The USS Palawan (ARG-10) was a Luzon-class internal combustion engine repair ship constructed during World War II. Built by Bethlehem-Fairfield in Maryland, she was launched on August 12, 1944, as MCE hull 2668, and later converted at Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard in Baltimore into a dedicated repair vessel. She was sponsored by Mrs. Louis Augustine and commissioned on May 3, 1945. The vessel was named after Palawan Island in the Philippines, reflecting her intended operational theater. Designed as a specialized repair ship, Palawan’s primary role was to service and repair internal combustion engines of smaller vessels, especially during wartime operations. Following her shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, she loaded ammunition and stores at Norfolk and transited the Panama Canal on June 19, 1945. She then proceeded into the Pacific, arriving at Tacloban in the Philippines on August 3, 1945. Her initial duties involved repairing small craft, with a focus on minesweepers, at San Pedro Bay until September 1, 1945. Afterward, Palawan joined ServDiv 103 to support minesweeping operations in Western Japan, particularly around Sasebo, where she remained until March 10, 1946. She later moved to Shanghai, where she stayed until April 1946. She returned to the United States, arriving in San Diego in June 1946, and was subsequently inactivated. She was decommissioned on January 15, 1947, entering the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Palawan remained berthed in San Diego until February 23, 1962, when she was transferred to the Maritime Administration’s National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay. Eventually, she was sold to the State of California Ship Reef Program on November 1, 1976. In 1977, the vessel was sunk off Redondo Beach, California, serving as an artificial reef, marking her final maritime significance as a habitat for marine life and a site of recreational interest.

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