USS ''Rixey'' (APH-3) was a casualty evacuation transport ship in 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 ...

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 opposi ...

. ''Rixey'' was built by the

Moore Dry Dock Company 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 ...

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 ...

. 11,500 tons. 450 x 62 x 23.6. 18 knots. Her keel was laid as ''Alcoa Cruiser'' (MC Hull 177) 3 June 1941 and intended for use as a bauxite and passenger ship for the Alcoa Steamship Company. ''Rixey'' was launched on 30 December 1941; sponsored by Miss Betty Hammond, and designated for Navy use and assigned the name ''Rixey'' after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

. Acquired by the Navy 30 December 1942; and commissioned the same day. With a complement of 460, and a troop capacity of 1,166 or a bed capacity of 700, ''Rixey'' was named in honor of Rear Admiral Presley Marion Rixey, MC, USN. ''Rixey'' saw much combat throughout its deployment in the Second World War. Unlike traditional hospital ships, the ''Rixey'' was fitted with weapons for her defense; this allowed her to operate just off of the beaches where Marines engaged Japanese forces. The ''Rixey'' ability to be in harm's way gave wounded troops more expedient access to medical care. Decommissioned 27 March 1946 after three years and three months active commission; returned to 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 ...

and simultaneously transferred to the Army Transportation Service on 9 September 1946. Converted to a transport ship and renamed ''Private William H. Thomas'' on 31 October 1947. Following the establishment of a unified sea transportation service, she was returned to the Navy on 1 March 1950 and designated T-AP-185. Transferred to the Maritime Administration’s

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 ...

, ''Rixey'' was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 27 December 1957. She was later sold to the Tung Ho Enterprise Corporation, Taiwan. As the ''USNS Private William H. Thomas'', ''Rixey'' aided in the rescue of passengers from the stricken which subsequently sank. The ''Thomas'' was the second ship to arrive at the rescue and took command of the rescue operations until the arrival of the ''Ile De France'' several hours later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rixey (APH-3) Tryon-class evacuation transports Ships built in Oakland, California 1941 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Transport ships of the United States Army

See also

References