USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50)

Last updated
Joseph Hawes (AP-50).jpg
Joseph Hewes in 1942
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameJoseph Hewes
Namesake Joseph Hewes
Orderedas SS Excalibur
Builder New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, New Jersey
Laid down4 November 1929
Launched5 August 1930
Completed18 December 1930
Acquired8 January 1942
CommissionedUSS Joseph Hewes (AP-50) 1 May 1942
Strickenstruck from the Naval Register, 7 December 1942
FateSunk 11 November 1942
Notes
  • Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
  • Algeria-Morocco landing, 8–11 November 1942
General characteristics
Displacement14,100 t.
Length450 ft (140 m)
Beam61 ft 6 in (18.75 m)
Draft26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
Propulsion steam turbines
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement358
Armament

USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50/APA-22), formerly SS Excalibur, was a troop transport for the United States Navy during World War II commanded by Captain Robert McLanhan Smith Jr. A part of the Center Attack Group of Admiral Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force, Operation Torch, Joseph Hewes was sunk on November 11, 1942 by the German submarine U-173 in Fedala Roads off French Morocco coast during the Naval Battle of Casablanca.

Contents

Pre-war history

She was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, and launched in 1930 in Camden, New Jersey as the combination passenger-cargo luxury liner SS Excalibur. One of American Export Lines "4 Aces" sister ships — SS Excalibur, SS Exeter, SS Excambion and SS Exochorda — she provided regular service between New York and Europe. SS Excalibur departed on her maiden voyage on January 24, 1931, sailing from New York City to Marseilles, Naples, Alexandria, Jaffa, Haifa, Beirut, and then turning back and stopping at Alexandria, Naples, Leghorn, Genoa, Marseilles and finally reaching New York. In August 1940, Excalibur diverted from its New York route to carry the Duke and Duchess of Windsor from Lisbon to their Bahamas governorship. [1] On October 3rd, the ship was intercepted by the Royal Navy and H. Montgomery Hyde in Bermuda to confiscate over 500 paintings from the Paris Vollard/Fabiani collection. [2] [3]

On January 8, 1942, Excalibur was acquired by the U.S. Navy and assigned the task of transporting troops to and from battle areas as an AP-class troop transport. She was commissioned on May 1, 1942 as USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50). [4] Her sister ships were also converted for war purposes; out of all original "4 Aces" only the SS Exochorda survived the war. [1]

World War II

After conversion and fitting out, Joseph Hewes sortied from Hampton Roads on October 24, 1942 as part of the Center Attack Group of Admiral Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force en route to French Morocco as part of Operation Torch. She was carrying 80 officers and 1,074 men of the reinforced 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army, plus ammunition and supplies.

The transport arrived off Fedhala on November 8, by 0705 hours, landed all troops, and then commenced unloading ammunition and supplies. By November 11, Joseph Hewes had completed cargo unloading and had received 30 casualties from the beach fire. [4]

Sinking

At 1950 hours she took a torpedo hit in No. 2 hold from U-173. The ship settled by the bow and began filling rapidly with water. Captain Smith endeavored to pick up anchor or slip chain but, as the entire forecastle was under water, this was not possible. He then attempted to beach the ship by backing engines but her propeller was out of the water, so the order was given to abandon ship. [5]

Joseph Hewes went down at 2032 hours, taking Captain Smith and approximately 100 seamen with her. U-173 was sunk five days later off Casablanca by American destroyers. [4]

Recognition

USS Joseph Hewes received for her World War II service Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 11 November 1942), American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal with a battle star, as well as World War II Victory Medal. [6] Prior to her loss, Joseph Hewes had been designated for reclassification in early 1943 as an APA-class attack transport, USS Joseph Hewes (APA-22). [7] Her assigned hull numerical sequence, APA-22, was never reissued to another transport ship. In the 1956 Universal International production Away All Boats , the USS Randall (APA-224) wore hull number APA-22 while standing in as the motion picture's fictional USS Belinda.

Captain Robert Mclanahan Smith, Jr., U.S. Naval Academy class of 1919, was posthumously awarded with the Silver Star Medal, the third-highest military decoration for valor awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces. His citation read:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Captain Robert Mclanahan Smith, Jr. (NSN: 0-34537), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. JOSEPH HEWES (AP-50), when that ship was torpedoed and sunk off Fedala, French Morocco, on 11 November 1942. Captain Smith's remarkable display of command and his exceptional heroism and outstanding devotion to duty at a time when efficient direction and control of the existing situation meant the saving of many lives, were inspirational. The cool, forceful, commanding manner in which he acted and maintained order in an extremely dangerous situation, and the calm inspiring way in which he spoke to his men as he ordered them overboard, gave them confidence, courage and hope. The exemplary conduct of Captain Smith, at the cost of his own life, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. [8]

Namesake

The USS Joseph Hewes was named after Joseph Hewes (1730-1779), signer of the Declaration of Independence, who acted as Navy Secretary at the time and supported Navy Captain John Paul Jones, one of the founders of the U.S Navy. [9]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Susan B. Anthony</i> Troop ship of WW2 sunk off Normandy

USS Susan B. Anthony (AP-72) was a turbo-electric ocean liner, Santa Clara, of the Grace Steamship Company that was built in 1930. Santa Clara was turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 28 February 1942 and operated by Grace Lines as agent for WSA as a troop ship making voyages to the South Pacific. The ship was chartered to the Navy on 7 August 1942 for operation as a United States Navy transport ship. The ship was sunk 7 June 1944 off Normandy by a mine while cruising through a swept channel with all 2,689 people aboard being saved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troopship</span> Ship used to carry soldiers

A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typically loading and unloading at a seaport or onto smaller vessels, either tenders or barges.

The 4 Aces were the quartet of passenger-cargo liners Excalibur, Exochorda, Exeter, and Excambion, originally built for American Export Lines by New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey between 1929 and 1931. AEL placed the "4 Aces" in service between the US and the Mediterranean, offering cruises of up to 40 days.

USS <i>Arthur Middleton</i> Warship of the United States Navy

USS Arthur Middleton (AP-55/APA-25) was the lead ship of the Arthur Middleton-class attack transports and was in service with the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946. She was named for Founding Father Arthur Middleton and was scrapped in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attack transport</span> United States Navy ship classification

Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from the merchant fleet – that rely on either a quay or tenders, attack transports carry their own fleet of landing craft, such as the landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat.

USS <i>Miantonomah</i> (CMc-5) US cargo ship and minelayer, 1938 to 1944

USS Miantonomah (CM-10/CMc-5) was built as SS Quaker by Pusey & Jones Corporation, Wilmington, Delaware in 1938 as a commercial coastwise ship operating as a fast inland water passenger and freight carrier. Quaker was acquired by the Navy in May 1941 for conversion to a coastal minelayer. Miantonomah operated off the east coast of the United States, Africa and the Mediterranean and took part in the invasion of Europe in 1944. The ship was sunk by a mine 25 September 1944.

USS <i>Thomas Jefferson</i> (APA-30) President Jackson-Class Attack Transport Ship

USS Thomas Jefferson (APA-30), serving from 1 May 1942 until 18 July 1955, was a transport and then reclassified on 1 February 1943 as a President Jackson-class attack transport. She was laid down under Maritime Commission contract as President Garfield on 5 February 1940 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company for the American President Lines. The ship was launched on 20 November 1940, sponsored by Miss Eugenia Merrill. President Garfield was completed 26 March 1941 and acquired by the War Shipping Administration (WSA) 29 November 1941 with American President Lines, the WSA agent, operating the ship as a troop transport. On 1 May 1942 the United States Navy purchased the ship and commissioned her USS Thomas Jefferson, named for Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, on 31 August 1942.

USS <i>Hugh L. Scott</i> US Passenger and Cargo Liner & Naval troopship

USS Hugh L. Scott (AP-43) was a Hugh L. Scott-class transport ship. She was built in 1921 and spent 20 years in merchant service as a passenger and cargo liner. In July 1941 the ship was delivered to the United States Department of War for Army service as the United States Army Transport Hugh L. Scott operating in the Pacific. In August 1942 the ship was transferred to the United States Navy for conversion to an attack transport, served as a troopship in Operation Torch in November 1942, and was sunk by a U-boat four days later. 59 crewmen and soldiers died during the sinking.

SS <i>President Cleveland</i> (1920) American passenger vessel

SS President Cleveland was originally built as Golden State for the United States Shipping Board (USSB), one of the planned World War I troop transports converted before construction into passenger and cargo vessels launched as Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029 ships first known, along with the smaller Design 1095 versions, in the trade as "State" ships due to names assigned for the nicknames of states and later as "535s" for their length overall. Almost all ships of both designs were renamed for United States presidents by May 1921, with Golden State being renamed President Cleveland. As one of the USSB-owned ships operated by agents of the board, President Cleveland was allocated to and operated by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company until sold by the USSB to the Dollar Steamship Line in 1925. After the demise of that line and creation of a new, replacement line, American President Lines, the ship remained with that line until government acquisition for the Second World War.

USS Edward Rutledge (AP-52/APA-24) was an Edward Rutledge-class troop transport (AP), later re-designated as an attack transport (APA). She was acquired by the U.S. Navy for use in World War II, and was assigned the task of transporting troops to and from battle areas. Operating in dangerous Mediterranean waters on 12 November 1942, she was sunk after being struck by a German submarine’s torpedo at Fedala Bay, Morocco.

USS <i>Harry Lee</i> American Navy attack transport vessel

USS Harry Lee (APA-10) was a Harry Lee-class attack transport that saw service with the US Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific War, as well as in North Atlantic Ocean operations, and safely returned home post-war with seven battle stars to her credit. She was the only ship in her class.

USS <i>Clay</i>

USS Clay (APA-39) was a Bayfield class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was then sold into commercial service and was scrapped in 1974.

USS <i>General T. H. Bliss</i> USS General T. H. Bliss (AP-131)

USS General T. H. Bliss (AP-131) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship for the U.S. Navy in World War II. She was named in honor of U.S. Army general Tasker Howard Bliss. Decommissioned in 1946, she was sold privately in 1964 and renamed SS Seamar, and was scrapped in 1979.

USS <i>John Penn</i>

USS John Penn (APA-23) was an attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II. Named after Founding Father John Penn, a signatory to the American Declaration of Independence, she was the only ship in her class.

<i>Windsor</i>-class attack transport Type of WWII US naval vessel

The Windsor-class attack transport was a class of nine US Navy attack transports. Ships of the class saw service in World War II.

USS <i>Leonard Wood</i> American steamship and WWII troop transport

USS Leonard Wood (APA-12) was built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation and launched 17 September 1921 at Sparrows Point, Maryland as Nutmeg State, an Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029 ship intended as a World War I troop transport, but redesigned upon the armistice as a passenger and cargo ship and completed as Western World for delivery to the United States Shipping Board. The ship's acceptance on 5 May 1922 and delivery on 9 May 1922 marked the completion of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation and the Shipping Board.

SS <i>President Roosevelt</i> (1921)

SS President Roosevelt was an ocean liner in service in the 1920s and 1930s. Originally built as a Harris-class attack transport towards the end of World War I, she entered commercial service after her completion. Having been built as Peninsula State, she was soon renamed President Pierce and then President Roosevelt. Requisitioned for service as a troopship with the US Navy during World War II, she was renamed USS Joseph T. Dickman (APA-13) and served in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, being scrapped postwar in 1948.

SS <i>Exochorda</i>

SS Exochorda was a 473-foot, 14,500-ton cargo liner in service with American Export Lines from 1948 to 1959. A member of the line's post-war quartet of ships, "4 Aces", Exochorda sailed regularly from New York on a Mediterranean route. Originally built in 1944 as the military attack transport USS Dauphin (APA-97), the ship was extensively refurbished prior to her service as a passenger-cargo liner. Following her service as a cruise liner, the vessel served as the floating dormitory ship SS Stevens for the students of Stevens Institute of Technology, a technological university, in Hoboken, NJ. At the end of her service life she was scrapped, in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Battle of Casablanca</span> Naval engagements in WWII (Nov 1942)

The Naval Battle of Casablanca was a series of naval engagements fought between American ships covering the invasion of North Africa and Vichy French ships defending the neutrality of French Morocco in accordance with the Second Armistice at Compiègne during World War II.

References

  1. 1 2 The First Series of the Much Loved "Four Aces", SSmaritime by Reuben Goossens
  2. ↑ McDowall, Duncan (21 January 2024). "The Shipping News: Bermuda 1940". The Bermudian Magazine.
  3. ↑ Karrels, Nancy Caron (November 2015). "Reconstructing a Wartime Journey: The Vollard-Fabiani Collection, 1940–1949". International Journal of Cultural Property. 22 (4): 505–526. doi:10.1017/S0940739115000296.
  4. 1 2 3 Naval History and Heritage Command: Joseph Hewes
  5. ↑ Joseph Hewes (APA22), Edward Rutledge (APA24), Hugh L. Scott (AP43), Tasker H. Bliss (AP42), & Electra (AKA4) - War Damage Report No. 32. U. S. Hydrographic Office, 14 August 1943.
  6. ↑ USS Joseph Hewes (APA-22) ex USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50)
  7. ↑ U.S. Navy Attack transports, Global Security
  8. ↑ Hall of Valor: Robert Mclanahan Smith , Jr.
  9. ↑ Historic naval letters resurface in Charleston Archived 2016-01-30 at the Wayback Machine , Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs, May 21, 2013

33°40′N7°30′W / 33.667°N 7.500°W / 33.667; -7.500

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.