The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Army Transport Service (ATS) was established as a sea-going transport service that was independent of the
Navy Department. ATS operated army transport ships for both troop transport and cargo service between United States ports and overseas posts. This service is often confused with the Army Transportation Service, created in France in 1917 to manage
American Expeditionary Forces
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...
transport. ATS was a branch of the
Quartermaster Corps
Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties:
* Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army
* Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...
responsible for land and water transport, becoming a separate United States Army
Transportation Corps
The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army. It is responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air, and sea. It is one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Qua ...
on July 31, 1942.
History
Civil War
![Fulton (1855 steamship) by Brady cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Fulton_%281855_steamship%29_by_Brady_cropped.jpg)
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
the
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, ...
expanded. It handled the recruiting, training, supply, medical care, transportation and pay of two million soldiers, comprising both the regular army and the much larger temporary volunteer army. The war department established a sea-going transport service of its own, independent of the
Navy Department. ATS was maintained as a branch of the
Quartermasters' Department. A fleet of steamboats and pilot-boats were used in the military campaigns in the Eastern Carolinas. This was the origin of the United States Army Transport Service. Many battles were won because of the Army Admiral's ability to swiftly and effectively move troops and supplies.
At this time the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
was small and generally assigned to defend the nation's frontiers from attacks by Indians. The
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
was part of the U.S. Department of War and was the army that fought for the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
during the American Civil War.
A large number of ships were bought or chartered by the U. S. Government for transport service. The steamer CSS
''Fanny'' was armed as a
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-ste ...
and operated by the Quartermaster Department of the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
during the American Civil War. The SS
''Fulton'' and SS
''Arago'' were chartered by the Union Army in the Army Transport Service, for use as a troop transport and in operation with the
South Atlantic Blockading Squadron
The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading.
The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...
throughout the war.
ATS operated between New York,
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Cor ...
and
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. At the close of the war, the fleet of 590 ocean transports in service on July 1, 1865, was reduced to 53 vessels by June 30, 1866. Most of them were discharged soon after.
Spanish–American War
![Sherman, U](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Sherman%2C_U.S._Army_Transport_by_Captain_Graves.jpg)
After the Civil War, the ATS disappeared after the signing of peace at
Appomattox, but was reestablished during the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (cloc ...
when the Army's difficulty in transporting its forces to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
was exposed in the Spanish–American War with formal establishment in the fall of 1898 to operate under the Quartermaster Corps of the Army. Forces were recruited, not from the Navy, but from the
Merchant Marine.
The USAT ''Sherman,'' was bought by
United States Government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...
in 1898 and converted to United States Army transport for use in Spanish-American War, and later employed as troop transport to Philippines.
ATS operated the Army's large ships but did not operate smaller vessels of the harbor boat service (tugs, launches, small and short range supply boats), the mine planters of the
Coast Artillery Corps
The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an administrative corps responsible for coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft defense of the United States and its possessions between 1901 and 1950. The CAC also operated heavy and railway artillery ...
or any vessels of the
Corps of Engineers.
World War I
![USAT McClellan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/USAT_McClellan.jpg)
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, ATS operated Army transport ships for both troop transport and cargo service between United States ports and overseas posts. The
USAT ''McClellan'' was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
transport ship that saw service during the Spanish–American War and World War I.
Except during World War I, when the Army's large transports were turned over to the
Naval Overseas Transportation Service
Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...
(NOTS), ATS operated the sometimes sizable fleet of Army transports.
Special regulations for the Army Transport Service were documented by the
United States War Office in 1918. They included topics like: general duties of officers, flags and general provisions for movements by sea.
World War II
![USAT Admiral H](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/USAT_Admiral_H._T._Mayo_1947.jpg)
The
USAT ''Admiral H. T. Mayo'' served as an Army transport at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
During peacetime ATS was to operate directly under the Quartermaster General through a General superintendent at home ports and in wartime, when formal ports of embarkation were to be established, ATS would come under the port commander's jurisdiction. During the interwar period, ATS Atlantic was based at the New York General Depot, Army Supply Base, in Brooklyn and ATS Pacific and the transport docks were at the San Francisco General Depot, Fort Mason, California. The Army considered maintenance of a nucleus of military personnel, intimately familiar with both military requirements, port and ship operations, that could form the core of a full
port of embarkation staff in wartime or other emergency as one of the reasons for maintaining ATS itself. Coordination with other Army transport functions was aided by the fact ATS was one of the four interwar divisions of the Army Transportation Service which also had divisions responsible for rail, motor and animal transport.
ATS itself became absorbed into the Water Division of the United States
Transportation Corps
The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army. It is responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air, and sea. It is one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Qua ...
and operated the United States Army Transports. However, the Army Transport Service name continued to be applied to the large ship branch of the Water division. The vessels themselves were commanded by civilian merchant mariners with a civilian crew. The large troop transports had military representatives or the Quartermaster or Transportation Corps aboard that were designated as transport commanders, on larger vessels with extended staff, with authority over all embarked personnel but no authority over the ship itself. On smaller vessels or cargo ships a single officer would represent the Corps. The ships were not armed except during wartime when naval type guns were installed.
[Gun and Carriage cards, ]National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
, Record Group 156, Records of the Chief of Ordnance
The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a Combat service support (United States), sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Lee (Virginia), Fort Lee, Virginia. The ...
, Entry 712 During World War II the guns were manned by
Naval Armed Guard
United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War II and headquartered in New Orleans.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 2 ...
gun crews. Naval personnel, either Armed Guard or communications were under their own commander independent of ship's master or Corps representatives in tactical matters.
Six
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...
s were converted at
Point Clear, Alabama
Point Clear is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in Baldwin County, Alabama, Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 2,125. It is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley ...
into floating aircraft repair depots, operated by the ATS, starting in April 1944, to provide mobile depot support for
B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
and
P-51 Mustangs based on Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa beginning in December 1944. They were also fitted with landing platforms to accommodate four
R-4 helicopters, creating the first seagoing helicopter-equipped ships, and provided medical evacuation of combat casualties in both the Philippines and Okinawa.
After World War II the Army's large transports resumed peacetime operation for a brief time until Cold War between the United States and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. On June 28, 1950, President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
established the Transportation Corps as a permanent branch of the Army.
USATCFE Overview
See also
*Transportation Corps
The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army. It is responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air, and sea. It is one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Qua ...
*List of ships of the United States Army
During World War II the U.S. Army operated approximately 127,800 watercraft of various types.) Those included large troop and cargo transport ships that were Army-owned hulls, vessels allocated by the War Shipping Administration, bareboat cha ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
With the Army at Hoboken
(World War I description of operations at New York.)
(Flags)
Transportation units and formations of the United States Army
Ships of the United States Army