USS Blackford — (APB-45)
The Blackford, a self-propelled barracks ship, built in Evansville, Indiana, was named for Blackford County. Her keel was laid in January 1945, and she was launched in April 1945. The
overall length was 328 feet and the crew compliment was 12 officers and 125 crewmen.
The ship arrived at Pearl Harbor in August 1945 after being fitted out at the Naval Supply Depot at New Orleans, and joined the Third Amphibious Force. During the next eight months she served at Eniwetok, Ulithi, Leyte, and Tokyo Bay as a floating barracks with a troop capacity of 300 men. In 1947 the ship was placed in the reserve and sold as Navy surplus in 1960.
The text and photo of the USS Blackford on this web page, are from page 38 in the book, “A History of Blackford County, Indiana”, published by the Blackford County Historical Society in 1986.