack . The determined enemy sent another seven planes against the transports next day ; all were splashed by " Libra " and her sisters . She sailed for Espiritu Santo on 13 November as the Battle of Guadalcanal , just south of Savo Island , raged to a victory which gave the Allies sea control off the southern Solomons . Returning to Espiritu Santo on 15 November , " Libra " prepared for two additional voyages to Guadalcanal during the next month , bringing cargo essential to the epic struggles of the marines to wrest the island from the Japanese . From mid - December 1942 through March 1943 , " Libra " , redesignated AKA - 12 on 1 February , carried war equipment from New Zealand to bases in the New Hebrides . Joining the 3rd Fleet on 20 March , she returned to Guadalcanal on 3 April , and four days later joined in fighting off land - based enemy aircraft . She returned to Espiritu Santo on 10 April , and during the next 80 days made four voyages carrying cargo for the occupation of Guadalcanal . For her superlative performance of duty through the Guadalcanal campaign , " Libra " received the Navy Unit Commendation . She earned it in part on 30 June , when , unloading cargo at Rendova , her task group came under heavy enemy air attack . Deadly anti - aircraft fire downed 17 of the 25 attacking torpedo planes before they could launch torpedoes , but some got through to strike after passing under " Libra " , unladen and high in the water . " Libra " took the stricken transport in tow . Later the same day , the two were attacked by eight dive bombers , three of whom they splashed . Relieved of the tow later that afternoon , " Libra " returned to Guadalcanal . Aside from a repair period in New Zealand in August , " Libra " gave the next four months to building up the base on Guadalcanal with cargo from New Caledonia , then was part of the assault force for Bougainville , arriving Empress Augusta Bay on 1 November . Promptly unloading , she sailed the same day for Guadalcanal for additional cargo , with which she arrived Bougainville on 8 November , immediately to splash one of 25 dive bombers attacking her transport group . " Libra " carried cargo among the New Hebrides , Solomons , and Marshalls until June 1944 , when she prepared for the assault on Guam . Arriving off Guam from Eniwetok on 21 July , she quickly discharged heavy equipment for the 3rd Marines on the Asan beaches , then sailed for San Francisco , arriving from Pearl Harbor on 19 August . Leyte . Overhauled , " Libra " sailed from San Francisco on 20 October for Milne Bay , New Guinea , and Manus , where she readied for the Lingayen Gulf landings . She entered the Gulf on 11 January 1945 , off - loaded her vital cargo , and sailed for Leyte , Ulithi , and Guam . Her final amphibious operation was the Battle of Iwo Jima , off which she arrived 19 February . For two weeks she maneuvered off the volcanic beaches , avoiding enemy shore batteries as she landed marine combat gear . For the remainder of the war , " Libra " carried cargo from Noumea to Leyte and intermediate ports . Post World War II . In the first of her post - war cargo runs supporting the occupation of Japan , she entered Tokyo Bay on 2 September . Duty complete by 21 November , " Libra " steamed for Seattle , arriving 30 November . Serving with the U . S . Pacific Fleet out of San Francisco for the next two years , " Libra " made four voyages to the western Pacific for essential cargo operations . She departed Guam on 6 October 1947 for Hawaii , the Panama Canal , and Boston , where she arrived on 26 November . Here she decommissioned on 19 April 1948 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . Korean War . With the increased demand on cargo facilities brought on by the Korean War , " Libra " recommissioned 28 August 1950 to join the Amphibious Force , Atlantic Fleet , supporting its training operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean . She served in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet from 18 January to 12 May 1954 , then trained reservists , sailing often with them to the Caribbean . Decommissioned . " Libra " was decommissioned on 6 October 1955 , to join the Reserve Fleet at James River Va . , where she remained until transferred to the Maritime Administration in July 1964 . The ship was redesignated LKA - 12 ( Amphibious Transport ) on 1 January 1969 . She entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet , struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 January 1977 , and sold for scrapping on 17 April 1985 .