USS Henry T. Allen (APA-15)
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USS ''Henry T. Allen'' was a Harris class attack transport in service with the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
from 1940 to 1941. She was then transferred to the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
where she served until 1946. She was scrapped in 1948. The ship was originally built as an Emergency Fleet Corporation
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 ...
in 1919 and operated in commercial service as ''Wenatchee'' and ''President Jefferson'' until being laid up in 1938.


Construction

''Wenatchee'', hull 240 laid down at
New York Shipbuilding Corporation The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...
,
Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
15 June 1918, was one of three hulls intended to become Army transports already under construction at the yard, the others being hull 241 ''Sea Girt'' and hull 242 ''Koda'' when the armistice ended
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 ...
and the design was modified to a civilian passenger and cargo configuration, the Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029 ships that were known in commerce as the "535's" for their overall length. Of those one had been launched and a second was ready for launch when the USSB changed plans from troop transports to completion as passenger ships. At some point ''Wenatchee'' may have been assigned the name ''Beaver State'' by USSB in conformance with the majority of the ships of the design but the three ships begun as Army transports when the design changed to passenger-cargo ships remained the only ones not formally assigned the state nicknames.The ''Pacific Marine Review'' shows ''Beaver State'' being renamed ''President Jefferson'' in a group that includes the other two ships, ''American Legion'' and ''Southern Cross'' (ex ''Sea Girt'') started when the design changed. McKellar shows the ship with ''C. M. Schwab'' as the contract name. References prior to the mass renaming of the "State" ships to "President" names sometimes associate the name ''Beaver State'' with the ship launched as ''Wenatchee''. The "State" names were assigned to new construction of this type intended from the start as commercial ships and ''Beaver State'' may have been briefly assigned. Contemporary sources make it clear the ship was launched as ''Wenatchee'' and remaining so into 1922 when the "President" names became effective. A close look at the period shows proposed names existing only on paper in a number of cases. ''Wenatchee'' was launched 24 May 1919 and completed during February 1921, the first of the group to be finished.''The Nautical Gazette'', February 12, 1921 shows the ship "undergoing finishing touches" and due to sail for Seattle in late February. The origin of the June completion date in some references is not known. The ship departed New York 12 March 1921 for
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
to be the third USSB "535" for the Pacific and first transpacific liner to be based in Seattle in six years.


Commercial service

The USSB allocated the ship to the
Pacific Steamship Company The Pacific Steamship Company was a US freight and passenger shipping company that operated between 1916 and 1936. The company was formed by the merger of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and the Pacific-Alaska Navigation Company and was a di ...
which placed her in its
Admiral Line The Pacific-Alaska Navigation Company was an American passenger and freight ocean shipping company that operated between 1912 and 1916 on the West Coast of North America. It was formed as a holding company during the merger of the Alaska Pacific St ...
for operation on its service to Yokohama, Japan, Shanghai and Hong Kong, China and Manila. With the sailing of ''Wenatchee'' on 9 April 1921 the line inaugurated that service. She was followed by sister "535's" on 9 July and on 30 July. ''Wenatchee'' was briefly removed from service for repairs and improvements at Todd Shipyard in Seattle during which she was replaced for one voyage by Matson's . With eventual allocation of five "535's" the company was able to match
Nippon Yusen Kaisha Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha (Japan Mail Shipping Line), also known as NYK Line, is a Japanese shipping company and is a member of the Mitsubishi '' keiretsu''. The company headquarters are located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It operates a ...
transpacific service with United States flag vessels sailing on fourteen day schedules for By May 1922 all the "State" ships of the
Design 1095 A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...
and Design 1029 were renamed for United States presidents with ''Wenatchee'' (possibly briefly ''Beaver State'' on some list between sailing for Seattle in March) being renamed ''President Jefferson''. In December 1922 the USSB announced that its ships operated by Pacific Steamship Company's Admiral Line would be operated by a new line under Robert Stanley Dollar, son of Robert Dollar, to be known as the Admiral Oriental Line. The Pacific Steamship Company operated its own, company owned ships in a coastwise trade and the USSB determined the transpacific operation of its ships required full attention. Dollar, a large stockholder in Pacific Steamship and an experienced operator of transpacific steamships, took up residence in Seattle to form the new operating company. ''President Jefferson'', along with sisters now named , ''President Jackson'' (ex ''Silver State''), and ''President McKinley'' (ex ''Keystone State'') effective 14 October 1922 began operation as Admiral Oriental Line vessels. By April 1926 the USSB had sold the "535" ships for $4,500,000 to the Dollar Steamship Company. ''President Jefferson'' was returned to the
U.S. 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 ...
in 1938 to be laid up in the reserve fleet 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 ...
.


U.S. Army service

''President Jefferson'' was acquired by the U.S. Army Transport Service (A.T.S.) 1 November 1940 and renamed USAT ''Henry T. Allen'' for service with the A.T.S. Pacific Fleet home ported at Fort Mason, California under Captain James McPhersonArmy transports were under the command of civilian merchant mariners employed by the Army. from 11 November 1940 until 6 December 1941.


U.S. Navy service

The ship was then acquired by the Navy 6 December 1941 and placed in partial commission for conversion to Navy use at
Moore Dry Dock Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. In 1905, Robert S. Moore, his brother Joseph A. Moore, and John Thomas Scott purchased the National Iron Works located in the Hunter's Point section o ...
of
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. The ship was at the Mare Island Navy Yard on 7 December 1941. ''Henry T. Allen'' commissioned in full 22 April 1942, Captain P. A. Stevens commanding.


World War II service

After completion of outfitting, ''Henry T. Allen'' made one troop carrying voyage to
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
and return. Arriving
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 ...
18 June 1942, she took part 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 ...
landing exercises until August, helping to mold the potent American assault forces which would be a decisive factor in the Pacific war. The ship sailed 22 August via the Canal Zone 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 ...
, where she arrived 11 September for more landing training on the
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
coast.


Invasion of North Africa

''Henry T. Allen'' departed 23 October for
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 ...
and
Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
as part of the Northern Attack Force under Brig. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. and serving as flagship in that phase of the operation with headquarters remaining aboard during the landing of troops until it could be set up ashore. The force arrived off Mehedia, near strategic
Port Lyautey Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou river, has a population in 201 ...
, 7 November and ''Henry T. Allen'' began that morning to unload her Army troops from the transport area. She remained off the beaches occasionally subjected to fire from shore batteries until 15 November. She then helped consolidate the successful landing by mooring at
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
to unload cargo. The transport sailed 17 November and arrived Norfolk the 30th.


Pacific Theater

Following the important North Africa landings, during which much was learned about amphibious operations, ''Henry T. Allen'' was assigned to the Pacific, a theater in which amphibious assaults were to play a central role. 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 ...
, she sailed 17 December and arrived Tutuila, Samoa group, via the Canal Zone, 13 January 1943. The ship also transported troops to Noumea and
Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...
and while at the latter port 1 February 1943 was redesignated an attack transport, APA-15. On 17 March 1943 ''Allen'' was assigned as flagship, Commander Amphibious Force, Seventh Fleet, but was in poor condition and urgently needed for training and transport. She was assigned to critical amphibious training for troops of Amphibious Force, Southwest Pacific reporting at
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. The ships condition was such that on 10 April 1943 she had to be withdrawn from training for five weeks overhaul availability at Sydney. Until March 1944 ''Henry T. Allen'' operated between
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...
and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n ports, carrying both American and Australian troops in support of the
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
offensive in New Guinea and the Solomons. She made many passages through the dangerous waters of the
Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...
, and on one occasion, 13 July 1943 detected a
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
track approaching her
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
bow. Alert action brought the transport around and out of danger, the torpedo passing a scant 50 yards ahead.


Invasion of New Guinea

''Henry T. Allen'' sailed from Buna 26 March for training exercises on Goodenough Island with the U.S. 24th Infantry Division, completing 16 April. The ship then got underway 17 April for the important
Hollandia Hollandia may refer to: * HVV Hollandia, Dutch football team * Hollandia Victoria Combinatie, defunct Dutch football team * ''Hollandia'' (1742 ship), a ship of the Dutch East India Company, wrecked in 1743 on her maiden voyage * Jayapura, a city ...
operation, the joint attack on Central New Guinea. ''Henry T. Allen'' joined Admiral Barbey's group for the landings at Tanahmerah Bay 22 April and after their success was assured steamed to
Cape Sudest Cape Sudest is a cape in Papua New Guinea, next to Oro Bay. There was an important U.S military base there in World War II. It was situated in Oro Province Oro Province, formerly (and officially still) Northern Province, is a coastal province of P ...
, New Guinea, 24 April. The ship spent the next few weeks transporting troops into Hollandia to consolidate gains and prepare for the next step in the westward advance toward 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 ...
. ''Henry T. Allen'' anchored at
Aitape Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the ...
15 May to load troops for the
Wakde Wakde is an island group in Sarmi Regency, Papua, Indonesia, between the districts of Pantai Timur and Tor Atas. It comprises two islands, Insumuar (the larger) and Insumanai (much smaller). History Occupied by Japanese forces in April 1942, th ...
- Sarmi landings, and got underway the next day for a run of 120 miles undetected by the Japanese. Under a brisk naval bombardment the transport unloaded on the 17th and returned to Hollandia.


Flagship

The veteran transport spent the rest of her career as a
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 various amphibious commands. Until September 1944 she performed training exercises on Bougainville and New Guinea, and after a voyage to Queensland, Australia, arrived Hollandia 3 October 1944. There she received additional equipment and supplies to allow her to better perform her headquarters function. With
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
approaching and destined to be the flagship for that operation on 7 October 1944 Captain H. J. Nelson, USN, Commander Administrative Command, Seventh Amphibious Force, established the Administrative Group of the Staff of Commander Seventh Amphibious Force aboard ''Allen''. ''Henry T. Allen'' remained at Hollandia until January 1945 as the administrative base of the famous 7th Amphibious Force. She shifted her base to
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 ...
as American forces swept north and west, arriving 28 January 1945. She was reclassified AG-90 in January 1945.


Decommissioning

After the final surrender of Japan ''Henry T. Allen'' steamed to
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
3 September and departed for 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 territorie ...
15 November. She arrived 10 December 1945, decommissioned 5 February 1946 and was redelivered to the War Department. After a period in the
National Defense Reserve Fleet The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States of America, mostly merchant vessels, that have been "mothballed" but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies ...
at
Suisun Bay Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the ent ...
,
Benicia, California Benicia ( , ) is a waterside city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the ...
, she was sold to Boston Metals of
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, and scrapped in March 1948.


Footnotes


References


Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry T. Allen (APA-15) 1919 ships Design 1029 ships Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation Passenger ships of the United States Design 1029 ships of the United States Army Design 1029 ships of the United States Navy Harris-class attack transports World War II auxiliary ships of the United States World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States