USS Admiral E . W . Eberle ( AP - 123 ) USS " Admiral E . W . Eberle " ( AP - 123 ) was laid down on 15 February 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 681 ) by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation , Alameda , California ; launched on 14 June 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Earl Warren , the wife of the Governor of California who later became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court ; and acquired by the Navy and commissioned on 24 January 1945 , Capt . G . C . Carlstedt , USCG , in command . The transport was operated by the Naval Transportation Service and manned largely by Coast Guard personnel . On 6 March , she departed San Francisco with troops and supplies bound for New Guinea . She made stops at Finschhafen and Hollandia before dropping anchor at Manus Island on 25 March . While there , a Navy plane crashed into the starboard side of the ship . Both occupants of the plane were killed , and casualties on board Admiral E . W . Eberle numbered one dead and five wounded . On 26 March , the ship sailed in convoy for the Philippines . After loading troops at Leyte , " Admiral E . W . Eberle " proceeded to Manila . There , she embarked over 2 , 000 civilians for transportation to the United States . These passengers were mainly American citizens who had been interned in the Philippines since Japanese forces captured the islands in the spring of 1942 . " Admiral E . W . Eberle " returned to Leyte on 13 April to pick up Army personnel ; then sailed , via Ulithi , for the west coast of the United States and reached San Pedro , CA , on 2 May . The ship ' s next voyage took her across the Atlantic to Italy . Arriving at Naples on 4 June , she embarked Army personnel and baggage for transportation to Trinidad . The transport reached Trinidad on 18 June and soon reversed her course , bound for France . At Le Havre , " Admiral E . W . Eberle " embarked over 4 , 000 homeward - bound troops whom she put ashore upon her arrival at Norfolk on 6 July . " Admiral E . W . Eberle " stood out to sea again on 14 July for another voyage to France . She touched at Marseilles and took on board troops destined for the Philippines . " Admiral E . W . Eberle " steamed via the Panama Canal and Ulithi , arrived at Luzon on 29 August , debarked part of her passengers , and moved on to Manila . The transport returned to the United States in September and put into Seattle , WA , for upkeep . Between October 1945 and March 1946 , " Admiral E . W . Eberle " made three voyages to Japan and Korea . " Admiral E . W . Eberle " was decommissioned on 8 May 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission for transfer to the Army . Her name was struck from the Navy list in June 1946 . The Army acquired the transport that same month and subsequently renamed her " General Simon B . Buckner " . The ship was once again transferred to the Navy on 1 March 1950 and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service . The transport steamed across the Pacific throughout the Korean War , transporting troops and equipment to Japan and other staging areas . " General Simon B . Buckner " continued operations in the Pacific until 15 February 1955 , when she departed San Francisco , bound for New York City . Upon arrival two weeks later , she was assigned to the New York - Bremerhaven runs . In the next 10 years " General Simon B . Buckner " made over 130 Atlantic voyages from New York to Bremerhaven , Southampton , and the Mediterranean . Departing New York on 11 August 1965 , she returned to the west coast , arriving at Long Beach on the 27th to assist in the movement of troops and equipment to southeast Asia . After two cruises to Vietnam , the veteran transport resumed operation in the Atlantic , arriving at New York on 3 December . In the next eight months , she steamed across the Atlantic 10 times , making stops at Bremerhaven and Southampton . Returning to the west coast in August 1966 , " General Simon B . Buckner " was once again pressed into service to carry war material to Vietnam . She departed San Francisco on 8 September and reached Da Nang 20 days later . Following her return to San Francisco on 16 October , she continued to support American operations in southeast Asia until President Richard Nixon ' s Vietnamization program decreased the Navy ' s need for transports . She was returned to the Maritime Administration on 24 March 1970 .