USS Kinzer (APD-91)

Kinzer departed Norfolk, Virginia, on 1 January 1945, transitted the Panama Canal and docked at San Diego, California, on 16 January 1945. On 18 January 1945 she departed for San Francisco, California, then moved on to Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, where she arrived on 29 January 1945.

At Pearl Harbor, Kinzer embarked U.S. Marines of the Reconnaissance Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, and departed on 12 February 1945 for World War II service in the Pacific war zone. She arrived at Okinawa Gunto for her preinvasion mission on 26 March 1945 escorting tank landing ships (LSTs) to their landings on Kerama Retto. When night came, Kinzer landed marines on the various small islands surrounding Okinawa to gather data on terrain and Japanese activity; later large American guns set up on these islands aided the initial assault of Okinawa itself.

Kinzer, in company with fast transpport USS Scribner (APD-122), continued this pattern while dodging Japanese kamikaze suicide planes during patrols and antisubmarine-screen duty in the Okinawa campaign until she departed on 15 July 1945 with a convoy headed for Guam. There she picked up the escort aircraft carrier USS Sargent Bay (CVE-83), escorted Sargent Bay to Pearl Harbor. and continued on to the United States West Coast, arriving at San Pedro, California, on 9 August 1945. World War II ended six days later.

Completing overhaul, Kinzer departed San Pedro on 6 September 1945, disembarked passengers at Pearl Harbor, Guam, and Ulithi Atoll, and arrived at Manila on Luzon in the Philippine Islands on 13 October 1945. On 23 October 1945 she departed for Haiphong, French Indochina, where she embarked Chinese troops for transfer to northern China. From 7 November 1945 to 22 April 1946, Kinzer redeployed Chinese troops in northern China and called at the ports of Chinwangtao, Tsingtao, and Taku in China, Hulutao in Manchuria, and Jinsen, Korea. During this time, she served as flagship for Commander, Landing Ship Tank Flotilla 15.

Kinzer cleared Tsingtao on 25 April 1946 for the United States, calling at Guam and Pearl Harbor en route and arriving at San Pedro on 17 May 1946.