USS General Omar Bundy (AP-152)

USS "General Omar Bundy" (AP-152) was a sclass|General G. O. Squier|transport ship for the U.S. Navy in World War II. She was named in honor of U.S. Army general Omar Bundy. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT "General Omar Bundy" in 1946. She was later sold for commercial operation under several names, before being declared missing and presumed sunk.

Operational history

"General Omar Bundy" (AP-152) was launched 5 August 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract (MC #704) by the Kaiser Co., Richmond, California; sponsored by Mrs. Lawrence of Richmond; acquired and simultaneously commissioned 6 January 1945, Captain L. Wainwright in command.

"General Omar Bundy" stood out of San Francisco Bay 10 March 1945 with 2,700 sailors and marines bound for the Southwest Pacific, and after delivering them to Pearl Harbor, Ulithi, and Guam, returned to San Diego 11 May with over 1,700 homeward-bound troops after debarking 200 Japanese POW's at Pearl Harbor on 3 May. Six days later she sailed for the Atlantic via the Panama Canal and put in at Norfolk, 31 May. Underway again on 9 June, she touched Marseille to embark 2,800 troops for redeployment to the Pacific theater and brought them safely to Manila on 6 August 1945 via Panama. She brought nearly 500 officers and men from Manila to Tacloban, Leyte, Philippine Islands, and after embarking 1,500 veterans there, sailed via Ulithi and Guam to off-load her passengers at Seattle, Washington, on 4 September. Continuing her Magic Carpet duties, "General Omar Bundy" transported 3,000 replacement troops from Seattle to Okinawa in late September and October, returning to Portland, Oregon, on 2 November 1945 with nearly 3,000 victorious soldiers. The ship returned to the Philippines in November to embark 3,300 returning veterans, and brought them home to San Francisco on 19 December 1945.

In 1946 "General Omar Bundy" continued her "Magic-Carpet" and troop rotation duties, homeported at San Francisco and calling at Japan and Manila in February and at the Philippines again in April, returning to San Francisco after this last round-trip voyage and sailed from that port 17 May 1946 bound for New York via the Panama Canal. She decommissioned 14 June 1946 and was delivered to the Maritime Commission the next day. "General Omar Bundy" was struck from the Navy list on 8 October 1946.

The transport was transferred to the War Department 30 August 1946 and for delivery to the Army.

On 11 June 1949 USAT "General Omar Bundy" left Naples with 842 displaced persons from Europe and arrived in Sydney on 20 March 1949. [cite web | url = http://www.immigrantships.net/v6/1900v6/generalomarbundy19490708_01.html | title = Immigrant Ships, Transcribers Guild, General Omar Bundy | publisher = ImmigrantShips.net | date = 2002-10-28 | accessdate = 2007-11-13 ] This voyage was one of almost 150 voyages by some 40 ships bringing refugees of World War II to Australia.cite web | url = http://www.fifthfleet.net/pb/wp_6a2460ca/wp_6a2460ca.html | title = Ships of the Fifth Fleet | first = Ann | last = Tündern-Smith | work = FifthFleet.net | date = 2006-12-31 | accessdate = 2007-11-13 ] "General Omar Bundy" made one more such trip herself, arriving in Sydney, again, with 842 refugees on 8 July 1949.

The ship was returned to the Maritime Commission on 12 December 1949. "General Omar Bundy" entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet and was berthed in the James River until delivered to the Bethlehem Steel Corp. 10 April 1964. Converted to a freighter, she operated under the name "Portmar". She was sold to Ashley Steamship Co., Inc. on 10 August 1976 and renamed SS "Port". "Port" was sold to Hamilton Eugenia Corp. on 11 May 1979 and renamed SS "Poet". In 1980 "Poet" went missing and was presumed sunk.

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