The USS Bolivar (APA-34) was a Bayfield-class attack transport constructed during World War II, primarily serving from 1943 to 1946. Built by the Western Pipe and Steel Company in San Francisco under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 269), she was originally launched as SS Sea Angel on September 7, 1942. The vessel was first designated AP-79 but was reclassified as APA-34 on February 1, 1943, and transferred to the Navy on March 15, 1943, when she was commissioned as Bolivar. After a brief decommissioning at Hoboken, New Jersey, she was converted into an attack transport by Todd Shipbuilding and recommissioned on September 1, 1943. The Bolivar had a busy wartime service, participating in major campaigns across the Pacific Theater. She was involved in the invasion of the Marshall Islands, where she transferred elements of the 23rd Marines at Kwajalein Atoll in January 1944. She then trained for subsequent operations, including the assault on Saipan in June 1944, where she transported and disembarked troops under combat conditions, and the invasion of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, during which she disembarked troops and evacuated casualties amid kamikaze attacks. She also participated in the landings at Lingayen Gulf in January 1945, providing crucial troop and cargo transport under enemy air attack. Throughout her service, Bolivar supported key amphibious assaults, including Iwo Jima in February 1945, where she disembarked troops and evacuated wounded amidst intense combat and shellfire. She also prepared for the Okinawa invasion, though her role there was limited due to the campaign's timing. After the war, she was involved in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating U.S. servicemen from the Pacific. Decommissioned on April 29, 1946, and struck from the Navy List the same year, Bolivar was eventually sold into commercial service, operating under various companies until her scrapping in 1973. She earned five battle stars for her wartime service, marking her as a significant vessel in the Pacific amphibious campaigns of 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.