After shakedown, St. George sailed from San Pedro, California, on 12 October 1944 to salvage a seaplane which had crashed at sea. She was diverted to Pearl Harbor after word was received that the plane had sunk.
After four days in Pearl Harbor, the ship sailed on 22 October to tend seaplanes in support of the Central Pacific drive. She stopped at Kwajalein between 29 October and 3 November, and then tended a squadron of aircraft at Eniwetok between 4 and 25 November. She moved frequently during the next four months, tending planes at Saipan between 28 November and 21 December; at Kossol Passage, Palau Islands, from 24 December 1944 to 6 February 1945, at Ulithi between 7 and 25 February, and at Saipan again from 27 February to 23 March. On 28 March, she arrived at Kerama Retto, Ryukyus, to support aircraft in the Okinawa operation.
Under attack by Japanese aircraft
During one of the frequent air raids there the ship's gunners shot down an enemy plane on 29 April. A week later, she was hit by a kamikaze. Thanks to a warning from Louis (Jack) Norvelle Tickle, an airplane mechanic who had been on deck at the time and was able to spot the Japanese before they hit, only three men were killed. Unfortunately, her seaplanecrane was destroyed. Nevertheless, the tender remained on station, using a barge crane to lift seaplanes for repairs; and, in addition, provided repair support to destroyers and destroyer escorts.
She was reacquired by the U.S. Navy on 11 December 1968 for sale to Italy as Andrea Bafile (L 9871) as a transport ship for the 1st San Marco Regiment. She was decommissioned in 1981 and stricken on 31 July 1985 but was used until May 1988 as barracks ship in the Taranto Arsenal.[1]
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