USS Catoctin (AGC-5) - 1945

1945

Catoctin left Naples 15 January 1945, and after a brief repair period at Palermo, Sicily, sailed to Sevastopol, Russia. Arriving 26 January, she served as communications ship and as headquarters for the advance party planning the Yalta Conference. Her crew operated transportation, canteen, hospital, and dental facilities ashore, and in cooperation with other Allied facilities, operated an air-sea rescue net. On 11 February, she welcomed President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his party, including Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, for an overnight stay. Catoctin cleared Sevastopol 15 February, returning to Naples 5 days later, then sailed for Oran.

The command ship embarked military passengers at Oran, and proceeded to Philadelphia, where she underwent overhaul, followed by refresher training. On 20 June, she stood down Delaware Bay, bound for Pearl Harbor, where she arrived in July. Underway once more on 10 August, Catoctin arrived at Incheon, Korea, 8 September to accept the surrender of Japanese forces there. She sailed to Okinawa to embark Marines whom she transported to Taku, North China, where they were to maintain order until the representatives of China's Nationalist Government could establish their government. During October and most of November, Catoctin was headquarters for negotiations with the Chinese Communists, in power in Shantung and Manchuria, in which attempts were made to allow the officially recognized Nationalist Government to reestablish itself.