¶
Gilbert Islands (Tarawa) 20 - 24 Nov 1943
"Sheridan
moved from Oakland to San Francisco on 31
August 1943; and, on 7
September, got underway for
shakedown. Returning to
San Francisco on 26 September,
she loaded cargo and sailed for the western Pacific on 1 October. On 18
October, she delivered cargo at
Noumea; and, on the
25th, she arrived at Wellington,
New Zealand, where she
embarked marines and their equipment.
Departing New Zealand on 1 November, she
underwent amphibious training at Efate Island from
the 7th to the 9th and sailed from there
on the 13th for the invasion of the
Gilbert Islands.
Sheridan
arrived off Tarawa early in the morning of
20 November 1943 and
began debarking troops shortly
before noon and cargo in
mid-afternoon. The next day,
she began reembarking
troops, boats, and casualties.
Sailing on 24 November,
she arrived on 2 December at
Pearl Harbor, where she
discharged her casualties and
was inspected by Fleet
Admiral Nimitz. On 5 December,
she disembarked cargo
and marines at Hilo, T. H., and then proceeded to the west coast, arriving at
San Diego on 13
December."
¶ Marshall
Islands (Kwajalein Atoll) 31 Jan- 8 Feb 1944
"Sheridan
participated in practice landings at Ocean-side,
Calif., from 15 to 17 December 1943, and then welcomed
the new year, 1944, with more exercises at San
Clemente from 1 to 5 January. She then
received her combat loadout of troops and supplies and sailed from
San Diego on 13 January. Stopping at Maui,
T. H., just long enough to fuel,
she arrived off the beaches of
Kwajalein Atoll on 31 January. Her troops participated
in the landings at Roi on 1 February
while Sheridan remained off the beaches offloading cargo and acting as
a temporary hospital ship pending
the arrival of Solace
(AH-5). The transport sailed on 8 February, offloaded
troops and cargo at Maui on 16 February,
and then moved to Pearl Harbor on 17 February to receive needed
repairs."
¶
Marianas Operation (Saipan and Guam) 9 - 26 Jun 1944, 22 - 28 July
"On
28 February, Sheridan began an intensive period of amphibious
training at Maui, which lasted, with two short breaks, until 19 May.
On 30 May, she sailed from Pearl Harbor
with a task force bound for the Marianas. Arriving
at Eniwetok on 9 June, Sheridan transferred troops to assigned
LST's and sailed on 11 June for Saipan. Arriving
on 15 June, she debarked troops and cargo; and then
embarked a large group of casualties on the 18th. She completed offloading
cargo on 20 June and sailed from
Saipan the following day. After picking up more casualties
at Eniwetok on 25 and 26 June, she arrived at Pearl
Harbor on 3 July.
Sheridan embarked Army troops there on 4 July and
sailed on the 9th. Touching at Eniwetok on the 17th, she arrived at
Guam on the 22nd, a day after the initial landings, and debarked her
troops the following day. The ship departed Guam on 28 July, touched
at Eniwetok on 1 August, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 10th. There
she received repairs, and then embarked Army troops and equipment for
the reconquest of the Philippines."
¶ Leyte Operation (Leyte
landings) 20 - 22 Oct 1944
"After a week of amphibious training at Maui from 1
to 7 September,
Sheridan departed Pearl Harbor on the
15th; and, after stops
at Eniwetok and Manus, arrived
on 20 October in the
transport area off Leyte where she
put her troops ashore in
the first waves. Completing general unloading on the 22nd, she sailed for
Humboldt Bay the
same day. After remaining there from 27 October to 5 November, she arrived at
Noemfoor Island on the 7th
to load Army Air Force
personnel and equipment, which
she delivered at Leyte
on the 18th."
¶ Luzon Operation (Lingayen
Gulf landings) 8 - 9 Jan 1945
"Arriving at
Manus on the 24th, Sheridan sailed on the
28th for Torokina,
Bougainville Island, where she arrived
on 1 December. There she combat-loaded Army
troops; and then underwent
extensive training in amphibious
operations, moving to Huon Gulf, New Guinea,
for the final rehearsal on
the 19th. Returning to Manus
on the 21st, she sailed on
31 December 1944 as part of
an assault group bound for
Lingayen Gulf. The force
encountered heavy air
opposition during the approach on
8 January 1945, but
Sheridan arrived unscathed and
landed her troops early the
next day. She then took on
board 108 Navy casualties
and survivors, mainly from the escort carrier Ommaney Bay (CVE-79), and
sailed the same day
for Leyte, arriving on the 12th. There she
embarked troops; and,
after a landing rehearsal on 25
January, put them ashore on
the 29th at La Paz, P. I.,
which turned out to be
under the control of friendly guerillas. The transport anchored in San Pedro, P.
I., on 1 February
and remained there until late March while
the war moved closer to
the Japanese homeland."
¶ Okinawa 1 -
5 Apr 1945
"On 14 March 1945,
Sheridan loaded troops for her final
assault landing, the one on Okinawa. After training in
the Philippines, the transport sailed
with an assault force on 27 March and put her troops ashore in the first waves
at Okinawa on 1 April. Departing
Okinawa on the 5th, she touched at
Guam and Pearl Harbor and then arrived at San Francisco on 29 April for a
major overhaul. Repairs were
carried out between 4 May and 26 June by the
United Engineering Co., San Francisco."
(Source:
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships)
