Haskell-class attack transports (
APA) were
amphibious assault ships of the
United States Navy created in 1944. They were designed to transport 1,500 troops and their combat equipment, and land them on hostile shores with the ships' integral
landing craft.
The
Haskells were very active in the World War II
Pacific Theater of Operations, landing
Marines and
Army troops and transporting casualties at
Iwo Jima and
Okinawa. Ships of the class were among the first
Allied ships to enter
Tokyo Bay at the end of World War II, landing the first occupation troops at
Yokosuka. After the end of World War II, most participated in
Operation Magic Carpet, the massive
sealift of US personnel back to the United States. A few of the
Haskell class were reactivated for the
Korean War, with some staying in service into the
Vietnam War.
The
Haskell class,
Maritime Commission standard type VC2-S-AP5, is a sub‑type of the World War II
Victory ship design. 117 were launched in 1944 and 1945, with 14 more being finished as another VC2 type or canceled. Built by the
War Shipping Administration under the
Emergency Shipbuilding program.
<Wikipedia>