Members
of the U.S.S. Lowndes Reunion are all veterans of this World War II
ship that was commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned on April 17,
1946. The Lowndes was a 11,180-ton ship with a crew of 56 officers and
480 enlisted men and carried as many as 1,500 troops and equipment to
and from staging areas in the Pacific. Amphibious training was taken in
the Hawaiian Islands in preparation for the battles of Iwo Jima and
Okinawa. In February, 1945, the U.S.S. Lowndes participated for eight
days in the massive assault on Iwo Jima while the ship's beach party
went ashore four days to attend and evacuate casualties to salvage
boats and to clear beaches for the landing craft. The Lowndes received
and treated 365 wounded from the Iwo beach. The 43-member beach party
had 16 casualties at Iwo, including 4 killed and 12 wounded. Eight
landing boats from the Lowndes were lost during the Iwo Jima battle. In
April, 1945, the Lowndes was engaged in the invasion of Okinawa. The
ship suffered no damage but was under constant enemy air raids while
debarking troops and unloading cargo in support of the campaign ashore.
The Lowndes received two battle stars. Following D-Day and victory in
World War II, the ship carried troops and cargo to Japan, the
Philippines and other areas for occupation duty and returned homeward
bound veterans to the United States.
Please select one the underlined links below to continue your voyage:
This Site is dedicated to the Lowndes' members
that have moved on. Especially the
ones lost February 20, 1945 on Iwo Jima
Click here to see their memorial page
2023 Additions:
The U.S.S. Lowndes Book: Attack Transport: Iwo Jima
Locating the USS Lowndes' Iwo Jima station
Marine Corps films showing the USS Lowndes' Iwo Jima station (Youtube)
Saga of the USS Lowndes By crewman Elliott T. Pilchard (CQM) (Youtube)
Searchable Hi-res scans on the entire Lowndes Deck Log (over 600 pages)
Letters From Iwo Jima: The Lowndes dead Japanese soldier
Newly discovered Iwo Jima photo of a Lowndes LCVP boat on the Iwo Jima beach.
Aerial photo of Lowndes leaving Pier 90 - Seattle - 1945
Lowndes signatures on Japanese 10 Yen bills
USS Lowndes (APA-154) first reunion - 1989 (Youtube)
USS Lowndes Dedication Ceremony at the Nimitz Museum - 1995 (Youtube)
USS Lowndes 2006 Reunion - Retracing October 19, 1945 in Seattle (Youtube)
USS Lowndes Las Vegas (2000) Reunion pictures: Part 1
USS Lowndes Las Vegas (2000) Reunion pictures: Part 2: Banquet & Mrs Richards 100th Birthday
USS Lowndes San Fransico (2008) Reunion pictures: Part 1
USS Lowndes San Fransico (2008) Reunion pictures: Part 2
USS Lowndes Seattle (2006) Reunion pictures
USS Lowndes Past Reunions - Attendee list added
Reunion Group and Event Photos from the Washington, DC Reunion (1999)
USS Lowndes (APA-154) Branson - 2004 Reunion pictures (Youtube)
Top Secret USS Lowndes' Iwo Jima Invasion documents added to Accounts page.
USS Lowndes (APA-154) Music Video from WWII (Youtube)
USS Lowndes (APA-154): Senate Resolution Presentation and William Lowndes III (Youtube)
Jim Stafford gives a warm welcome to the USS Lowndes Reunion group. (Youtube)
USS Lowndes: At the Threshold of the Home: The Pivotal Campaigns of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, 1945. (Youtube)
Pictures of the USS Lowndes ship in the Ghost Fleet in the James River, VA - 1980. (PDF)
USS Lowndes Sept 1944 Roster addition of the Boot Group and Beach Party. (PDF)
Printable PDF of Fred Brinkman's Diary and Autographs of Friends. (PDF)
16 Haskell Class APA WWII Cruise books uploaded (PDFs)
All USS Lowndes Newsletters (Web and PDF) uploaded (1989-2010)
Fred Brinkman: A Wonderful Life
The official USS Lowndes Cookbook (By the Lowndes' Lovelies in 1994)
End of 2023 Additions
Narrative History of The U.S.S. Lowndes
The USS Lowndes' Route (Animated Map)
Personal Accounts and Logs
The Complete Lowndes Deck Log
Marines on the Lowndes
Pictures from the War
Video and Audio from the War
Pictures from Reunions
Video from Reunions
Past Reunion Information
2008 Reunion Information
The U.S.S. Lowndes Newsletters
Blueprints/Models of The Lowndes
APA Historical Preservation Project - Save the Gage (APA-168)
The APA Film Project (The Bayfield Archives)
Books & Movies (WWII Attack Transports)
Lowndes Games (Hangman + Trivia)
2004/2032 Lowndes WWII History Calendar (Requires Adobe Acrobat)
Links to other Attack Transport Sites
Search the USS Lowndes Web Site
Web Site change history listing
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal
Click Here To Sign/View the Guestbook
Email Contacts:
U.S.S. Lowndes' Reunion Contact: David Brinkman
Pages maintained by: David Brinkman
