USS Mountrail (APA-213)

• Namesake: USS Mountrail (APA-213) was named after Mountrail County, North Dakota, reflecting the tradition of naming attack transports after U.S. counties. • Class and Type: She was a Haskell-class attack transport, designed for amphibious warfare and capable of carrying troops, landing craft, and equipment for assault landings. • World War II Service: Commissioned in December 1944, USS Mountrail played a role in the Pacific theater, notably participating in the Okinawa campaign, one of the largest amphibious assaults of the war. • Okinawa Landings: On April 1, 1945, she landed elements of the 7th Infantry Division at Okinawa, under heavy threat from kamikaze attacks and hostile fire. • Rescue Operations: During the Okinawa operation, Mountrail took on casualties from other ships, providing medical care and support under dangerous conditions. • Postwar Occupation Duties: After WWII, she transported occupation forces to Japan and participated in the repatriation of Allied prisoners of war. • Operation Magic Carpet: Mountrail was involved in "Operation Magic Carpet," the massive effort to bring American servicemen home from the Pacific after the war ended. • Decommissioning and Recommissioning: She was decommissioned in 1946, but later recommissioned in 1950 during the Korean War to serve the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. • Cold War Service: In the 1950s, Mountrail took part in numerous training exercises, amphibious landings, and fleet maneuvers along the Atlantic and Caribbean, preparing for possible Cold War contingencies. • Final Fate: After her final decommissioning in 1957, USS Mountrail was placed in the reserve fleet and ultimately sold for scrapping in 1973, ending her nearly three-decade association with the U.S. Navy.