Originally named in honor of  Adm Edward Walter Eberle, Class 1885, USNA, who served on the USS Oregon in the Spanish-American War, was Commander-in-Chief Battle Fleet in 1922, and later Chief of Navy Operations.   The ship was decommissioned in 1946 and transferred to the Army, and was renamed the General Simon B. Buckner.  Transferred back to the Navy in 1950 and assigned to MSTS.

This was the first of the P-2 class troop transports.

In July 1944 at Naples Italy, approx 1000 "Concentration Camp" refugees were loaded aboard the Eberle and transported to the United States, leaving wounded GI's on the dock.

Ref:  http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22123.htm