USS Towner
USS Towner was a in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was sold into commercial service and was scuttled in 1967.
History
Towner was named after Towner County, North Dakota. She was laid down as a Type C2-S-AJ3 ship under Maritime Commission contract on 8 April 1944 at Wilmington, North Carolina, by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 13 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Harold Broudy; acquired by the Navy from the War Shipping Administration on 27 June 1944; and commissioned on 3 December 1944.World War II, 1944–1945
Following shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay area from 14 December to 23 December, the attack cargo ship loaded cargo at Bayonne, New Jersey, and, with, got underway on 4 January 1945 for the Pacific. The two ships transited the Panama Canal on 10 January and headed for Hawaii the next day, arriving at Pearl Harbor on the 25th.Towner stood out to sea again on 9 February bound for New Caledonia and arrived at Nouméa 10 days later. For the next two and one-half months, she made shuttle runs to Uarai Bay and participated in amphibious training exercises. In late April, Towner loaded elements of the 710th Tank Battalion and, with Transport Division 33, sortied on 3 May for the Philippines. She unloaded at Dulag on the 16th and reported to the 7th Fleet the following week. On 27 May, she sailed independently, via Hollandia, to Milne Bay to load a deck cargo of boats which she delivered to Manus. In early June, she loaded base hospital units at Lae for transportation to the Philippines and unloaded them at Manila on the 16th. From mid-June to mid-October, she shuttled troops and cargo from New Guinea to the Philippines.