Construction

Missoula was a Victory ship design, VC2-S-AP5. She was named after Missoula County, Montana, United States, and was the second ship to bear the name USS Missoula. The ship was laid down 20 June 1944, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCV hull 559, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; launched 6 September 1944; sponsored by the Harmonettes, a female vocal group; acquired by the Navy 27 October 1944; and commissioned at Richmond, the same day.^[3]

World War II

After shakedown along the California coast, Missoula steamed from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor 6 to 12 December. She trained in Hawaiian waters during the next 6 weeks; thence, with units of the 5th Marine Division embarked, she sailed 27 January 1945, for the scheduled invasion of Iwo Jima. Among her troops she carried the men who on two separate occasions raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi during bitter fighting 23 February. Assigned to Transport Squadron 16, she steamed via Eniwetok to the staging area at Saipan, where she completed final preparations for the invasion.^[3]

Invasion of Okinawa

Further information: Battle of Okinawa

Missoula in the transport area off Okinawa. She appears to be firing her forward 40mm guns at attacking Japanese aircraft.

Steaming via Tulagi, Missoula reached Espiritu Santo 15 March and there embarked 1,177 Army troops of the 27th Division. She departed with other transports 25 March, touched at Ulithi 3 April, and arrived off the western beaches of Okinawa 9 April. During the next 5 days she discharged men and supplies and embarked 143 casualties of the Okinawa campaign; thence, between 14 and 18 April she steamed to Saipan.^[3]

Transporting troops to Japan

As part of TF 33, Missoula departed Subic Bay 27 August. She entered Tokyo Bay on the morning of 2 September and began debarking troops of the 1st Cavalry Division at 09:51. Less than an hour before in another part of the bay, the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu, had signed the Instrument of Surrender on board USS Missouri (BB-63), thus officially ending World War II.^[3]

Missoula returned to the Philippines 4 to 11 September, and embarked additional occupation troops at Zamboanga and Mindanao. Departing Leyte Gulf 22 September, she arrived Okinawa 25 September, and on 3 October, sailed for the Inland Sea. Between 6 and 11 October, she debarked troops for the occupation of the rubble that was once Hiroshima. ^[3]

Operation Magic Carpet

She returned to Okinawa 13 October and joined in the mighty task of returning veterans of the Pacific campaigns to the United States.^[3]

With 1,923 troops embarked, Missoula sailed 17 October, and arrived San Francisco 1 November. She departed on a second “Magic Carpet” run 21 November, and on 6 December, embarked 2,060 soldiers at Okinawa. She steamed to Tacoma, Washington, 8 to 21 December; thence, she returned to the western Pacific 21 January 1946, for further trooplift duty. She carried 692 men of the 2d Marine Air Wing from Okinawa to Yokosuka early in February, embarked more than 2,000 veterans at Okinawa and Guam later that month, and departed Guam for the west coast 22 February. Missoula reached San Francisco 5 March, discharged her passengers, and completed her “Magic Carpet” duty.^[3]

Assigned to the 19th Fleet 9 April, Missoula operated in the San Francisco Bay area during the next 5 months.^[3]

Decommissioning and fate

She decommissioned at Port Chicago, California, 13 September 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island at Mare Island. Her name was struck from the Navy list 1 October 1958. She transferred to the Maritime Administration the same day and was assigned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet.^[3] She was berthed in Suisun Bay, California on 29 October 1958. On 5 March 1977, she was sold to American Ship Dismantlers, Inc., for $218,001, to be scrapped. At 11:15 PDT, on 8 March 1975 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker's yard.^[4]