The USS Baxter (APA-94) was a Sumter-class attack transport built for the United States Navy during World War II. Launched on September 19, 1943, by Gulf Shipbuilding in Chickasaw, Alabama, she was initially named Antinous under a Maritime Commission contract. Transferred to the Navy on November 30, 1943, she was placed in reduced commission the same day, then sailed to New York for conversion at Atlantic Basin Iron Works in Brooklyn. Recommissioned on May 15, 1944, Baxter was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Throughout her service, Baxter primarily transported troops and cargo, undertaking three voyages between the West Coast and Pearl Harbor between July and August 1944. Her early operational focus was training in the Hawaiian Islands, preparing for the upcoming Pacific assaults. She participated in the Leyte operation from October to November 1944, landing several hundred troops. In late December 1944, Baxter set out from Manus in the Admiralty Islands with troops and supplies for the Philippines, arriving at Lingayen Gulf on January 9, 1945, where she took part in the initial assault on Luzon. Shortly after, she supported landings at San Felipe, Luzon, before moving to Leyte Gulf. In March 1945, Baxter joined the 7th Infantry Division for training before heading to Okinawa, where she provided logistical support during the initial stages of the Battle of Okinawa from April 1 to 6. Afterward, she returned to the United States, arriving in San Francisco on April 30. From June 1945 through February 1946, Baxter conducted six voyages between California, the Western Pacific islands, and Japan, supporting post-war operations. Decommissioned on March 22, 1946, Baxter was returned to the Maritime Commission and sold into commercial service in 1947, renamed SS La Salle, operated by Waterman Steamship Corporation of Mobile, Alabama. She remained in service until being scrapped in 1968. For her wartime service, Baxter received three battle stars, marking her contribution to significant Pacific campaigns during World War II.

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