The USS Sarita (AKA-39) was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship constructed during the final years of World War II, serving the United States Navy from 1945 to 1947. She was built by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc., in Providence, Rhode Island, with her keel laid on December 22, 1944. Launched on February 23, 1945, she was sponsored by Mrs. Manuel T. Sousa and officially commissioned on March 22, 1945. The ship's name, Sarita, honors the minor planet 796 Sarita, named by astronomer Hugo Arturo Martinez after his girlfriend, Sarita Salas. Following her shakedown, the Sarita arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, on April 23, 1945, to conduct afloat training exercises for pre-commissioning crews of attack cargo ships. She weathered a hurricane on June 25, 1945, and completed her training by July 6. On July 20, she departed Norfolk, Virginia, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on August 8. She subsequently sailed on September 1 with occupation troops bound for Japan, arriving at Sasebo on September 22. After a voyage to Manila in late September, she returned to Sasebo in October to commence "Magic Carpet" duty, participating in two troop-repatriation voyages from Okinawa and Tokyo Bay, helping to bring servicemen home after the war. In early 1946, Sarita was released from "Magic Carpet" operations and underwent overhaul in Portland, Oregon. She then proceeded to Guam on February 6, 1946, making cargo voyages to various ports including Saipan, Tokyo Bay, Tsingtao, Shanghai, Okinawa, and Manus, until July 25. The ship returned to Puget Sound and was later towed to San Francisco for inactivation, which culminated in her decommissioning on January 29, 1947. She was transferred to the Maritime Commission's National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California, and struck from the Navy list in February 1947. Ultimately, the USS Sarita was sold for scrapping in June 1966 to Zidell Explorations, Inc. Her brief but active service reflected her role in post-war troop transportation and logistical support, marking her as a notable example of the Artemis-class attack cargo ships that supported U.S. military operations during and immediately after 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.