Fay Broughton Begor was born on 15 October 1916 in Moriah, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in June 1937. Earning his MD in May 1941, he began an internship at Montreal General Hospital on 1 July 1941; he served there as a resident intern in gynecology. Joining the Navy he received an appointment as assistant surgeon, with the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade) on 22 July 1942, completed his internship in Montreal on 1 August 1942, and executed his oath of office on 4 September 1942. Three days later he reported to the Third Naval District for active duty at the New York Navy Yard. A little less than a month later, on 3 October 1942, he was detached from the yard and transferred to the Landing Craft Group, Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia, for duty in Tank Landing Craft Flotilla 18, reporting for duty three days later. Detached on 6 April from his duty with Flotilla "A" he soon found himself en route to the receiving ship at San Francisco, then to Tank Landing Craft Group 22 in the Pacific and Infantry Landing Craft (LCI) Flotilla 7.
Begor was serving as the group’s medical officer on board infantry landing craft LCI(L)-339 as it neared the beach in Operation Postern the landing of the 9th Australian Division on the beaches of the Huon Peninsula near Lae, New Guinea, on 4 September 1943. Japanese aircraft attacked the beachhead scoring multiple hits on LCI(L)-339. Begor immediately treated the wounded Australian soldiers until he was severely wounded in both thighs. He was transferred to LCI(L)-338, then ashore to the U.S. Army 87th Station Hospital at Buna and then on 7 September, to the tank landing ship LST-464 that had been configured to serve as a hospital ship. He died of his wounds on 9 September 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
Construction and commissioning
Begor was laid down by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan, as a Rudderow-classdestroyer escort with the hull number DE-711. She was launched on 25 May 1944, sponsored by Mrs. F. B. Begor, widow of Lt.(jg) Begor. A few weeks after launching, on 17 July 1944, it was decided that Begor would be completed as a Crosley-class high speed transport, with the designation APD-127. She was commissioned on 14 March 1945.
The fast transport operated along the west coast until June 1946, when she sailed for Bikini Atoll to act as a drone control vessel during the "Operation Crossroads" atomic bomb tests. Begor returned in October, and during the next four years, carried out normal peacetime operations along the west coast, and made two cruises to the Far East from July 1947 through February 1948, and August through December 1949.
Korean War, 1950–1953
Begor (foreground) stands by off Hungnam, North Korea, as U.S. Navy and U.S. Army explosives teams destroy facilities and abandoned United Nations supplies in Hungnam on 24 December 1950, the last day of the amphibious evacuation of United Nations forces from Hungnam during the Korean War.
After Korea, Begor continued alternating between the United States West Coast and the Far East. She made a Far Eastern cruise between July 1954 and March 1955, during which she participated in the Vietnamese "Operation Passage to Freedom", from 16 August through 30 September 1954.
Begor was decommissioned on 20 July 1959, and laid up in the Reserve Fleet. She was briefly put back in commission on 20 November 1961, then laid up again on 13 July 1962. On 1 January 1969 she was redesignated to Amphibious Transport, Small, LPR-127.
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