USS Arthur Middleton (APA-25)
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USS ''Arthur Middleton'' (AP-55/APA-25) was the lead ship of the ''Arthur Middleton''-class attack transports and was in service with the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946. She was named for Founding Father
Arthur Middleton Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States as a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress. Life Middleton was bo ...
and was scrapped in 1973.


History

''Arthur Middleton'' Not to be confused with the Liberty (EC2-S-C1) ship of th
same name
, launched 3 May 1942 at Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. sunk 1 January 1943 off Oran, North Africa.
was a transport launched as the commercial cargo/passenger ship ''African Comet'' serving in the United States Navy during World War II. The ship, along with later sister ships and , was at the time the largest all welded passenger/cargo ship. The ships, of and varying only in interior decorations, were designed for New York to South and East African service with accommodations for 116 passengers. ''African Comet'', ordered as ''American Banker'', was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 106) on 1 July 1940 at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by the
Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and at 12,500 employees, the second large ...
. Launched on 28 June 1941, sponsored by Miss Mary Maud Farrell, and delivered 31 December 1941. The ship was acquired by the War Shipping Administration from the American South African Line, Inc., on 31 December 1941 and purchased by the Navy on 6 January 1942. The ship was renamed ''Arthur Middleton'' (AP-55) on 7 January 1942 for
Arthur Middleton Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States as a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress. Life Middleton was bo ...
, a member of the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
and one of the 56 signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. The ship underwent initial conversion at Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock Co. yard in Hoboken, N. J. for operation as a civilian-manned convoy-loaded transport.Photo data, US Navy Bureau of Ships photo 19-N-27271; ''USS ''Arthur Middleton'' (AP-55) departing New York, 18 January 1942, en route to the Pacific.'' dated 18 January 1942. She was fully converted for service as a combat-loaded (attack) transport by the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California after arrival in San Francisco from the South Pacific in June 1942. Commissioned on 7 September 1942. After Navy acquisition and preliminary conversion, but before full conversion and commissioning, the ''Middleton'' was pressed into service during a shipping crisis involving securing the South Pacific lines of communication and critical air ferry route with Australia.
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 ...
(codename "Poppy"), a key point in those lines, had been in some turmoil with Vichy governance and recent takeover by Free French and was threatened by the Japanese. Another key island, Bora Bora (codename "Bobcat"), was also to be heavily reinforced in early 1942 yet available shipping was extremely short. Major realignment, taken to the head of state level, was required. The Bobcat convoy was to depart Charleston, South Carolina and, as a result of the candidate ship ''President Fillmore'' being damaged in a grounding with repairs taking longer than the convoy schedule allowed, the ''Arthur Middleton'' was quickly substituted and sent to Charleston from New York, but without proper ballasting for newly installed armament. ''Middleton'' turned out to be problematic with inadequate ballast for newly installed armament. She sailed for Charleston with a twelve degree list and then required work there. Work on ''Middleton'' and ''President Tyler'', herself described as "a mess," further delayed the convoy's departure from 15 January, already a delay from 8 January, to 25 January. A large convoy carrying elements of "Poppy Force" was to leave New York and, to conserve escorts, the Navy recommended combining the Poppy convoy with the Bobcat convoy and the Army agreed. Just as the Poppy convoy was due off Charleston the Navy found it could not make ''Middleton'' and another ship, the ''Hamul'' ready for sea until 27 January when ''Middleton'' was again delayed until mid afternoon. ''Middleton'' sailed for Australia and then to Bora Bora in Convoy BC.100 arriving Bora Bora on 17 February. The delay with ships and some cargo required that the convoy BT.200 bound for New Caledonia via Australia, carrying Poppy Force (designated Task Force 6814) that became the Americal Division, sailed separately a few days in advance of the Bora Bora force. After full conversion to an attack transport in San Francisco the ship was manned by a combined Coast Guard and Navy crew. The transport held shakedown training off San Diego, California and sailed for the Aleutian Islands on 23 December. She reached
Amchitka Amchitka (; ale, Amchixtax̂; russian: Амчитка) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refu ...
on 12 January 1943 and, later that day, took on board 175 survivors from ''Worden'' (DD-352), which had run aground and broken up while covering the transport during the debarkation of her troops. However, before the day ended, ''Arthur Middleton'' herself ran aground after dragging anchor. Salvage operations involved completely unloading, blasting and removing the rocks from under the ship's port side, and patching the holes which they had pierced in her hull. During this work, ''Arthur Middleton's'' boats operated in Amchitak harbor unloading supply ships and moving Army barges. On eight occasions, the grounded ship repulsed enemy float-plane attacks and was straddled by four bombs. While in Alaskan waters, ''Arthur Middleton'' was reclassified an attack transport and redesignated APA-25 on 1 February 1943. The ship was finally refloated and got underway on 9 April in tow of and for Dutch Harbor, Unalaska. There, work making temporary repairs continued through 17 June. She was then towed by the merchant ship and to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, for correction of the damage. ''Arthur Middleton'' departed Seattle, Washington, on 6 September, bound for New Zealand. She arrived at Wellington on 12 October, via
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
,
Fiji Islands Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. The ship took on marines and cargo and sailed to Efate, New Hebrides, for staging operations. She then steamed to the
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 ...
for the landings on Tarawa on 20 November. The ship remained off that bitterly contested atoll debarking troops and taking casualties on board until the 29th, when she got underway for Hawaii. On 7 December, ''Arthur Middleton'' reached Pearl Harbor and began training operations. She sortied from Oahu on 23 January 1944 with Task Group (TG) 51.1, carrying marine reserves for the assault on the Marshall Islands. The transport remained in waters east of
Kwajalein Atoll 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 ...
from 31 January through 15 February awaiting orders to disembark her troops; but, as part of the reserve force, they were not needed. During her time steaming off Kwajalein, she provided stores and fresh water to destroyers and smaller vessels, dispatched her boats on various assignments, and repaired damaged boats. She was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Thomas Parke Hughes who later became an eminent historian. On 15 February, ''Arthur Middleton'' sailed with the task group charged with invading Eniwetok. Arriving off that atoll on the 17th, ''Arthur Middleton'' landed assault troops on Engebi Island and unloaded her cargo as needed by forces ashore. Two days later, she took marines on board for an assault on Parry Island. The landing there took place on the 21st and 22d and, the next day, the ship sailed for Pearl Harbor with American casualties and Japanese prisoners of war embarked. She paused en route at Kwajalein on the 26th to embark more troops and then resumed her voyage to Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 8 March. The attack transport held training exercises off Hawaii through late May. On the 30th, she sailed with TG 52.3 for 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 ...
. The ship 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 ...
on 15 June and debarked her passengers later that day at Charan Kanoa. She then began taking casualties on board while unloading her cargo. Although there were frequent air raid alerts during these operations, no
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 ...
ese planes came within range of the transport guns. She departed Saipan on 23 June, stopped at Eniwetok and Tarawa to pick up Army troops and Japanese prisoners, and continued on to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 9 July. After disembarking her passengers, she began the first of two voyages between San Diego and
Hilo, Hawaii Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. It is the fourth-largest settlement i ...
, carrying troops and equipment between the two points. At the end of these shuttle runs, the transport sailed for the Admiralty Islands. She arrived at Manus on 3 October and began preparations for the long-awaited operations to liberate the Philippine Islands. On 14 October, ''Arthur Middleton'' sortied with TG 79.2 and arrived in Leyte Gulf on the 20th. The ship remained in the area unloading troops until 24 October, when she headed for Hollandia, New Guinea. The attack transport returned to Leyte on 14 November, carrying personnel and supplies from Hollandia and Morotai, Netherlands East Indies. The next day, she sailed back to New Guinea and conducted training exercises in conjunction with Marine Corps units. On 31 December, the ship sailed with TG 79.4 for the invasion of Luzon and arrived in the transport area in
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 ...
on 9 January 1945 and landed her troops in the face of enemy air attack. During the operation, fifteen members of her crew were wounded by flying shrapnel from the guns of other vessels firing at the Japanese planes. The transport left Lingayen Gulf later that day to take on more supplies at Leyte and returned to Lingayen Gulf on 27 January. During February and early March, ''Arthur Middleton'' carried out training exercises at
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 ...
. On 16 March, the transport sailed with TG 53.1 for Ulithi, where staging operations were held for the Ryūkyū campaign. The ship discharged troops and cargo at Okinawa during the first five days of April and then returned via Saipan to Pearl Harbor. She was routed on to the west coast and arrived at San Pedro, Calif., on 30 April to begin a period of overhaul. While the ship was still in the yard, Japan surrendered on 14 August 1945. The repair work was completed on 4 September, and ''Arthur Middleton'' was assigned to duty transporting relief forces to the Philippines and returning veterans to the United States. By the end of 1945, the ship had made two voyages to the Philippines. In January 1946, she underwent repairs at
Terminal Island, California Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in t ...
. Following the detachment of her Coast Guard personnel, ''Arthur Middleton'' was transferred to the Naval Transportation Service on 1 February 1946. During the next four months, the transport made six round trips between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor. She then steamed through the Panama Canal and continued on to
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 on 19 July 1946. The ship was placed out of commission at Norfolk on 21 October 1946 and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. At the end of a dozen years in reserve, her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 October 1958; and the ship was transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup in the
James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
. She was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet on 3 March 1959. The vessel was sold for $96,666 on 9 May 1973 to the
Consolidated Steel Corporation Consolidated Steel Corporation (formed 18 December 1928) was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Consolidated built ships during World War II in two locations: Wilmington, California and Orange, Texas. It was created in 1929 by the merg ...
,
Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
, and was later scrapped. ''Arthur Middleton'' won six battle stars for her World War II service. There was another ship with the name ''Arthur Middleton'', a Liberty (EC2-S-C1) launched and delivered May–June 1942, operating at the same time as the USS ''Arthur Middleton'' until sunk by an explosion off
Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
, North Africa 1 January 1943. As of 2005, no other ship in the United States Navy has been named ''Arthur Middleton''.


Notes


References


References cited


APA-25 ''Arthur Middleton''
Navsource Online. * * * * * * * * * * *
''USS Arthur Middleton AP-55 / APA-25''
U.S. Coast Guard.


Further reading

*Coast Guard At War: Volume V: Transports & Escorts, Part II. Washington, DC: U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Historical Section, Public Information Division, 1949.
''The U.S. Coast Guard in World War II''
By Malcolm Francis Willoughby Page 187: Middleton actions at Amchitka (Aleutian Islands) January 1943.
''The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II''
By Robert Cressman Page 142: Middleton rescue and grounding at Amchitka (Aleutian Islands) 13 January 1943.


External links


''African Comet'' launch photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur Middleton (APA-25) Type C3-P&C ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1941 ships Merchant ships of the United States Arthur Middleton-class attack transports World War II auxiliary ships of the United States World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign