The USS St. Mary's (APA-126) was a Haskell-class attack transport built on the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design, intended to support amphibious operations during World War II. She was constructed by the California Shipbuilding Corporation in Wilmington, California, with her keel laid down on June 29, 1944, and launched on September 4, 1944. The vessel was acquired by the U.S. Navy on loan and delivered on November 14, 1944, and commissioned the following day. St. Mary's was assigned to Transport Squadron 17 and was equipped to carry troops and cargo for military operations. Her dimensions and specific tonnage are not detailed here, but as a Haskell-class vessel, she was typical of attack transports designed for rapid deployment of troops and equipment. She was capable of carrying a variety of military cargo, including bulldozers, airplane engines, bomb service trucks, and other essential equipment. Her service record began with her departure from Los Angeles on January 1, 1945, heading towards Manus in the Admiralty Islands. After offloading her cargo, she moved to New Guinea and participated in the preparations for the Okinawa campaign. She trained with units of the 77th Division and took part in the assault on Okinawa, landing troops on Kerama Retto and Ie Shima, and supporting diversionary landings in Okinawa’s southern coast. During her operations, she was in the kamikaze threat area, but she successfully continued her missions. Following Okinawa, St. Mary's supported occupation efforts in Japan, arriving in Tokyo Bay just before the formal surrender. She disembarked troops at Yokohama and Kure, then transported servicemen back to the United States as part of the "Magic Carpet" operation. Her post-war service included returning to Okinawa for additional repatriation missions. The ship was decommissioned on February 15, 1946, and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. She was later withdrawn for repairs in 1956 but remained in reserve until she was sold for scrap in 1975. During her service, USS St. Mary's earned one battle star for her participation in World War II. She was scrapped in 1975, ending her nearly three-decade existence as a vital amphibious transport vessel.

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