USS Starlight ( AP - 175 ) USS " Starlight " ( AP - 175 ) was a " Storm King " class auxiliary transport . She was designed as a troop carrier . " Starlight " was laid down on 9 October 1943 as SS " Starlight " ( MC hull 1358 ) by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company , Wilmington , North Carolina ; launched on 23 December 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . M . T . Solomon ; acquired by the Navy from the War Shipping Administration on a bareboat charter ; converted into an auxiliary transport by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp . , Staten Island , N . Y . ; and commissioned on 15 February 1944 , Comdr . W . O . Britton , USNR , in command . Service history . 1944 . " Starlight " , as an auxiliary transport , was assigned to the Naval Transportation Service for duty . Sea trials were held in Long Island Sound ; and she sailed to Hampton Roads , Virginia , to begin her shakedown cruise . She remained there from 12 May to 5 June when she weighed anchor for the Panama Canal and the Hawaiian Islands . The transport arrived at Pearl Harbor on 26 June and was assigned to Transport Division ( TransDiv ) 38 . The 305th Regimental Combat Team ( RCT ) of the 77th Infantry Division was combat loaded on board on 1 July and TransDiv 38 sailed for Eniwetok , Marshall Islands , the next day . There , she joined other units of Task Group ( TG ) 53 . 2 , Assault Group Four , for the amphibious assault on Guam , Mariana Islands . The task group sortied on the 17th and , four days later , landed the assault troops on the beaches . " Starlight " remained in the combat area until 29 July . She was loaded with Marine Corps combat casualties for evacuation , and sailed , via Eniwetok , for Pearl Harbor . " Starlight " arrived at Pearl Harbor on 10 August . After a few repairs were made and the ship was provisioned , RCT 32 of the 7th Infantry Division was embarked for amphibious assault training . On 17 September , the transport sailed for the invasion of Yap , Caroline Islands , but these orders were cancelled when two days out of port . Her new orders routed the ship , via the Marshall Islands and the Admiralty Islands , to the Philippines . As a unit of Attack Group Able , " Starlight " landed troops on the Dulag beachhead on 20 October as the Leyte invasion began . When all troops had been disembarked from TransDiv 38 , it sailed for Hollandia , New Guinea , as part of a “ turn around ” resupply operation . " Starlight " returned to Leyte on 18 November with replacements for combat casualties which were unloaded in eight hours , under enemy air attack . The transport shot down two enemy aircraft before steaming to Manus and Empress Augusta Bay , Bougainville , for amphibious training of the 145th RCT , 37th Infantry Division . " Starlight " returned to Manus on 21 December 1944 and sortied late in the month with TG 79 . 1 for Luzon . 1945 . She landed troops on Binmaley Beach , Lingayen Gulf , on 9 January 1945 and remained there for three days during which she shot down two more Japanese planes . The ship returned to New Guinea on the 22nd ; loaded troops of the 41st Infantry Division for Mindoro ; and landed them safely on 29 January . She then sailed for Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides , and Lunga Point , Guadalcanal , to embark elements of Marine Air Group ( MAG ) 33 for delivery to Okinawa . She embarked some elements at both ports and departed the Solomons on 14 March for Manus , Ulithi , and Peleliu . As a unit of Amphibious Group 4 , TF 53 , she reached Okinawa on 11 April and unloaded her cargo at Hagushi Beach and Nago Wan . During the next week , she had splashed two more Japanese planes . The ship returned to Ulithi on 24 April and was ordered to proceed to San Francisco for an overhaul . Starlight was at San Francisco from 12 April to 11 July when she sailed for Manila with elements of the 780th Field Artillery and the 554th Signal Depot Co . embarked . After making calls at Eniwetok and Ulithi , the troops were unloaded at Manila during the first week of August . The troop transport was steaming to Pearl Harbor when she received news of the Japanese surrender . The troopship was then used to shuttle troops between Saipan , Tinian , Guam , and Sasebo , until routed to the west coast in mid - December 1945 . 1946 . " Starlight " arrived at San Pedro , California , on 2 January 1946 ; loaded Marines ; and disembarked them at Tientsin , China , on 9 February . Through June , she made two more voyages from the west coast to the Far East . On 5 July , " Starlight " stood out of San Francisco en route to the east coast and inactivation . " Starlight " arrived at Norfolk on 20 July ; decommissioned on 12 August ; was returned to the Maritime Commission on 14 August ; and struck from the Navy list on 28 August 1946 . Awards . " Starlight " received four battle stars for World War II service .