View source for USS Valencia

{{short description|Cargo ship of the United States Navy}}

{{Use American English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Valencia (AKA-81) underway, circa 1945-1946 (NH 80015).jpg
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship name=USS ''Valencia''
|Ship namesake=[[Valencia County, New Mexico]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[North Carolina Shipbuilding Company]], [[Wilmington, North Carolina]]
|Ship laid down=20 May 1944
|Ship launched= 22 July 1944
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 9 January 1945
|Ship decommissioned= 8 May 1946
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=21 May 1946
|Ship renamed=*SS ''Genevieve Lykes''
*SS ''Garden State''
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=1 [[battle star]] (World War II)
|Ship fate=*Sold into merchant service, 1946
*Scrapped May 1970
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class={{sclass|Tolland|attack cargo ship}}
|Ship displacement= {{convert|13910|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} full
|Ship length= {{convert|459|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|63|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|26|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship speed= {{convert|16.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=395
|Ship armament=*1 × [[5"/38 caliber gun]]
*4 × twin [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm guns]]
*16 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm guns]]
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
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'''USS ''Valencia'' (AKA-81)''' was a {{sclass|Tolland|attack cargo ship}} in service with the [[United States Navy]] from 1945 to 1946. She was sold into commercial service and was scrapped in 1970.

==History==
''Valencia'' was  named after [[Valencia County, New Mexico]]. She was laid down as a [[Type C2 ship|Type C2-S-AJ3 ship]] under a [[Maritime Commission]] contract (MC hull 1389) on 20 May 1944 at [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], by the [[North Carolina Shipbuilding Co.]]; launched on 22 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. C. L. Merritt; acquired by the Navy on 18 August 1944; converted for Navy use by the Bethlehem Steel shipyard, Key Highway plant, Baltimore, Maryland; and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] there on 9 January 1945.

==Service history==

===World War II, 1944&ndash;1945===
Following fitting out, shakedown, and initial exercises in the [[Hampton Roads]] area, ''Valencia'' got underway from the [[Naval Station Norfolk|Naval Operating Base]], Norfolk, Virginia, at 0938 on 10 February, in company with {{USS|Medea|AKA-31|3}}, bound for the [[Panama Canal Zone|Canal Zone]]. The ships transited the [[Panama Canal]] on the 17th and proceeded on to the [[Hawaiian Islands]], making port at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 2 March.

Shifting to [[Honolulu]] on the 8th, ''Valencia'' moored at the Army Transport Dock and loaded a total of 145 officers and enlisted men before getting underway on the 14th for the [[Marshall Islands|Marshalls]]. Escorted by {{USS|PC-1139||2}} up to a point 30&nbsp;miles from Pearl Harbor, the attack cargo ship proceeded independently for the remainder of her passage and arrived at [[Eniwetok]] on 22 March. Again traveling singly, ''Valencia'' got underway for the southern [[Caroline Islands|Carolines]] three days later and arrived off [[Ulithi]] after a week's voyage. However, a [[typhoon]] prevented her from entering the harbor; and she steamed away from the storm center at slow speeds until early on the following day, when quieter seas and improved visibility permitted her to reach her destination.

She remained at Ulithi from 1 to 13 April, preparing for participation in her first operation. ''Valencia'' got underway for [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] at 1617 on the 13th, in Division "Able" of Task Group 55.8, in company with {{USS|Okanogan|APA-220|3}}, {{USS|Jerauld|APA-174|3}}, {{USS|Lenoir|AKA-74|3}}, {{USS|Lumen|AKA-30|3}}, SS ''Kelso Victory'', and SS ''Typhoon''. The four-day passage was highlighted by a suspected submarine contact which sent all ships to general quarters and by the sighting of a stray mine which escort vessels destroyed.

''Valencia'' anchored off [[Hagushi]] beach, Okinawa, at 0921 on 17 April, commenced discharging cargo at 1815, and ceased at 1945. All ships began making smoke at 2024, upon receipt of an air raid alert, completely covering the anchorage area within a few moments. ''Valencia'' later observed antiaircraft fire from the forces ashore and noted reports of enemy aircraft being in the vicinity two or three times, before securing from [[general quarters]] at 2239. Due to prevailing heavy surf conditions, the beaches were closed to landings on the 19th, as high winds kicked up heavy seas which greatly hampered unloading. Heavy swells continued to hinder operations into subsequent days, as rough seas made it difficult to hold boats alongside, sweeping them against the steel hide of the ship. Despite this handicap and two "red alerts" on the evenings of 20 and 21 April, the crew, aided by a force of 83 marines (two officers and 81 enlisted men) managed to unload the ship's cargo by evening on the 21st.

''Valencia'' engaged in hoisting in her boats and making ready for sea throughout the night of the 21st and commenced disembarking her marine stevedoring party at 0620 on the 22nd. Another "red alert" interrupted the boat-hoisting process at 0710, but the resumption of the task at 0900, when the "all clear" was sounded, enabled the ship to soon be ready for sea. Accordingly, the ship got underway at 1317 on 22 April for the [[Mariana Islands|Marianas]] in Task Unit 51.29.20.

Arriving at [[Saipan]] on 1 May, ''Valencia'' transferred most of her landing craft ([[LCVP (United States)|LCVP]]'s, [[LCPL]]'s, and [[Landing Craft Mechanized|LCM]]'s) to the boat pool and got underway for [[Nouméa]], [[New Caledonia]], on the 3d. She loaded Army equipment; Navy [[Seabee|construction battalion]] vehicles and equipment; and embarked passengers for destinations on the cargo ship's itinerary. ''Valencia'', got underway at 1508 on 20 May and, between that time and her arrival at Eniwetok on the 30th, called at [[Guadalcanal]] and [[Tulagi]], embarking and debarking passengers and picking up new boats. She remained at Eniwetok from 1 to 26 June, awaiting orders, before getting underway for the Marianas. She reached [[Guam]] at 1900 on 29 June to unload LCVP's, vehicles, and general cargo at Apra Harbor.

The attack cargo ship then shifted to [[Tanapag]] Harbor, Guam, to finish unloading before proceeding on to the West Coast of the United States, dropping anchor in [[San Francisco Bay]] on 31 July. ''Valencia'' remained at anchor until the 9th, when she shifted to Pier 90-B, [[San Francisco]], to begin loading general cargo earmarked for the [[Philippines]]. During this time, the war in the Pacific came to an end after Japan, reeling from the steady Allied pounding and [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|two atomic bombs]], capitulated on 15 August 1945.

===Post-war activities, 1945&ndash;1946===
Sailing for the Philippines on 18 August, ''Valencia'' arrived off [[Samar]] on 6 September, unloaded all holds by the 19th, and subsequently moved on to [[Manila Bay]], [[Subic Bay]], and [[Lingayen Gulf]] in succession. Subsequently, the attack cargo ship embarked men and equipment of the [[25th Infantry Division (United States)|25th Division]] of the [[Sixth United States Army|6th Army]] for occupation duty in Japan. On 1 October, she got underway for [[Wakayama, Wakayama|Wakayama]] as part of TU 54.8.1. Detached from the convoy for a brief period on 6 October to destroy a floating unidentified object, she expended 292 rounds of 20&nbsp;millimeter ammunition before resuming her passage with the group — her mission completed.

Arriving off [[Honshū]] on the 7th, ''Valencia'' remained in the Wakayama area until the 25th. During this period, a typhoon passed just west of the anchorage area of Wakanoura Wan on 10 October and 11 October. Winds up to 90&nbsp;knots swept across the bay, forcing ''Valencia'' to ride out the typhoon by using her anchors and main engines. Her mission at Wakayama completed by the 25th, the attack cargo vessel got underway on that date for [[Nagoya]], [[Imperial Japan|Japan]]. After transiting the swept channel to the ship's destination, she anchored first off Yokkaichi Ko — the transport anchorage — and then shifted to alongside a pier where she discharged cargo, troops, and eight Army LCM's, and remained until the 14th. Having embarked 268 men for transportation to the United States on the 13th, the ship got underway on the 14th for San Francisco.

While en route, the destination of the ship was changed to Portland, Oregon, and she made port there on 28 November. Remaining at Portland until 17 December, the ship shifted to San Francisco and then conducted one round-trip voyage to Pearl Harbor and back before departing the West Coast on 14 February 1946 for the East Coast. Transiting the Panama Canal on the 24th, ''Valencia'' arrived at [[New York City]] on 3 March, via [[Little Creek, Virginia]], before proceeding back to the Hampton Roads vicinity and arriving at the [[Norfolk Navy Yard]] on the 7th.

===Decommissioning and fate===
Decommissioned on 8 May 1946, the ship was delivered to the [[War Shipping Administration]], Maritime Commission, five days later. Her name was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register|Navy List]] on 21 May 1946.

Acquired by the [[Lykes Lines]], the vessel was renamed SS ''Genevieve Lykes'' and entered mercantile service soon thereafter. Acquired by [[T. J. Stevenson & Company, Inc.]], of New York City, in 1947, the vessel was renamed ''Garden City''. She remained in service with this firm until her name disappeared from the merchant registers in 1971.

==Awards==
''Valencia'' received one [[battle star]] for her [[World War II]] service.

==References==
*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/v/valencia.html}}
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/02/02081.htm Ship History at NavSource]

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Valencia (AKA-81)}}
* {{navsource|10/02/02081|USS Valencia}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060620071629/http://ussrankin.org/id352.htm 51 Years of AKAs]

{{Tolland class attack cargo ship}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valencia (AKA-81)}}
[[Category:Tolland-class attack cargo ships]]
[[Category:Valencia County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Wilmington, North Carolina]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]