Design 1029 ship
The Design 1029 ship (full name Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029) was a steel- hulled passenger/cargo ship designed to be converted in times of war to a troopship. design approved for production by the United States Shipping Boards Emerg ...
launched for the
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...
(USSB) on 19 March 1921 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, at Sparrows Point, Maryland as ''Pine Tree State''. After operation by commercial lines for the USSB, during which the ship was renamed ''President Grant'' and operated commercially until laid up in the late 1930s.
After Navy acquisition in July 1940 the ship was first classified as a transport, hull number AP-8 and then reclassified to , hull number APA-2, that served with the U.S. Navy during
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 opposin ...
''Pine Tree State'' was an Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC)
Design 1029 ship
The Design 1029 ship (full name Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029) was a steel- hulled passenger/cargo ship designed to be converted in times of war to a troopship. design approved for production by the United States Shipping Boards Emerg ...
launched 19 March 1921 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, at Sparrows Point, Maryland. The ship was delivered 3 November 1921 and assigned the U. S. official number 221633.
Commercial service
She served as a passenger ship, ''Pine Tree State'', and was renamed ''President Grant'' in 1922. She operated to the Orient for
American Orient Lines
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
, later
American Mail Lines
American Mail Line of Seattle, Washington was a commercial steamship service with routes to and from Seattle, Washington and the Far East.
American Mail Line was founded in 1920, by Pacific Steamship Company also with a $500,000 investment from ...
, and was one of
America
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 territorie ...
liners
"Liners" is a horticultural term referring to very young plants, usually grown for sale to retailers or wholesalers, who then grow them to a larger size before selling them to consumers. Liners are usually grown from seed, but may also be grown ...
until the introduction of newer ships in the thirties. ''President Grant'' was idled by the 1936-37 Maritime strike, and lay at
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
until being taken over by the Navy from the
Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...
17 July 1940.
World War II
Converted to a troopship (hull ID no. AP-8) at Todd's Seattle yard, she was renamed ''Harris'' and commissioned 19 August 1940.
''Harris'' spent the first few months of her commissioned service carrying troops to
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
and acting as a troop training ship at
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
. She sailed 13 April 1942 for the
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, carrying
Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
to occupy strategic points outside the Japanese perimeter of conquest. Her task group arrived
Wallis Island
Wallis (Wallisian: ''Uvea'') is a Polynesian atoll/island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'', or ''COM'') of Wallis and Futuna. It lies north of Tonga, northeast of Fiji, east-nort ...
31 May 1942 and unloaded troops for the defense of the
New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
area. ''Harris'' then returned to the United States and operated out of
Monterey Bay, California
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by a ...
, in
amphibious
Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to:
Animals
* Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water)
* Amphibious caterpillar
* Amphibious fish, a fish ...
training. This vital work was completed 22 August 1942, and she sailed from San Diego for
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
.
North African landings
After suffering collision damage which necessitated her
drydock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
ing until 14 October, ''Harris'' loaded troops at Norfolk to begin training for landings in
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
. She departed 23 October with the Southern Attack Force, and acted as
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
for the transport force. This invasion, skillfully executed, increased the pressure on Axis forces in Africa, and prepared a springboard for invasion of Southern Europe. ''Harris'' arrived offshore early on 8 November 1942 and after the destroyers ''Bernadou'' and ''Cole'' boldly entered the harbor with raider forces, debarked her Army troops to consolidate the landing. One of the first transports to complete disembarkation, ''Harris'' returned to Norfolk 13 November.
Pacific operations
Aleutians
She got underway 5 December with combat troops for the Pacific, arriving San Diego 17 December. There she trained and was redesignated APA-21 before sailing from
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
for
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
24 April 1943 to take part in the recapture of Attu.
''Harris'' arrived
Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...
30 April and 4 days later shaped course for the barren
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
. She skillfully debarked her troops during the assault 11 May. She remained in the Adak-
Dutch Harbor
Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June 1942, and was one of the few sites in the United States to be subjected to aerial bombardment by a foreign power during Worl ...
area until 10 June 1943, when she returned to San Diego. After training off California, ''Harris'' and other ships of the Northern Pacific Force sailed 29 July for the occupation of another Aleutian Island,
Kiska
Kiska ( ale, Qisxa, russian: Кыска) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is required ...
. Landings were made without opposition 15 August, as the Japanese had evacuated under cover of fog. ''Harris'' completed her unloading by 21 August and returned to San Francisco 31 August.
Invasion of Tarawa
As United States power mounted in the Western Pacific ''Harris'' sailed 8 September for
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...
, until 13 November 1943. ''Harris'' then sailed with the Southern Attack Force for the invasion of
Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati ''
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...
, as the Navy began its resistless push across
Micronesia
Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...
to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. ''Harris'' arrived the day after the initial landings on 20 November. Despite fire from shore batteries she discharged her troops and cargo during the days that followed. She remained off the stubbornly defended island caring for casualties and unloading until 2 December, when she sailed for Pearl Harbor.
Invasion of Kwajalein
Arriving Pearl Harbor 14 December 1943, ''Harris'' took part in amphibious drills for the next step toward Japan, the invasion of the Marshalls. She sailed 22 January 1944 and arrived off
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
31 January. After a week of bloody fighting in this highly successful assault troops and casualties were reembarked on board ''Harris'' 8 February and arrived Pearl Harbor 15 February.
Invasion of Saipan
''Harris'' sailed to San Pedro for needed repairs, and returned to Pearl Harbor 9 May 1944. She immediately began loading troops and equipment for another important Pacific operation, the invasion of the
Marianas
The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...
. She arrived off
Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
16 June, one day after the initial landings, and remained in the transport area until 20 June. With the Marianas won, and Japanese air power dealt a crippling blow in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, ''Harris'' sailed for
Eniwetok
Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...
, arriving 24 June.
Invasion of Palau Islands
The veteran transport returned to the
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
and the Solomons 21 July to 8 September, in order to prepare for the next assault. She then sailed from
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
for the invasion of the
Palau
Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...
s, wanted as staging bases for later air attacks. ''Harris'' conducted a diversionary landing 15 September on
Babelthuap
Babeldaob (also Babelthuap) is the largest island in the island nation of the Palau, Republic of Palau. It is in the western Caroline Islands, and the second largest island (after Guam) in the Micronesia region of Oceania. Palau's capital, Ngerul ...
while the main forces stormed Peleliu, and after standing ready with her reserve troops for several days, sailed for
Ulithi
Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap.
Overview
Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...
. Arriving 23 September, ''Harris'' put her troops ashore to occupy this atoll, ideal for a fleet anchorage, and departed 2 days later for Manus.
Invasion of the Philippines
The invasion of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
followed. ''Harris'' embarked elements of the 1st Cavalry Division and sailed for
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao Isl ...
12 October. After having to leave the formation temporarily to free her paravane from a dangerous live
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
, ''Harris'' regained position and unloaded her troops and cargo, 20 October. Following the decisive
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
, ''Harris'' took on board survivors of the gallant fight off
Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
between heavy Japanese forces and light U.S. carriers and
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s. She departed 28 October, arriving
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
3 days later, and returned to Leyte Gulf with reinforcements. ''Harris'' then sailed for Guadalcanal and Bougainville for additional troops and spent December 1944 in landing exercises in Huan Gulf.
''Harris'' departed Manus 31 December to rendezvous with the assault forces steaming toward
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central. The Agno River and the Balili ...
. The convoys encountered some of the heaviest air attacks of the war en route, and ''Harriss gunner were busy, especially 8 to 9 January 1945, the days immediately preceding the assault. She debarked her troops under heavy smoke screen, and departed for Leyte Gulf. Here she embarked more landing forces that she soon landed at
La Paz
La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...
without opposition as the invasion of
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
gathered momentum. She returned to Leyte Gulf 1 February.
Invasion of Okinawa
Loading again, ''Harris'' prepared to take part in the final step in the steady drive to victory, the
invasion of Okinawa
The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...
. She sailed 27 March and arrived offshore for the initial landings 1 April, a member of Rear Admiral Hall's Southern Attack Force. Fierce enemy suicide attacks soon developed, and again ''Harriss gunners fought off numerous attacks as ships around her were hit. She completed her unloading under these hazardous conditions by 3 April and departed for Pearl Harbor 6 April.
''Harris'' continued to San Francisco, arriving 30 April, but soon returned to the fighting, bringing fresh troops to
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
28 May. After another round trip from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa, the ship arrived Ulithi 10 August, having narrowly missed the great August
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
.
After hostilities
Assigned to assist in carrying occupation troops to Japan, ''Harris'' sailed to the Philippines 17 August, and arrived
Tokyo Bay
is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...
8 September. After disembarking her troops ''Harris'' made another voyage to Samar for occupation troops, finally departing Japan 12 October. The ship made its final occupation voyage to
Taku Bar
Taku may refer to:
Places North America
* the Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia
** Fort Taku, also known as Fort Durham and as Taku, a former fort of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Taku River
** the Taku Glacier, in Ala ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
helping to stabilize the volatile situation there, and sailed 16 November for Guam and the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
.
Decommission
''Harris'' transited the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
, arrived Boston 2 February 1946 and decommissioned 16 April. She was sold to American Ship Breakers, Inc., 20 July 1948 and scrapped.
''Harris'' received ten battle stars for World War II service.