Thirty ships of the Andromeda Class were built between 1943 and 1945. The ships were named after certain stars and U. S. state counties. Achernar's name comes from the star Achernar. The star is seen mostly from the Southern Hemisphere. Its official designation is Alpha Eridani, and it is located in the Constellation of Eridanus (which means 'the river'). This constellation was discovered by the Ancient Greeks, who named it after their river god, Eridanus. Achernar originally comes from the ancient arabic "Akhir Al Nahar", which means 'the end of the river'. Achernar is the 9th brightest star in the sky, and its diameter is twice that of the Sun.
Achernar's keel was laid down under a U. S. Maritime Commission contract on 6 September 1943 at Kearney, New Jersey by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. Launched on 3 December 1943, she was sponsored by Mrs. Adela Rogers St. John. She was formally acquired by the Navy on 29 January 1944; and was commissioned on 31 January 1944 with Commander H. R. Stevens in command.
Following conversion and fitting out at the New York Navy Yard, Achernar got underway on 28 February 1944 and held shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay. On 13 March, she arrived at Staten Island, N.Y., where she loaded cargo and embarked Army personnel for transportation to Great Britain. She stood out to sea on 19 March with Convoy CU-18. She arrived at Swansea, Wales on 30 March and spent the next two months transporting cargo and personnel between various ports in the United Kingdom in preparation for the Normandy invasion.
The last week in May 1944 found Achernar in Plymouth, England. On 1 June she was designated the 1st Army's headquarters ship (Lieutenant General Courtney Hodges commanding). On 6 June she steamed across the English Channel, and at 1609 she anchored in her preassigned position in Baie de la Seine, France. For the next five days she acted as a nerve center for troops fighting for a foothold in France. On 11 June the 1st Army's headquarters disembarked, and at 1148 Achernar got underway for England. After a three-day respite in Plymouth, the ship moved to Roseneath, Scotland to take on the cargo and personnel of two construction battalions. On 19 June she returned to Plymouth to onload materials to repair damaged assault craft, and on 22 June she got underway for the assault area in France. While on station, she underwent several enemy air attacks. The ship again left the French coast on 29 June to return to England and arrived in Plymouth on 1 July. On 5 July she was ordered to sail as part of Task Group (TG) 120.6, which was bound for the Mediterranean to support the invasion of southern France. The ship entered the harbor at Oran, Algeria on 10 July. Six days later she sailed to Naples, Italy. After loading operations there, she switched to an anchorage at Castellamare, Italy on 2 August. She then embarked personnel of the 36th Division and proceeded to sea on the 13th for the assault in southern France. On the morning of 15 August, her crew commenced discharging her cargo and sending it to the beaches. The next day, after finishing the delivery of cargo, she received casualties on board and embarked 13 German prisoners of war before getting underway at 2100 to return to Naples.
For the next two months Achernar continued making trips from Naples and Oran to points along the southern coast of France. On 25 October she sailed from Oran westward through the Strait of Gibraltar towards the United States. She arrived at Hampton Roads on 8 November and underwent repairs and overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard. On 7 December Achernar got underway for a brief period of trials and exercises in Chesapeake Bay. The ship returned to Norfolk on 11 December 1944, took on cargo, and got underway on 18 December. She transited the Panama Canal on Christmas Day 1944 and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 10 January 1945.
Following tactical maneuvers off Oahu from 17 to 19 January, the cargo ship began loading cargo on 12 February and put to sea on the 18th. Achernar stopped at Eniwetok on 26 February, Kossol Roads on 4 March, and anchored in San Pedro Bay, Philippine Islands from 15 to 20 March before arriving off Okinawa on 1 April to support the seizure of that key island. At 0043 the next day, 2 April 1945, a Japanese suicide plane hit the Achernar's starboard side and, almost simultaneously, a bomb, apparently released by the suicide plane, exploded on her port side. Fires broke out, and the ship began listing slightly to port. Achernar lost five crew members killed and 41 wounded.
By 0100 the fires were out and the list had been corrected. At 1525 the battered ship transferred her casualties to Solace (AH-5) and proceeded to anchor off Hagushi beach, where temporary repairs began. Bos'n. Frank J. McMahon later received the Navy Commendation Medal for successfully rigging number 3 hatch, which was damaged by the suicide plane, using winches and running gear from number 2 hatch. On the morning of 3 April, Achernar moved to Kerama Retto to begin unloading her cargo.
Achernar remained at Okinawa until 19 April, when she sailed for the United States via Ulithi and Pearl Harbor. She arrived at San Francisco on 13 May and began offloading ammunition and fuel. Two days later, she entered drydock for repairs and overhaul. She got underway again on 10 July for shakedown along the California coast. On 4 August Achernar left San Francisco to return to Pearl Harbor where she arrived a week later and immediately began discharging her cargo. She was still in Hawaii when hostilities ended on 15 August 1945. Achernar then shuttled personnel and equipment between Japan, various other Pacific islands, and took part in "Magic Carpet" operations, returning veterans to the United States.
On 28 November 1945, Achernar arrived in Seattle. One week later, S.S. H. H. Raymond collided with her in a storm. As a result of the damage she sustained in the accident, Achernar entered drydock on 22 December for repairs.
Achernar got underway again on 16 January 1946 and resumed operations between the west coast and various ports in the Far East and the Pacific. When the Military Sea Transportation Service was formed on 1 October 1949, she was one of a group of attack cargo ships selected for service in the new organization, continuing her visits to Pacific and Far East ports. During August of 1949, Achernar participated in Barex-49, a supply expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska, hauling in supplies and getting out before the permanent ice cap closed in again. On the way back to Seattle, Achernar called at Nome, Alaska.
At the outbreak of the Korean War, Achernar was completing overhaul at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. She got underway on 7 July 1950 and soon began onloading troops and cargo for transportation to the war zone. On the 14th, the ship joined TG 53.7 and sailed for Japan. She unloaded her cargo at Kobe, Sasebo, and Yokosuka. On 13 September, she left Japan and participated in the invasion of Inchon, Korea on the 15th. After landing the embarked Marines and unloading her cargo, Achernar returned to Japan for more cargo. On 22 October, elements of the First Marine Division and their equipment were loaded on aboard Achernar for landing on the east coast of Korea at Wonsan. She sailed as part of TG 90.2 and arrived in Wonsan on 25 October. She unloaded her passengers and proceeded to Moji, Japan, arriving there on 31 October. There she took on men of the 2nd Infantry Division for transportation to Wonsan. Following this mission, she returned to Yokosuka on 20 November. The attack cargo ship was then ordered to report back to the United States. She left Japan on 27 November accompanying U.S.S. Brush (DD-745) and U.S.S. Mansfield (DD-728), both of which had been damaged by mines off Korea, to lend support in the event their temporary repairs did not hold. 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, and Kodiak Island, Alaska to pick up cargo to be returned to Seattle. On 17 March Achernar set course for Norfolk, Virginia. She transited the Panama Canal on the 26th; and paused at Morehead City, North Carolina, on 1 April. She 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.
Achernar was again placed 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 placed out of commission for the second time on 1 July 1963 and transferred to the U. S. 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 she was scrapped in 1982.
Achernar received three battle stars for World War II service and three battle stars for Korean War service.