to Ulithi. Then she made a similar voyage to Roi Island before moving her supply base to Guam 16 March 1945. The ship was soon to carry her support activities to the assault area itself, however, and rendezvoused with an Okinawa-bound convey at Saipan 23 March. Supporting Okinawa invasion operations As American forces went ashore at Okinawa 1 April, and began that campaign, Grumium made preparations to supply the cruising carrier groups from Kerama Retto, near Okinawa. Arriving 2 April, she serviced the escort carrier groups protecting the landing and providing group support. Japanese forces were determined to defeat the assault and quickly expanded suicide attacks against the assembled ships. Grumium came under air attack at Kerama Retto 6–7 April; of the many planes destroyed she helped shoot down one. She also rescued survivors from a suicide crash on 28 April, and a bomb hit on 30 April. While Grumium was at Kerama Retto, a special designation for aviation supply ships was established; and she became AVS-3 on 25 May 1945. She departed the Okinawa area 6 June, arrived Guam 14 June, and arrived Eniwetok to supply the carrier forces 1 July 1945. Grumium remained there during and after the final operations of the war providing vital supplies until departing for the Hawaiian Islands 12 October. Stopping briefly at Pearl Harbor, she arrived Norfolk via the Panama Canal 25 November, for deactivation. Decommissioned 20 December 1945, she was redelivered to the Maritime Commission 27 December 1945. Inactivation and decommissioning The ship was subsequently laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, Virginia. Grumium, along with the Liberty ship SS George Pomutz, was sold for $203,600, on 17 April 1970, to N. V. Intershita. She was delivered 18 May 1970, and subsequently sold to Salvamento y Demolicion Naval S. A., Barcelona, Spain, for scrapping, completed, 27 October 1970. Awards Grumium received one battle stars for World War II service. Notes Citations Bibliography Online resources External links Crater-class cargo ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built in Richmond, California 1942 ships James River Reserve Fleet