USS Sierra (AD-18) - World War II

World War II

Sierra completed fitting out at Tampa and, on 13 April, sailed for Hampton Roads, Virginia, via Key West, arriving there on 18 April. The next day, she began a 10-day shakedown cruise in the Chesapeake Bay area and a subsequent yard availability period in the Norfolk Navy Yard from 28 April to 17 May.

On 18 May, Sierra stood out of Norfolk en route to San Diego, California, via the Panama Canal Zone. She was in San Diego for five days and, on 7 June, departed for Pearl Harbor. The destroyer tender rendered services to destroyers and destroyer escorts at Pearl Harbor from 13 June to 3 September 1944.

With the need for fleet repair units at advance bases to support the forthcoming invasion of the Philippine Islands, Sierra proceeded to Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island, Admiralty Islands. She was attached to the United States Third Fleet and serviced its ships until February 1945. Her most outstanding accomplishments were the replacement of a complete 5-inch (127-mm) gun mount on the battleship USS California (BB-44) and rebuilding the starboard stern of the destroyer USS Claxton (DD-571), which had been severely damaged by a kamikaze in Leyte Gulf.

Sierra was underway from Seeadler Harbor on 18 February en route to Purvis Bay, Solomon Islands. She repaired a fleet of tank landing ships (LSTs) in preparation for the assault on Iwo Jima and then proceeded, on 15 March, to Ulithi, Caroline Islands. She serviced units of the United States Fifth Fleet there until 25 May when she departed for San Pedro Bay, Philippines, on Leyte Gulf.