USS Grundy (APA-111) - World War II

World War II

After loading supplies at New Orleans, the new transport conducted shakedown training out of Galveston, Texas, until 28 January 1945. She departed 4 February for her first assignment, as school ship for pre-commissioning crews at Newport, Rhode Island. Arriving Newport 10 February, Grundy held underway drills and training for the crews of nearly finished ships, helping to speed their delivery as active fighting units. This duty was completed 31 March, and Grundy sailed for Hampton Roads.

The ship arrived Norfolk, Virginia, 1 April and immediately embarked Seabees for transportation to the Pacific. Departing 14 April, she sailed to Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal, arriving there 2 May 1945. At Pearl Harbor Grundy performed amphibious exercises and loaded cargo and passengers for the western Pacific. She departed 7 June; stopped at Eniwetok, Guam, and Saipan; and anchored 1 July at Ulithi to join an Okinawa-bound convoy.

Grundy departed in convoy for battle-scarred Okinawa 10 July, and after her arrival 4 days later unloaded her troops and cargo. She then sailed to Ulithi and Peleliu to bring troops from those islands to Guam, where she arrived 31 July. Grundy remained there until 2 August when she got underway for Pearl Harbor, unloading her supplies upon arrival 10 August. The war ended while Grundy was on her way to San Diego, where she arrived 19 August.