USS Broadwater ( APA - 139 ) USS " Broadwater " ( APA - 139 ) was a built for the United States Navy during World War II . Named for Broadwater County , Montana , she was the only U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . " Broadwater " was laid down on 1 September 1944 at Wilmington , California by the California Shipbuilding Corporation under a Maritime Commission contract ( MCV hull 55 ) ; launched on 5 November 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . A . E . Florer ; delivered to the Navy on 31 December 1944 ; and commissioned at Terminal Island , California on 2 January 1945 with Captain George G . Herring , Jr . , in command . Service history . After fitting out and underway tests , " Broadwater " began shakedown training out of San Pedro , California on 12 January . On the 26th , she commenced amphibious training in the San Diego area . At the conclusion of that assignment on 12 February , the attack transport arrived at the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Long Beach for a post - shakedown availability . On 23 February she put to sea and , the following day , arrived in San Francisco . There , she loaded cargo until 2 March at which time the ship shaped a course for Hawaii . By the 8th , she was in Hawaiian waters conducting further amphibious training . On 28 March she embarked elements of several construction battalions and , on the 29th , got underway from Pearl Harbor . On 6 and 7 April , " Broadwater " stopped at Eniwetok then continued west . She spent from 13 to 15 April at Kossol Roads in the Palau Islands . On 17 April the attack transport anchored in Guiuan harbor at Samar in the Philippine Islands . She remained in the Samar - Leyte area for almost two weeks before getting underway for the Marianas on 30 April . The ship arrived at Apra Harbor , Guam on 4 May but put to sea again on the 7th . She arrived back in San Francisco on 22 May . After loading cargo and embarking passengers , " Broadwater " departed San Francisco on 29 May . She made stops at Eniwetok and Ulithi before arriving at Manila in the Philippines on 22 June . There , she unloaded cargo and disembarked troops . On 28 June the ship stood out of Manila Bay bound for New Guinea . She arrived at Hollandia on the northern coast of New Guinea on 3 July and began taking on cargo and passengers . Departing Hollandia on 6 July , the attack cargo ship arrived back in Manila Bay on 10 July . After unloading cargo and disembarking passengers , " Broadwater " moved to Subic Bay on the 18th and began loading cargo . On 20 July the ship set sail for the United States . She dropped anchor at San Pedro on 8 August . After almost two weeks of voyage repairs at the California Shipbuilding Corporation , " Broadwater " began loading occupation troops on 24 August . She started across the Pacific on the 25th , made an overnight stop at Eniwetok on 7 and 8 September , and arrived in Manila on 15 September . Her passengers went ashore at Manila , and " Broadwater " got underway for Leyte . She reached San Pedro Bay on the 19th and stayed there until the 23rd . On the 24th , the attack transport anchored in Legaspi harbor , Luzon . She remained at Legaspi until 4 October when she weighed anchor for Japan . She arrived in Tokyo on the 13th . Later that month , the ship headed back to the United States , arriving home early in November . By late January , 1946 " Broadwater " had moved to the east coast at Norfolk to prepare for inactivation . She was decommissioned on 28 February 1946 and was turned over to the Maritime Commission ' s War Shipping Administration for disposal on 1 March 1946 . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 20 March 1946 , and she was berthed with the Maritime Commission ' s National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River , Virginia . She was sold for scrapping in late 1974 or early 1975 .