USS General H. W. Butner

Last updated

USS General H. W. Butner APA-113.jpg
USS General H. W. Butner (AP-113) underway
History
US flag 48 stars.svg United States
NameUSS General H. W. Butner
NamesakeGeneral Henry W. Butner (1874–1937)
Builder Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock
Launched19 September 1943
Sponsored byMrs John J. McCloy
Acquired5 December 1943
Commissioned11 January 1944
Decommissioned28 January 1960
ReclassifiedAP-113 to T-AP-113, October 1949
Identification
  • MC hull type P2-S2-R2,
  • MC hull no. 671
Honors and
awards		Two service stars for the Korean War
FateScrapped in Taiwan, 1977
General characteristics
Class and type General John Pope-class transport
Type troopship
Displacement
  • 11,450 tons (lt)
  • 20,175 tons fully laden
Length622 feet 7 inches (189.76 m)
Beam75 feet 6 inches (23.01 m)
Draft25 feet 6 inches (7.77 m)
Installed power17,000 shp
Propulsion2 steam turbines, reduction gearing, twin screw
Speed19 to 20.6 knots (35.2 to 38.2 km/h) (sources vary)
Capacity5,289
Complement477
Armament4 x single 5"/38 caliber dual purpose guns, 4 x quad 1.1" guns, 20 x single 20mm guns

USS General H. W. Butner (AP-113), named for Henry W. Butner, was a troopship that served with the United States Navy in World War II and the Korean War. She was redesignated T-AP-113 in October 1949.

Contents

General H. W. Butner was launched by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company of Kearny, New Jersey, 19 September 1943 under Maritime Commission contract for the Army; acquired by the Navy 5 December 1943; placed in ferry commission the same day for transfer to the Maryland Drydock Company of Baltimore, for conversion to a troop transport; and placed in full commission 11 January 1944.

World War II

After shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, General H. W. Butner sailed 23 February 1944 from Norfolk, Virginia carrying troops to Morocco. Arriving Casablanca 3 March, the ship returned to Norfolk for another load of troops, and sailed again for Casablanca, arriving back at Norfolk 20 April.

After only three days in port General H. W. Butner sailed again, this time eastward to the West Coast. Her ports of call on this long voyage were Durban, South Africa; Bombay; Melbourne, Australia; and San Pedro, Los Angeles, where she arrived 1 July. The transport then retraced her steps to Melbourne and Bombay, arriving off the Indian coast 26 August. From there she returned to Melbourne with troops and sailed for California via Nouméa and Efate, New Hebrides. She arrived in San Pedro 6 October 1944.

Continuing the vital work of ferrying troops to and from the Pacific Theater, General H. W. Butner departed San Pedro 21 October 1944, called at Melbourne, Bombay, Sydney, and Nouméa, and returned to San Pedro 7 January 1945. Departing San Francisco 17 February, she brought troops to Finschafen, Hollandia, Leyte, Manus Island, Guadalcanal, and many other islands, as the amphibious advance through the Pacific reached its final phase.

She returned to San Francisco 12 May, departed 20 May for the Panama Canal, and from there steamed to Le Havre, France. The far-ranging transport departed France with troops 12 June, and arrived back in Norfolk 20 June. Thus she completed a circuit of the earth, though, in the meantime, she had steamed a distance equal to six times its diameter while supporting wartime operations.

General H. W. Butner made one more voyage before the end of the Pacific war, redeploying troops from the European Theater. She sailed from Marseilles 7 July, via the Panama Canal, for Ulithi and Eniwetok, finally arriving Okinawa 1 September. She then returned to the United States, arriving Seattle 24 September.

After hostilities

The ship also served as a troopship in the occupation of Japan, leaving San Francisco 5 January 1946 she made four voyages carrying troops to the Pacific stopping at Yokohama, Shanghai, Qingdao, and other ports in support of US efforts to stabilize the China situation and to occupy Japan.

Postwar service

She sailed for Boston from California early in 1947 for conversion to a combination dependent and troop transport, emerging 28 June and returning to San Francisco. In the next two years she operated in the Pacific between Guam and San Francisco, carrying dependents and servicemen to stations in the Far East. Transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) under Navy captain and crew in October 1949, she departed for Norfolk via the Panama Canal and Bermuda, arriving 10 January 1950. She then operated in the Caribbean until 11 April, when she departed for San Diego, California. General H. W. Butner arrived San Diego 24 April, and on 10 May made another Pacific cruise which lasted until her return to the West Coast 12 June.

Korean War

Before the month ended, the Korean War broke out, and General H. W. Butner was one of the handful of ships immediately available. She promptly returned to Guam with vitally needed troops; returned to the West Coast for more troops; and headed for Japan, arriving Yokohama 31 August to prepare for the Inchon landing. This daring amphibious operation took the communist troops by surprise and forced them to abandon the ground they had taken in South Korea and to retreat north across the 38th Parallel. Arriving off the beach 16 September, troopship General H. W. Butner landed her troops in this important action, and then departed for Japan. The last day of the year saw her depart from Okinawa for San Francisco.

In 1951 the ship continued to sail from California to Yokohama and Guam in support of the UN war effort in Korea until she left San Francisco for Galveston, Texas, 29 June.

Later service

From there the ship continued to Bremerhaven, Germany, and thence to New York, mooring 5 September 1951. In the following months she carried troops and dependents to the Mediterranean and back, then departed for the Pacific again 19 February 1952. Transiting the Panama Canal from New York, she arrived at Yokohama 19 March, and 3 days later began the long trip back to Panama. From the Canal Zone, General H. W. Butner sailed to La Pallice, France, and to Bremerhaven, where she embarked passengers for New York.

General H. W. Butner began a regular schedule from Brooklyn, New York, to Southampton and Bremerhaven soon afterward, supporting American military commitments in Europe. Except for occasional visits to the Mediterranean (June 1953 and September–October 1959) and to the Caribbean (November 1956 and November 1958) she continued this run until decommissioning.

Delivered transport from Bremerhaven Germany, arriving at port of New York, NY 6 March 1953. [1]

Decommission

General H. W. Butner was decommissioned 28 January 1960 at Bayonne. She was turned over to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and in March 1960 entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet, berthed in the James River, Virginia.

She was sold for scrap for $604,050 to Luria Brother and Co. on 17 November 1976, and scrapped in Taiwan the next year.

Awards

General H. W. Butner received two service stars for Korean War service.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Ancon</i> (AGC-4) United States Navy headquarters and communications command ship

USS Ancon (AGC-4) was one of three identical ships built for the Panama Railroad Company put into operation in 1938. The ship was converted to a troop ship by the Army in January 1942, making several voyages to Australia with troops as an Army Transport. In August 1942 the ship's operation was transferred to the United States Navy for the duration of World War II and converted to a combined headquarters and communications command ship.

USS <i>Admiral W. S. Sims</i>

USS Admiral W. S. Sims (AP-127) was a transport in the United States Navy. She was later renamed USNS General William O. Darby (T-AP-127). Later her name was struck and she was known simply by her hull number. In 1981, she was reclassified as IX-510.

USS <i>General A. W. Greely</i>

USS General A. W. Greely (AP-141) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship named for U.S. Army general Adolphus Greely. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General A. W. Greeley in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General A. W. Greely (T-AP-141). She was later sold and converted to a container ship and operated under several names before being scrapped in 1986.

USNS <i>Geiger</i> US naval vessel (1952–1983)

USNS Geiger (T-AP-197)/USTS Bay State IV was a transport ship in the United States Navy. She was named after General Roy Geiger, who, from July 1945 to November 1946, commanded Marine Force, Pacific Fleet.

USS <i>Admiral Hugh Rodman</i>

USS Admiral Hugh Rodman (AP-126) was an Admiral W. S. Benson-class transport: Laid down, on 24 April 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (P2-SE2-R1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract,, at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Alameda, California; launched on 25 February 1945; commissioned as the USS Admiral Hugh Rodman (AP-126), 7 July 1945, decommissioned on 14 May 1946, at New York; transferred to the U.S. Army Transportation Service in May 1946; commissioned USAT General Maurice Rose on 1 August 1946; reacquired by the United States Navy and assigned to the Military Sea Transport Service (MSTS); placed in service as USNS General Maurice Rose (T-AP-126) on 1 March 1950.

USS <i>General George M. Randall</i> Troop transport ship

USS General George M. Randall (AP-115) was a General John Pope class troop transport which served with the United States Navy in World War II and the postwar era. She was named after Major General George Morton Randall, an American Civil War hero, and veteran of the Indian wars of the 1880s and the Philippines in the early 1900s.

USS <i>General Stuart Heintzelman</i>

USS General Stuart Heintzelman (AP-159) 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 Stuart Heintzelman. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General Stuart Heintzelman in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General Stuart Heintzelman (T-AP-159). She was later sold for commercial operation before being scrapped in 1984.

USS <i>General LeRoy Eltinge</i>

USS General LeRoy Eltinge (AP-154) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship for the US Navy in World War II. She was named in honor of US Army general LeRoy Eltinge. She was transferred to the US Army as USAT General LeRoy Eltinge in 1946. On 20 July 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General LeRoy Eltinge (T-AP-154). She was later sold for commercial use and operated under the names SS Robert E. Lee and SS Robert Toombs, before being scrapped in 1980.

USS <i>General R. M. Blatchford</i> (AP-153) Squier-class transport ship for the U.S. Navy

USS General R. M. Blatchford (AP-153) 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 Richard M. Blatchford. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General R. M. Blatchford in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General R. M. Blatchford (T-AP-153). She was later sold for commercial operation under the names SS Stonewall Jackson and Alex Stephens, before being scrapped in 1980.

USS <i>General W. M. Black</i>

USS General W. M. Black (AP-135) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship for the U.S. Navy in World War II. The ship was crewed by the U.S. Coast Guard until decommissioning. She was named in honor of U.S. Army general William Murray Black. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General W. M. Black in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General W. M. Black (T-AP-135). She was later sold for commercial operation under the name SS Green Forest, before being scrapped in 1980.

USS <i>General M. B. Stewart</i>

USS General M. B. Stewart (AP-140) 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 Merch Bradt Stewart. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General M. B. Stewart in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General M. B. Stewart (T-AP-140). She was later sold for commercial operation under the name SS Albany, before being scrapped in July 1987.

USS <i>General C. H. Muir</i>

USS General C. H. Muir (AP-142) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship for the U.S. Navy in World War II. The ship was crewed by the U.S. Coast Guard until decommissioning. She was named in honor of U.S. Army general Charles Henry Muir. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General C. H. Muir in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General C. H. Muir (T-AP-142). She was later sold for commercial operation under the names SS Chicago and SS San Juan, and was scrapped some time after 1985.

USS <i>General H. F. Hodges</i>

USS General H. F. Hodges (AP-144) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship for the U.S. Navy in World War II. The ship was crewed by the U.S. Coast Guard until decommissioning. She was named in honor of U.S. Army general Harry Foote Hodges. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General H. F. Hodges in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General H. F. Hodges (T-AP-144). She was later sold for commercial operation under the name SS James, before being scrapped in 1979.

USS <i>General M. L. Hersey</i>

USS General M. L. Hersey (AP-148) was a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship of the U.S. Navy in World War II. She was named in honor of U.S. Army general Mark Leslie Hersey. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General M. L. Hersey in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General M. L. Hersey (T-AP-148). She was later sold for commercial use, and operated under the names SS Pittsburgh and SS St. Louis.

USS <i>General W. C. Langfitt</i>

USS General W. C. Langfitt (AP-151) 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 William Campbell Langfitt. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as USAT General W. C. Langfitt in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General W. C. Langfitt (T-AP-151). She was later sold for commercial operation under the name SS Transindiana, before ultimately being scrapped in 1983.

USS <i>General W. A. Mann</i>

USS General W. A. Mann (AP-112) was a troop transport that served with the United States Navy in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

USS <i>General William Mitchell</i>

USS General William Mitchell (AP-114) was a troopship that served with the United States Navy in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

USS <i>General W. H. Gordon</i> US Navy WWII troop transport

USS General W. H. Gordon (AP-117) was a troop transport that served with the United States Navy in World War II. After the war, she was transferred to the US Army and served as USAT General W. H. Gordon. In the mid to late 1940s she sailed in trans-Pacific American President Lines passenger service with sister ship SS General Meigs. With the outbreak of the Korean War, she was reacquired by the Navy as a civilian-crewed Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) vessel, and redesignated USNS General W. H. Gordon (T-AP-117). She served again under the same designation in the Vietnam War.

USS <i>Admiral R. E. Coontz</i>

USS Admiral R. E. Coontz (AP-122) was an Admiral W. S. Benson-class transport built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract on 15 January 1943 at Alameda, California, by the Bethlehem Steel Corp., and launched on 22 April 1944. She was sponsored by Mrs. Edwin Kokko, daughter of Admiral Coontz, and commissioned on 21 November 1944.

USS <i>Admiral E. W. Eberle</i>

USS Admiral E. W. Eberle (AP-123) was laid down on 15 February 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Alameda, California; launched on 14 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Earl Warren, the wife of the Governor of California who later became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court; and acquired by the Navy and commissioned on 24 January 1945.

References

  1. ↑ Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897. Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls. NAI: 6256867. Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C. Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957. Microfilm Publication T715, 8892 rolls. NAI: 300346. Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives at Washington, D.C. Supplemental Manifests of Alien Passengers and Crew Members Who Arrived on Vessels at New York, New York, Who Were Inspected for Admission, and Related Index, compiled 1887-1952. Microfilm Publication A3461, 21 rolls. NAI: 3887372. RG 85, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .

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.