USS Blackford

	USS Blackford
History
United States
Name	Blackford
Namesake	Blackford County, Indiana
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co.
Laid down	2 January 1945
Launched	9 April 1945
Commissioned	9 July 1945
Decommissioned	26 April 1947
Stricken	1 April 1960
Identification	APB-45
Fate	Sunk as a target by South African military 1968-70
Notes	Ship International Radio Callsign: NBCK
General characteristics
Class and type	Benewah-class barracks ship
Displacement	4,000 tons
Length	328 ft (100 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)
Propulsion	2 × General Motors 12-567A diesel engines
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	12 Officers, 125 Enlisted (Crew); 28 Officers, 275 Enlisted (Troop Complement);
Armament	2 × quad 40 mm AA guns; 20 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) and 0.3 in (7.6 mm) cal machine guns;

USS Blackford (APB-45) was a Benewah-class self-propelled barracks ship that was in service with the United States Navy during the waning days of World War II. She was decommissioned in April 1947 and sold for merchant service. In c. 1968-1970, she was sunk as a target by the South African Military.

Ship history

Authorized as LST-1111, she was redesignated as General Issue Stores Ship Blackford AKS-16 on 8 December 1944. On 2 January 1945, her keel was laid down at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., and on 6 March 1945 she was once more redesignated, this time as Self-Propelled Barracks Ship Blackford APB-45. She launched on 9 April 1945 and was commissioned 9 July 1945 at Navy Supply Depot, New Orleans.

During the war, Blackford served the U.S. Navy in the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre of Operations.Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 19 August 1945, she joined the 3rd Amphibious Force. On 5 October 1945, she was assigned with Occupation Duty for 25 days up to 30 October 1945. During the next eight months she served at Eniwetok, Ulithi, Leyte, and Tokyo Bay as a floating barracks. She departed Yokosuka, Japan, 7 April and arrived at New Orleans 14 May 1946. Moving to Orange, Texas, 10 June, she went out of commission in reserve there 26 April 1947.

Post-military service

After 13 years of being laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, she was struck from the Naval Register on 1 April 1960. 3 years later, in 1963, she was purchased by Collins Submarine Pipeline. She would serve this merchant role until 1968-1970, when she was sunk as a target by the South African military.

Ship awards

World War II Victory Medal
American Campaign Medal
Philippines Liberation Medal
Navy Occupation Service Medal (With Asia Clasp)
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

[1] NavSource, APB-45
[2] Shipscribe-USS Blackford APB-45
[3] Naval Cover Museum, USS Blackford