been damaged by naval mines – ready to assist them, if necessary. They made brief stops at Midway and Pearl Harbor before reaching San Francisco on 17 December. Following a short availability period, Achernar went to Port Hueneme, California on 18 January 1951 to onload cargo and personnel for transportation to the Aleutians. After unloading at Amchitka, she visited Adak, Whittier, Alaska, and Kodiak Island to pick up cargo to be returned to Seattle. On 17 March, Achernar set course for Norfolk. She transited the Panama Canal on 26 March; paused at Morehead City, North Carolina on 1 April; and finally arrived at Norfolk on 3 April. The ship was assigned to the Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, and took part in various fleet exercises and cargo runs in the Caribbean and along the east coast. On 18 February 1956, Achernar was decommissioned, placed in reserve, and berthed at Orange, Texas. Later service and decommissioning Achernar was placed back in commission at New Orleans on 1 September 1961. She arrived at Norfolk on 1 December 1961 and became a unit of Amphibious Squadron 6, Atlantic Fleet. Achernar held shakedown in the Caribbean and spent the remainder of her career conducting various training exercises in the Virginia capes operating area. Achernar was again placed out of commission on 1 July 1963 and transferred to the Maritime Administration. She was reacquired by the Navy on 29 January 1964 but saw no active service before she was transferred to the government of Spain on 2 February 1965. She served the Spanish Navy as Castilla (TA-21) until scrapped in 1982. Achernar received three battle stars for World War II service and three battle stars for Korean War service. References Maritime Administration Ship Record Detail: Achernar External links NavSource Online: AKA-53 Achernar 51 Years of AKAs Andromeda-class attack cargo ships Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1943 ships World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Korean War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States