Karnes (APA-175) served as an attack transport of the Haskell class. Miss Nora Clancy sponsored her. Oregon Shipbuilding at Portland launched her on 7 November 1944, and the Navy commissioned her on 3 December 1944.
May found her off Okinawa with troops and equipment still to land. Kamikazes were working the ships in the anchorage.
On 3 May 1945 she reached Okinawa and unloaded troops and equipment under heavy attack from those kamikazes. On 8 May she cleared the battle zone, carrying 866 survivors from ships the kamikazes had damaged.
The early May days at Okinawa were her fight, first in the unloading and then on the run out with survivors. She came through the war. On 11 April 1946 she was decommissioned. One battle star stands on her wartime record.