The USS Presque Isle (APB-44), originally designated USS LST-678, was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Constructed by the American Bridge Company in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, she was laid down on April 29, 1944, launched on June 16, 1944, and commissioned shortly thereafter on June 30, 1944. The vessel measured approximately 328 feet in length, with a beam of about 50 feet, and featured a displacement suitable for her class, designed for amphibious operations. Following her shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico, she transited via the Panama Canal to the Pacific Theater, participating in key operations including the invasion of Iwo Jima. She was renamed USS Presque Isle on March 31, 1945, and provided logistical support during the campaign, notably assisting in rescue operations after kamikaze attacks at Okinawa, where she rescued 188 men from the hit LST-884. During the Okinawa campaign, she also undertook tender, housing, and supply duties. After the war, she remained in the Pacific, at San Pedro and Subic Bays, and was involved in occupation duties in Japan. In July 1946, she participated in Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, as part of Task Unit 1.8.3. She was decommissioned on April 18, 1947, and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Charleston. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in 1959, she was sold into commercial service as the MV Inagua Shipper, flying the Liberian flag. In 1967, she was acquired by the Indonesian Navy, renamed KRI Teluk Ratai (509), and rearmed with Soviet 37 mm anti-aircraft guns and equipped with surface search radar. Throughout her service with Indonesia, she played roles in troop and logistics transport, including operations in remote areas and disaster relief efforts such as after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She participated in military exercises, naval parades, and was involved in national development projects. The vessel was decommissioned on August 15, 2019, and is planned to be preserved as a museum ship in Pariaman, Indonesia. Her long service history makes her a vessel of notable maritime and military significance, bridging wartime amphibious operations and peacetime logistical and humanitarian missions.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.