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Mountrail APA 213

NavSource

Hullnumber.com

Cruise Book

Action Report 

Troop pics

Reunions 

Korean Era  

Vietnam Era
Glen Ayer's Pictures Charles Garry's Picture Earl Cooper's Pictures

Ensign Clapp Obituary

Bert Johnston's pics

Bert's crew images

Glen Ayer provided the original material related to the Mountrail - when the site went live in February 2002, half the material on the entire site was from him..

Other material was contributed by the grandson of Aaron Holzwarth, Nathan David Mitchell and by Bruce Garry, son of Charles Garry, Bert Johnston and Pete Bertram.

Other than the Neshoba, my Dad's ship, this is the largest collection of images relating to a ship in the site.

 

For reunion information, contact:

Don Dicoio dicoio44@aol.com 

Links to Other Amphibious Ships:

APA Links and The National Amphibious Veterans Assoc.
APA 2 Harris LSV 6 Montauk  AV7 Currituck APA 8 Biddle
APA 16 J Franklin Bell APA 38 Chilton APA  54 Wayne AKA 70 Tate
AKA 87 Duplin APA 094 Baxter   AKA 106 UNION APA 137 Bowie
APA 154 Video Links APA Blueprints from APA 154 APA 154 Lowdnes
APA 156 Mellette AP 157 General Ballou   APA 158 Newberry   APA 159 Darke
USS Gage APA168 APA 174 Jerauld APA 193 Sanborn APA 196 Logan  
APA 198 McCracken APA 200 Marathon APA 208 Talladega APA 209 Tazewell  
APA 211 Missoula APA 213 Mountrail APA 214 Natrona   APA 218 Noble
 APA 216 Neshoba APA 219 Okaloosa APA 232 San Saba
LST 597

Links to other Ship's WebPages

LCI (L) 664   Large Slow Targets

This site is intentionally kept simple to navigate and quick to load.

The legend of Spike

Mountrail - DANFS history

Named after a county in North Dakota.

 Mountrail (APA 213) was built under Maritime Commission contract by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif.; launched 20 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Margaret H. Marshall; and commissioned 16 November 1944, Comdr. R. R. Stevens in command.

 Following shakedown, Mountrail embarked troops at Seattle and sailed for the Philippines 10 January 1945. Reaching Leyte Gulf 21 February, she put to sea with men of the 77th Infantry Division for amphibious training off Leyte before departing San Pedro Bay 21 March to join a convoy for the Okinawa invasion. She arrived off Kerama Retto 26 March. While she landed troops 2 April, her gunners shot down three planes.

 Mountrail departed Kerama Retto and arrived San Francisco 22 May to load troops for the Philippines, whom she disembarked at Manila. Returning San Francisco 5 August, she sailed with more troops, landing them at Batangas, Luzon, 11 September. At Leyte Gulf she took on occupation troops whom she landed at Hakodate, Japan, 4 October, then carried Marines from Japan to Tsingtao, China, before sailing for home 5 November. She decommissioned 12 July 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Stockton, Calif.

 With the outbreak of the Korean conflict, Mountrail recommissioned 9 September 1950, and sailed 22 December for the Far East to carry men between Japan and Korea until returning San Diego 2 August 1951. On 28 May 1952, she sailed for her second tour of duty with the 7th Fleet, operating between Hong Kong and Korea for the next 6 months. On 14 October she joined in the feint off Kojo, Korea, which tricked the Communists completely.

 She returned to Long Beach in December and trained on the west coast until sailing for Japan 28 November 1953. She sailed between the Philippines and Japan until August, when she joined operation “Passage to Freedom,” the massive evacuation of refugees from North to South Vietnam. She returned to Long Reach 9 October 1954, and decommissioned 1 October 1955 to return to reserve. 

Mountrail recommissioned 22 November 1961 and sailed to join Amphibious Squadron 12, Atlantic Fleet. During training, she operated in the Atlantic and Caribbean, strengthening American forces at Guantanamo Bay during the Cuban Missile Crisis of fall 1962. In October and November 1964 she took part in NATO landing exercises in southern Spain, and 8 February 1965 she left Norfolk for her first deployment with the 6th Fleet. She took part in exercises off Norway in June and July, returning Norfolk 20 July.

 Into 1969, Mountrail has continued annual deployments with the 6th Fleet, strengthening the amphibious capability of this bulwark of freedom in the Mediterranean.

Mountrail received one battle star for World War II service and three for Korean service.

Specifications:
Displacement 6,873 t.(lt) 14,837 t.(fl)
Length 455'
Beam 62'
Speed 17.7 kts. (trial)
Complement

Officers 56

Enlisted 480
Troop Accommodations

Officers 86 Officers

Enlisted 1,475
Cargo Capacity 150,000 cu. ft, (non-refrigerated) 2,900 tons
Boats 2 LCM, 12 LCVP, 3 LCPU
Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual-purpose gun mount

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

one quad 40mm AA gun mount

ten single 20mm AA gun mounts
Fuel Capacities

NSFO 7,780 Bbls

Diesel 970 Bbls
Propulsion

one Westinghouse geared turbine

two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 465psi 750°

double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gear

three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C.

single propeller, 8,500shp