The USS Pitt (APA-223/LPA-223) was a Haskell-class attack transport vessel built during World War II, based on the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design. Laid down on September 8, 1944, by Permanente Metals Corporation in Richmond, California, she was launched on November 10, 1944, and commissioned on December 11, 1944. The ship was named after Pitt County, North Carolina, and served as an essential component of U.S. naval operations in the Pacific theater. Following her shakedown off California, Pitt departed on February 10, 1945, heading through Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok to Ulithi Atoll, where she joined a large fleet preparing for the Okinawa invasion. She delivered part of her ammunition cargo at Ulithi and Leyte, then loaded U.S. Army troops from the damaged attack transport Samuel Chase. Pitt participated in the assault on Okinawa, specifically aiding in the capture of Zamami Shima, and served as a receiving ship at Kerama Retto, where she cared for survivors of Japanese suicide attacks and successfully shot down one enemy plane on April 6, 1945. After Okinawa, Pitt traveled to Saipan, Tulagi, Noumea, and Guam before returning to San Francisco, where she participated in the celebrations marking Japan’s surrender. She subsequently transported troops to occupy Aomori, Japan, in September 1945 and undertook multiple Operation Magic Carpet missions, repatriating U.S. servicemen from the Pacific regions including Saipan, Tinian, Manila, and Nagoya. Decommissioned on April 9, 1947, Pitt was transferred to the Maritime Commission and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California. Her designation was changed from APA to LPA in 1968. She was eventually sold for scrap in 1980 after passing through various owners. Throughout her service, USS Pitt earned one battle star for her participation in World War II, marking her as a notable vessel in the U.S. Navy’s wartime amphibious fleet.

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