Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Tom Gonzalez USS Rockbridge 1961-64

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Rockbridge (APA-228)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Romeo - Xray
NPRX

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - Okinawa) - China Service Medal (extended) - Navy Expeditionary Medal (Cuba)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia or Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Lebanon)

Haskell Class Amphibious Transport:

Laid down, 2 September 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (VC2-S-AP5) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 674), at Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. Vancouver, WA.

Launched, 28 October 1944

Acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission and commissioned USS Rockbridge (APA-228) 18 November 1944, CAPT. William W. Cone USN (21) in command

During World War II USS Rockbridge (APA-228) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
TransRon Twenty, COMO. H.W. Grap USN (15);
TransDiv (Flagship), CAPT. J.K. Davis and participated in the following campaign:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 6 to 16 March 1945	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 to 30 June 1945

Following World War II USS Rockbridge (APA-228) was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
9 September to 7 October 1945	13 to 20 November1945

Decommissioned, 8 March 1947

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet

Recommissioned, 23 December 1950

USS Rockbridge (APA-228) was assigned to Occupation service in Europe from 4 May to 17 October 1955

Decommissioned, 29 November 1968

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1968 and returned to the Maritime Administration for disposal

USS Rockbridge (APA-228) earned two battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 13 May 1969 to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore MD. (PD-X-827 dated 8 May 1969) for $93,777.77, Withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet, 27 May 1969

Specifications:
Displacement 6,873 t. (lt) 14,837 t (fl)
Length 455'
Beam 62'
Draft 24' (lim)
Speed 17.7 kts. (Trial speed)

Complement

56 Officers

593 Enlisted

Troop Accommodations

87 Officers

1,475 Enlisted

Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.

Cargo Capacity 2,900 DWTs

non-refrigerated 150,000 cu.l ft.

Boats

two LCMs

one open LCPL

one covered LCPL (Captain's Gig)

two LCPRs

eighteen LCVPs

Armament

one single 5"/38 dual-purpose gun mount

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

one quad 40mm AA gun mount

ten single 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 7,780 Bbls

Diesel 970 Bbls

Propulsion

one Westinghouse geared turbine

two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 465psi 765°

Double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gear

three Ships' Service Generators 300Kw 120/240V D.C.

single propeller, design shaft horsepower 8,500

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
149k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Mike Smolinski
29k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way, date and location unknown.	Rockbridge (APA-228) Web Site
517k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** moored pierside, Savannah, GA. 1952	Steve Anderson
566k		Steve Anderson
194k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Mike Smolinski
103k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Tom Gonzalez USS Rockbridge
72k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Everett M. Ellestad USNR
60k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, June 1958	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
126k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** at anchor during amphibious exercises, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, July 1960	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
73k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** Plan of the Day, 23 October 1962, in port Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The day after President Kennedy made his Cuban Missile Crisis speech to the Nation.	Tom Gonzalez USS Rockbridge 1961-1964
85k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way while enroute to Norfolk, VA. for Radar Antenna repair or replacement, circa early-1963.	Tom Gonzalez USS Rockbridge
344k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way with the aid of a tug, circa second half of 1963, location unknown.	Tom Gonzalez USS Rockbridge
70k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228) under way in either the Atlantic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea in 1964 conducting either a high line transfer or a replenishment at sea with USS Capricornus (AKA-57)**.	Photo by Rich Kerbs USS Capricornus
94k
94k
36k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** in the harbor at Valletta, Malta in July 1964.	Tom Gonzalez USS Rockbridge 1961-1964
91k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** under way in 1965, location unknown. Photo from 1966/67 Edition of "Jane's Fighting Ships" , courtesy Dr. Giorgio Arra.	Robert Hurst
234k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** loading Marines at Morehead City, N. C. for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in May 1967	Thomas Livingston
94k	*USS Rockbridge* (APA-228)** 28 June 1967 Change of Command Program.	Ron Reeves

USS Rockbridge (APA-228
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Cone, William Wheatley, USN (USNA 1920)	18 November 1944 - 12 July 1945
02	CDR. Huggins, William B., USNR	12 July 1945 - 2 March 1946
03	CAPT. Truesdell, William H., USN (USNA 1925)	2 March 1946 - 11 October 1946
04	CDR. Folger, Edward C., USN (USNA 1929)	11 October 1946 - 11 March 1947
05	LCDR. Pahr, William Scott, USN	1 March 1947 - 8 March 1947
	Decommissioned	8 March 1947 - 23 December 1950
06	CAPT. Traua, Harold Francis, USN (USNA 1927)	23 December 1950 - 9 February 1952
07	CAPT. Chamberlin, Leonard Cornelius, USN (USNA 1927)	9 February 1952 - 1 August 1953
08	CAPT. Wales, George Herrick, USN (USNA 1929) :RADM	1 August 1953 - 1 August 1954
09	CAPT. Bass, Raymond Henry (Benny), USN (USNA 1931) :RADM	1 August 1954 - 8 July 1955
10	CAPT. Lowrance, Vernon Long (Rebel), USN (USNA 1930) :VADM	8 July 1955 - 29 July 1955
11	CAPT. Collett, James Dahlman, USN (USNA 1932)	29 July 1955 - 23 August 1956
12	CAPT. Smith, John Victor, USN (USNA 1934) :VADM	23 August 1956 - 7 October 1957
13	CAPT. Hauck, Philip Frederick, USN (USNA 1934)	7 October 1957 - 30 September 1958
14	CAPT. Cheney Jr., Wilbur Haines, USN (USNA 1934)	30 September 1958 - 21 August 1959
15	CAPT. Conrad, Edward Everett, USN (USNA 1938)	21 August 1959 - 5 July 1960
16	CAPT. McCall, Charles Dewitt, USN (USNA 1939)	31 August 1960 - 7 July 1961
17	CAPT. Merritt, Robert Gwathmey, USN (USNA 1939)	7 July 1961 - 8 April 1964
18	CAPT. McClellan, Thomas Rufus, USN (USNA 1943) :RADM	8 April 1964 - 15 April 1965
19	CAPT. Howe Jr., George Benjamin, USN	15 April 1965 - 27 April 1966
20	CAPT. Kinkaid, John Randall, USN	27 April 1966 - 28 June 1967
21	CAPT. Willett, Elbert Henry, USN (USNA 1946)	28 June 1967 - 29 November 1968


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Database

Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To the Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Attack Transport (APA) Photo Index

Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.

This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 9 August 2019