- USS Cape Johnson (AP-172)
The USS "Cape Johnson" (AP-172), was a
United States Navy troop transport ship that was used in the South Pacific duringWorld War II . The ship was named for a cape off theWashington state coast .History
The USS "Cape Johnson", a 5,668-
ton Maritime Commission C1-B type cargo ship, was built atWilmington, California . She was launched20 February 1943 byConsolidated Steel Corp. , Ltd.,Wilmington, California , under aMaritime Commission contract and sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Steward. The ship was converted to a troop transport byLos Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. ; acquired by the Navy and commissioned1 June 1944 , Commander L. C. Farley, USNR, in command; and reported to the Pacific Fleet.The USS "Cape Johnson" was initially used to redistribute Army and Marine Corps forces between the
Marianas and bases in the South Pacific. In November 1944 she arrived with a supply echelon off the assault areas at Leyte in thePhilippines and then landed her troops atSamar . In January1945 , the USS "Cape Johnson" landed troops inLingayen Gulf during the initial assault onLuzon Island . In mid-February she arrived offIwo Jima withMarine Corps troops and cargo, which she put ashore as needed through the end of March. The transport then returned toSan Francisco and carried troops from there toManila .With the bitter fighting on the island over, "Cape Johnson" embarked men of the 5th Marines, whom she carried to Pearl Harbor. Sailing on to San Francisco, where she arrived
22 April 1945, "Cape Johnson" transported troops from the west coast to Manila, and on16 August cleared the Philippines for Pearl Harbor. With occupation troops loaded there, the transport arrived atWakayama ,Honshū ,Japan on27 September , and then began transpacific crossings returning servicemen to the States. She was decommissioned25 July 1946 and returned to her former owner the next day.Harry Hess
The American
geologist Harry Hess commanded the USS "Cape Johnson" during her commission. In addition to his Naval duties, Hess carefully tracked his travel routes toPacific Ocean landings on theMarianas ,Philippines , andIwo Jima , continuously using his ship'secho sounder . This unplanned wartime scientific surveying enabled Hess to collect ocean floor profiles across the NorthPacific Ocean , resulting in the discovery of flat-toppedsubmarine volcano es, which he termedguyot s. This information led to many discoveries which helped to form the basis of thetheory ofplate tectonics .Awards
"Cape Johnson" received two
battle star s for World War II service.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c3/cape_johnson.htm
External links
* [http://navsource.org/archives/09/22172.htm navsource.org: AP-172 "Cape Johnson"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/ap172.htm hazegray.org: DANFS entry]
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