USS Birgit (AKA-24) was an named after the minor planet 960 Birgit, which in turn was named after a daughter of Swedish astronomer Bror Ansgar Asplind. USS Birgit served as a commissioned ship for 16 months. Birgit (AKA 24) was laid down on 22 February 1944 at Providence, R.I., by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc., under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1885); launched on 18 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Ella A. Cunard; and commissioned on 28 October 1944. Service history 1944 Following fitting out at Boston, Mass., the attack cargo ship sailed for the Chesapeake Bay in mid-November. After shakedown training, the new attack cargo ship entered the Norfolk Navy Yard late on 4 November for repairs and alterations. This work was completed at the end of the month, and she sailed for Bayonne, N.J. on 30 November. There, the ship loaded cargo and embarked passenger, before sailing for the Pacific on 6 December. Escorted by , Birgit steamed to Panama, transiting the canal on the 12th and leaving the Canal Zone very early on the 13th. Proceeding singly to Hawaii, the ship reached Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day 1944, after having paused en route to render medical aid to SS S. B. Hunt on the 21st. 1945 After disembarking her passengers and discharging her cargo, the ship shifted to Honolulu on 5 January 1945 and immediately began loading cargo for the Army's 752d Anti Aircraft (AA) Battalion. On the 7th, she embarked 235 soldiers attached to the unit, and sailed independently for the Marshall Islands on the 8th. Reaching Eniwetok on the 16th, Birgit tarried there for a week, topping off her fuel bunkers from before leaving the lagoon on the 23d for a round-trip voyage to Saipan and back. The attack cargo ship made Saipan on the 27th and returned to Eniwetok on 3 February. At this point, turbine damage forced Birgit to return to Hawaii for repairs. She set sail alone on 5 February, reached Oahu on the 15th, and entered the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard on the 19th. Following this availability, Birgit trained near Maui, practicing amphibious landings and tactical maneuvers between 24 March and 29 March. The attack cargo ship then returned to her cargo hauling duties, taking on board freight at Honolulu on the 30th and embarking 235 soldiers on 1 April. Sailing that afternoon for the Marshalls and Marianas, Birgit visited Eniwetok from