An islet of the leeward Hawaiian Islands, about 980 miles northwest of Pearl Harbor.
(ARS(T)-1: dp. 1,949; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 14'; s. 11.6 k.; cpl. 269; a. 8 40mm, 12 20mm; cl. Laysan Island)
Laysan Island (ARS(T)-1) was laid down as LST-1098 on 6 December 1944 by Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, Ind.; reclassified to ARS(T)-1 on 9 December 1944; named Laysan Island 23 December 1944; launched 27 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Madonna H. Davis; placed in ferry commission 28 May 1945 for transfer rto New Orleans; and comissioned in full 5 June 1945, Lt. Philip J. Bergeaux in command.
After shakedown off the Texas coast, Laysan Island departed Galveston, Tex., 1y July for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal 25 July; touched Eniwtok 25 August; and arrived Manila Bay, Luzon, 6 September. During almost the next 7y months she operated out ofManila Bay, towing landing craft from Cebu and Mindanao to Luzon and assisting in salvage operations in Manila Bay.
Laysan Island departed Manila 30 March 1946 for Samar where she arrived Calicoan 3 April. After offloading salvage equipment, she steamed from Samar to Pearl Harbor 16 April to 8 May before sailing 18 May for the west coast. Reaching eattle 29 May, she remained there until 98