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History
United States
Namesake	Goshen County, Wyoming
Builder	Western Pipe & Steel
Laid down	31 January 1944
Launched	29 June 1944
Christened	Sea Hare
Commissioned	13 December 1944
Decommissioned	20 April 1946
Renamed	USS Goshen, Canada Mail, California Mail, La Fayette.
Honours and; awards	One battle star for service in World War II.
Fate	Scrapped August 1973
Notes	WPS Hull No. 130; MC Hull No. 1553; Type C3-S-A2
General characteristics
Class and type	Bayfield-class attack transport
Displacement	8,100 tons, 16,100 tons fully loaded
Length	492 ft (150 m)
Beam	69 ft 6 in (21.18 m)
Draught	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Propulsion	General Electric geared turbine, 2 × Foster Wheeler D-type boilers, single propeller, designed shaft horsepower 8,500
Speed	18 knots
Boats & landing ; craft carried	12 × LCVP, 4 × LCM (Mk-6), 3 × LCP(L) (MK-IV)
Capacity	4,800 tons (180,500 cu. ft).
Complement	Crew: 51 officers, 524 enlisted; Flag: 43 officers, 108 enlisted.; Troops: 80 officers, 1,146 enlisted;
Armament	2 × single 5-inch/38 cal. dual-purpose gun mounts, one fore and one aft.; 2 × twin 40 mm AA gun mounts forward, port and starboard.; 2 × single 40 mm AA gun mounts.; 18 × single 20 mm AA gun mounts.;

USS Goshen (APA-108) was a Bayfield class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was sold into commercial service in 1947 and was scrapped in 1973.

History

Goshen, originally Sea Hare, was laid down by Western Pipe & Steel under a Maritime Commission contract on 31 January 1944. It was launched 29 June, acquired by the Navy 13 December and commissioned the same day.

Pacific War

After shakedown along the California coast, Goshen departed Long Beach 4 February 1945 for additional combat and amphibious training in the Hawaiian Islands. Embarking over 1,400 troops and officers at Honolulu, she departed there for duty in the Western Pacific. Goshen made brief stops at Ulithi and Eniwetok before proceeding to the Okinawa area where the bitter campaign to secure that Japanese-held fortress was already underway.

The transport arrived off Hagushi beaches Okinawa on 17 April and immediately commenced disembarking troops and unloading cargo. Goshen completed her task 5 days later and sailed for Saipan arriving there on the 27th. After loading mail and passengers at Saipan, Russell, Florida, and New Hebrides Islands, she sailed for the United States 18 May, arriving in San Francisco 3 June.

Goshen made another cruise to the Western Pacific in July carrying troops and cargo for the final month of the war. She was at Saipan when news of the Japanese acceptance of surrender terms was received. After the war Goshen operated between the Philippines and Japan for the next 4 months as she shuttled occupation troops and cargo among the Islands.

Operation Magic Carpet

In December the transport joined the growing number of ships engaged in Operation Magic Carpet – an organized project to bring the war veterans back home immediately. On 10 December she steamed out of Sasebo with over 1,400 America-bound Marines, finally arriving San Diego on the 28th.

In late January 1946 Goshen departed the West Coast arriving at Lynnhaven Roads, Virginia, on 12 February. She decommissioned at Norfolk 20 April and was delivered to WSA 2 May 1946.

Commercial service

Goshen was sold in 1947 to American Mail Lines Ltd., re-registered in Portland, Oregon, and renamed Canada Mail. In 1963 her name was changed to California Mail. In 1968, she was sold to Waterman Steamship, re-registered in New York, and renamed La Fayette. She remained in service with Waterman Steamship until 1973, when she was taken to Kaohsiung, Taiwan and scrapped in August of that year.

Awards

Goshen received one battle star for World War II service.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
USS Goshen (APA-108), Navsource Online
Mawdsley, Dean L. (2002). Steel Ships and Iron Pipe: Western Pipe and Steel Company of California: The Company, The Yard, The Ships. San Francisco: Associates of the National Maritime Museum Library. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-889901-28-2. OCLC 50164828.