USS Poinsett (AK-205) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship acquired by the US Navy just prior to the end of World War II.

Poinsett was laid down under US Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2158, by Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, 6 November 1943; launched 22 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Robert L. Rote; acquired by the Navy 22 January 1945; and commissioned at Houston, Texas, 7 February 1945.

[3] After shakedown off Galveston, Texas, Poinsett loaded ammunition at Theodore, Alabama, and departed for the Panama Canal 21 March.

There, while loading fleet issue clothing and small stores, she received word of the war’s end.

[2] Poinsett received one battle star for World War II service:[2] Online resources