USS Niagara (APA-87)
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Class: | Gilliam Class Amphibious Assault Transport |
| Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons: | China Service Medal(extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp), Philippines Liberation Medal |
| Laid down: | 20 November, 1944 |
| Launched: | 10 February 1945 |
| Commissioned: | 29 March 1945 |
| Fate: | decommissioned 12 December 1946; sold for scrap 5 February 1950 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 7,080 tons (trial) |
| Length: | 426 ft (130 m) maximum |
| Beam: | 58 ft (18 m) extreme |
| Draught: | 15 ft (4.5 m) extreme |
| Power plant: | two Westinghouse steam turbine electrics |
| Propulsion: | two screws; 6,000 shp |
| Speed: | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Armament: | 1 - 5" gun, 4 - 40 mm twin AA mounts, 10 - 20 mm single AA mounts |
| Complement: | 47 officers, 802 enlisted men |
| Cargo Capacity: | 85,000 cubic feet, 600 tons |
A Gilliam Class amphibious ship of the United States Navy. The Niagara was laid down on November 20, 1944 in Wilmington, California. She was launched on February 10, 1945 and commissioned at San Pedro, California on March 29, 1945.
She was used to ferry marines and army troops in the Pacific Theater during the final days of World War II. After her active service in the war, she transported returning servicemen home as part of the “Red Carpet” fleet.
She was used as a target ship in the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests of July 1 and July 25, 1946 and survived both blasts. She was decommissioned on December 12, 1946, and sold for scrap on February 5, 1950 to the Northern Metals Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.