April 16, 2025 Event
A portrait of the USS Tazewell and Red and Green Navigational Lights Display will be installed in the Tazewell County Courthouse on April 16, 2025, with assistance of the United States Department of the Navy, marking the 80th Anniversary of the World War II Invasion of Okinawa.
The Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office is thankful to have the opportunity to host a dedication event to commemorate the USS Tazewell and the brave officers and sailors who once sailed on the ship.
Event Details:
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
4:30p.m.
Tazewell County Courthouse
Event URL: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BQu3X4YDd/
About the USS Tazewell (APA-209)
The USS Tazewell was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. The ship was known for participating in the Invasion of Okinawa and Operation Magic Carpet. It was named for both Tazewell County – Illinois and Tazewell County – Virginia.
Construction of the ship began June 2nd, 1944, at the Permanente Metals Corporation in Richmond, California. The ship was launched August 22nd and commissioned October 25th, 1944.
The USS Tazewell had a length of 455 feet, a beam of 62 feet, and a draft of 24 feet while displacing 6,873 tons. Two Babcock & Wilcox boilers powered a Westinghouse geared turbine to achieve a maximum speed of 17 knots. She had a capacity of 2,900 tons and could transport 87 officers and 1,475 enlisted troops with 24 various sized landing crafts. The crew was 56 officers and 480 enlisted sailors.
She was armed with one 38 caliber dual purpose gun, one quad 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, four twin 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, and ten 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons.
The USS Tazewell’s first mission was a troop transport assignment on January 2nd, 1945, from Seattle to Hawaii and then on to the Peleliu Islands, arriving January 31st. From there she joined a convoy to Leyte Gulf in the Philippine Islands to start preparing for the Invasion of Okinawa.
Invasion of Okinawa
Assigned to Transport Squadron 17, the USS Tazewell arrived at Kerama Retto on the morning of March 26th. All landing craft were lowered into the water at 5:30am and the troops landed ashore at 8:00am. The ships came under air attack around 6:30am and remained at general quarters the rest of the day. Transport Squadron 17 then returned to the Philippine Islands for reloading.
On April 4th, the USS Tazewell arrived at a staging area 200 miles southeast of Okinawa. From there they sailed towards Hagushi Anchorage at Okinawa on April 13th. On the morning of April 16th, at 6:30am, the USS Tazewell launched her landing craft against Ie Shima Island. She departed the area at 4:00pm but returned the next day to complete unloading her cargo and remained in the area as the battle continued. On the night of April 27th, a kamikaze plane crashed into a transport ship approximately 2,500 yards off the USS Tazewell’s port bow. The ship quickly provided assistance and rescued survivors as the transport sank in eight minutes, delivering the survivors to the hospital ship USS Hope. On April 30th, the USS Tazewell received orders to leave the Okinawa area and proceed to the Mariana Islands. The rest of the war witnessed the USS Tazewell making numerous cargo runs between Saipan, Seattle, San Francisco, Tinian, and the Philippine Islands.
Operation Magic Carpet
With the end of World War II, the USS Tazewell was assigned to Operation Magic Carpet, the repatriation of American military personnel from the Pacific war zones back home to the United States. Over 370 various warships, from aircraft carriers and battleships to hospital ships and troop transports like the USS Tazewell participated from October 1945 to September 1946.
The USS Tazewell left Yokohama, Japan, on October 16th for her first trip to San Francisco, arriving on November 9th. She then left for Manila in the Philippine Islands, arriving back in San Francisco on December 17th. She made numerous other round-trip voyages between Yokosuka and San Francisco, arriving home for the last time on August 9th, 1946. She was then assigned inactive to the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was decommissioned on December 27th, 1946.
The USS Tazewell started her final voyage on September 25th, 1958, leaving San Francisco for the last time heading to Astoria, Oregon. On October 1st, 1958, she was struck from the Navy List. She remained in Oregon till September of 1967, when she was moved to Olympia, Washington. The ship was moved again on April 13th, 1972, to Bremerton, Washington. On December 11th, 1972, the USS Tazewell was sold for scrap for $51,000 to Zidell Explorations Inc. of Portland, Oregon.
Service Record
The USS Tazewell was recognized with the China Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Navy Occupation Service Medal. The ship also earned a battle star for World War II service.
Courthouse Portrait and Navigational Beacons
The portrait of the USS Tazewell in the Tazewell County Courthouse is from San Francisco Bay in 1946. If you look closely, you can see the deck of the ship full of American military servicemen returning home from war. Adjacent, you can see the red port side navigational light and the green starboard side navigational light from the USS Tazewell. These lights are the only physical remnants of the USS Tazewell.
Credits: Content courtesy of Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds
