USS Sarasota
The USS Sarasota, a Haskell Class Attack Transport, was built at the Permanente Metals Corporation located in Richmond, California (part of the Kaiser Shipyard Corporation) at the request of The United States Maritime Commission. She was launched on June 14, 1944 and officially commissioned on that very day under the command of Commander James I. MacPherson.
By November 9, she had sailed to her destination of Seeadler Harbor, Manus. She was moored near a ship called the USS Mount Hood. The day after The Sarasota arrived, an explosion on The Mount Hood caused tremendous damage and injured many crew members. The Sarasota's crew jumped into action to help the wounded, and brought a large number of people into the sick bay.
Within 2 days of this incident, The Sarasota was on the move again. She made voyages to transport both troops and equipment, and then ended up back at Manus. The fleet there was preparing to invade Luzon, an important island of the Philippines. On January 9, 1945 The Sarasota landed at the Lingayen Gulf near Luzon, and her boats were released with the soldiers who would be storming the island.
Following this invasion, The Sarasota transported more troops to other key sites that were scheduled for US invasion as well. Some of the major areas she brought troops to include Okinawa and le Shima. It was following a final trip to Okinawa that the war came to an end, and The Sarasota's mission was finished. She had earned 3 battle stars for all of her efforts.
After the war, The Sarasota was involved in Operation Magic Carpet to bring troops back home to the USA. When the job was done, she was towed to Stockton, California and decommissioned. Four years later she would be commissioned again on February 3, 1951. She trained and ran exercises in the Caribbean and then joined the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. Between 1952 and 1955 she travelled back and forth between America and Mediterranean to run exercises and transport troops, but in April of 1955 she was again declared to be inactive.
She was decommissioned again on September 2, 1955, and she was part of the reserve fleet until 1974. It is a mystery what happened to The Sarasota from that point, and there are differing stories about her final resting place. Though gone, she is not forgotten by the brave crew that sailed with her. Those crew members, however, may have received more than memories from the ship. The Sarasota had asbestos on board, making for a hazardous work space. Asbestos is a toxic material that can lead to mesothelioma cancer and other respiratory diseases. These diseases can cause serious health problems, and even death. Crew members from The Sarasota should schedule a visit to their physician's and notify them of the possibility that they were exposed to asbestos.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
