USS Shoshone (AKA-65) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Built by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, North Carolina, she was laid down on 12 May 1944 as a Type C2-S-AJ3 ship under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1388). The vessel was launched on 17 July 1944, sponsored by Mrs. N. J. Smith, and briefly commissioned from 31 August to 4 September 1944 for a voyage from Wilmington to the Charleston Navy Yard, where she completed fitting out. She was officially commissioned on 24 September 1944. Shoshone's service history includes extensive participation in Pacific theater operations. After arriving at Norfolk in October 1944, she underwent shakedown training in Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay, followed by repairs before loading cargo at Bayonne, New Jersey, for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal on 9 November and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 22 November, where she discharged her cargo and underwent amphibious training. In early January 1945, she loaded assault cargo and personnel of the 4th Marine Division at Maui, but was rammed stern-first by the USS Muliphen (AKA-61) on 13 January, requiring repairs at Pearl Harbor. Shoshone participated in the Iwo Jima invasion, arriving off the island on 19 February 1945, where she assisted with unloading troops and cargo. She completed her unloading by 1 March and then moved to Saipan, where she loaded the 2nd Marine Division's personnel and equipment. She was also involved in the Okinawa campaign, arriving off Okinawa on 1 April 1945, but was ordered to reposition southeast of Okinawa and did not land troops there. Instead, she offloaded troops and supplies at Saipan. After the war, Shoshone transported occupation troops to Japan, arriving in Aomori on 25 September 1945, and later returned servicemen to the United States. She was decommissioned on 28 June 1946, transferred to the War Shipping Administration, and sold into mercantile service, where she underwent several name changes, including Alameda, Hawaiian Trader, Short Hills, Colorado, and U.S. Mate, before being scrapped in 1971 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Throughout her service, USS Shoshone earned two battle stars for her participation in 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.