USS Haskell (APA‑117) was a Haskell‑class attack transport of the United States Navy. The ship was named for Haskell County, Kansas, and Haskell County, Texas.
Construction and commissioning
- Built under a Maritime Commission contract by the California Shipbuilding Corporation at Terminal Island, California.
- Launched in September 1944 and commissioned later that year (late 1944).
World War II service
- Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, USS Haskell carried troops, equipment, and landing craft to forward areas.
- Took part in the amphibious assault on Okinawa in April 1945, delivering assault troops and providing support for the operation.
- Following the end of hostilities, the vessel participated in the occupation of Japan and in “Operation Magic Carpet,” the repatriation of American service members to the United States.
Post‑war status
- Decommissioned in 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission for lay‑up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.
- Remained in reserve until being struck from the Naval Vessel Register.
- Ultimately sold for scrap in the mid‑1970s.
Legacy
USS Haskell is representative of the Haskell‑class attack transports, a series of 117 ships built rapidly during the latter part of World War II to meet the U.S. Navy’s amphibious warfare requirements. The class enabled large‑scale troop deployments across the vast Pacific theatre.
