USS ''Joseph Hewes'' (AP-50/APA-22), formerly SS ''Excalibur'', was a troop transport for 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 opposing ...

commanded by Captain Robert McLanhan Smith Jr. A part of the Center Attack Group of Admiral Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force, Operation Torch, ''Joseph Hewes'' was sunk on November 11, 1942 by the German submarine U-173 in Fedala Roads off French Morocco coast during the

Naval Battle of Casablanca The Naval Battle of Casablanca was a series of naval engagements fought between American ships covering the invasion of North Africa and Vichy French ships defending the neutrality of French Morocco in accordance with the Second Armistice at C ...

Pre-war history

She was built by the

New York Shipbuilding 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 ...

Corporation, and launched in 1930 in Camden, New Jersey as the combination passenger-cargo luxury liner SS ''Excalibur''. One of

American Export Lines American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines, New York, was the leading US-flag shipping company between the U.S. east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo ship and passenger ship services, until it declared bankruptcy and was ...

" 4 Aces" sister ships — SS ''Excalibur'', SS ''Exeter'', SS ''Excambion'' and SS ''Exochorda'' — she provided regular service between New York and Europe. SS ''Excalibur'' departed on her maiden voyage on January 24, 1931, sailing from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to Marseilles, Naples, Alexandria, Jaffa, Haifa, Beirut, and then turning back and stopping at Alexandria, Naples, Livorno, Leghorn, Genoa, Marseilles and finally reaching New York. In August 1940, ''Excalibur'' carried the Edward VIII, Duke and Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor from Lisbon to Bermuda, where she stopped on a special call.The First Series of the Much Loved "Four Aces"
''SSmaritime'' by Reuben Goossens On January 8, 1942, ''Excalibur'' was acquired by the U.S. Navy and assigned the task of transporting troops to and from battle areas as an AP-class Troopship, troop transport. She was commissioned on May 1, 1942 as USS ''Joseph Hewes'' (AP-50).Naval History and Heritage Command: Joseph Hewes
/ref> Her sister ships were also converted for war purposes; out of all original " 4 Aces" only the SS ''Exochorda'' survived the war.

World War II

After conversion and fitting out, ''Joseph Hewes'' sortied from Hampton Roads on October 24, 1942 as part of the Center Attack Group of Admiral Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force en route to French Morocco as part of Operation Torch. She was carrying 80 officers and 1,074 men of the reinforced 3rd Infantry Division (United States), 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army, plus ammunition and supplies. The transport arrived off Fedhala on November 8, by 0705 hours, landed all troops, and then commenced unloading ammunition and supplies. By November 11, ''Joseph Hewes'' had completed cargo unloading and had received 30 casualties from the beach fire.

Sinking

At 1950 hours she took a torpedo hit in No. 2 hold from German submarine U-173, ''U-173''. The ship settled by the bow and began filling rapidly with water. Captain Smith endeavored to pick up anchor or slip chain but, as the entire forecastle was under water, this was not possible. He then attempted to beach the ship by backing engines but her propeller was out of the water, so the order was given to abandon ship. ''Joseph Hewes'' went down at 2032 hours, taking Captain Smith and approximately 100 seamen with her. ''U-173'' paid heavily for her victory, for she was sunk five days later off Casablanca by American destroyers.

Recognition

USS ''Joseph Hewes'' received for her

service ''Combat Action Ribbon'' (retroactive, 11 November 1942), ''American Campaign Medal'', ''Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal'' with a Service star, battle star, as well as ''World War II Victory Medal''. Prior to her loss, ''Joseph Hewes'' had been designated for reclassification in early 1943 as an APA-class attack transport, USS ''Joseph Hewes'' (APA-22). Her assigned hull numerical sequence, APA-22, was never reissued to another transport ship. In the 1956 Universal Studios, Universal International production ''Away All Boats'', the USS Randall, USS ''Randall'' (APA-224) wore hull number APA-22 while standing in as the motion picture's fictional USS ''Belinda''. Captain Robert Mclanahan Smith, Jr., United States Naval Academy, U.S. Naval Academy class of 1919, was posthumously awarded with the Silver Star Medal, the third-highest military decoration for valor awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces. His citation read:

Namesake

The USS ''Joseph Hewes'' was named after Joseph Hewes (1730-1779), signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence, who acted as Navy Secretary at the time and supported Navy Captain John Paul Jones, one of the founders of the U.S Navy.Historic naval letters resurface in Charleston
, ''Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs'', May 21, 2013

References

External links

*

* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/apa-unit.htm U.S. Navy Attack transports], ''Global Security'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph Hewes (AP-50) Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation 1930 ships Passenger ships of the United States World War II passenger ships of the United States World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Transports of the United States Navy Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II Maritime incidents in November 1942