USS Griggs (APA-110)

History
United States
Name	USS Griggs (APA-110)
Namesake	Griggs County, North Dakota
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Sponsored by	Mrs Betty Bennett Banker
Acquired	13 December 1944
Commissioned	14 December 1944
Decommissioned	27 May 1946
Stricken	19 June 1946
Fate	Scrapped 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	Windsor-class attack transport
Displacement	7,970 long tons (8,100 metric tons) (lt), 13,143 ong tons (13,354 metric tons) (fl)
Length	492 ft 1 in
Beam	69 ft 6 in
Draft	26 ft 6 in
Speed	18 knots
Capacity	Troops: Officer 94 Enlisted 1,463 Cargo: 150,000 cu ft, 1,600 long tons
Complement	Officer 42 Enlisted 434
Armament	1 x 5"/38 caliber dual-purpose gun mounts, 8 x Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 mounts
Notes	MCV Hull No. ?, hull type C3-S-A3

USS Griggs (APA-110) was a Windsor-class attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II. She was commissioned late in the war and initially assigned to transport duties; however she did take part in combat operations near Okinawa.

Griggs (APA-110), was named after a county in North Dakota. A Type C3 ship, she was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi; acquired by the Navy on a loan-charter basis 13 December 1944; and commissioned 14 December 1944, Captain Arthur C. Wood in command.

World War II[]

According to Radioman 3rd Class Reno Ostarello (10th Naval Beach Battalion), who manned an antiaircraft gun, Griggs entered combat in the Battle of Okinawa. During one of the firefights, a call was made to “cease fire,” with the belief that the approaching craft could have been a U.S. plane. When the plane flew overhead, the crew could see its Japanese rising sun symbol, but by then it was too late to take down. The kamikaze aircraft dove into their sister ship the USS La Grange, with a direct hit to the communications center of the ship.

After shakedown at Galveston, Texas, Griggs trained precommissioning crews out of Newport, Rhode Island, before reaching Norfolk, Virginia 31 March 1945. There she embarked 40 officers and 1,416 men of the 41st Marine Depot Company and the 55th Marine Replacement Draft.

Clearing Norfolk 26 May Griggs sailed via Canal Zone and discharged her passengers at San Francisco 1 June 1945. She departed Port Hueneme 17 June with 1,032 Seabees embarked and touched at Eniwetok and Ulithi before discharging her passengers at Okinawa and Manila Bay, Philippine Islands.

After hostilities[]

After delivering occupation troops to Japan from Lingayen Gulf and Mindanao, Griggs took up Operation Magic Carpet duty and departed Saipan 2 November 1945, en route to San Diego, where she arrived 13 days later with many war veterans. Griggs made two more "Magic Carpet" voyages returning to San Francisco from her last trip 21 February 1946.

Decommission[]

Departing San Pedro, California, 12 March 1946, Griggs sailed via Canal Zone and reached Norfolk 28 March. She remained there until decommissioned at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, 27 May 1946. Delivered to the War Shipping Administration the next day, her name was stricken from the Navy List 19 June 1946.

Commercial service[]

Sold to Moore-McCormack Lines 21 April 1948, she became Mormacrey. In 1966 she was sold to Grace Line and renamed Santa Alicia. In 1973 she was scrapped.

References[]

• USS Griggs (APA-110), DANFS Online.
• APA-110 Griggs, Navsource Online.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.