- USS Arthur Middleton (APA-25)
USS "Arthur Middleton" (AP-55/APA-25) was a transport in the
United States Navy duringWorld War II . She was named forArthur Middleton , a member of theContinental Congress ."African Comet" was laid down under a
Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 106) on1 July 1940 atPascagoula, Mississippi , by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation; launched on28 June 1941 ; sponsored by Miss Mary Maud Farrell; acquired by the Navy from the American South African Line, Inc., on6 January 1942 ; renamed "Arthur Middleton" (AP-55) on7 January 1942 ; converted for naval service by theUnion Iron Works ,San Francisco, California ; and commissioned on7 September 1942 , CommanderP. K. Perry , USCG, in command.Manned by a combined Coast Guard and Navy crew, the transport held shakedown training off
San Diego, California , and sailed for theAleutian Islands on 23 December. She reachedAmchitka 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 underthe 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 different 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 USS|Ute|AT-76|3 and USS|Tatnuck|AT-27|3 for
Dutch Harbor, Unalaska . There, work making temporary repairs continued through 17 June. She was then towed by the merchant ship SS|James Griffiths and USS|Cree|AT-84|3 to thePuget Sound Navy Yard ,Bremerton, Washington , for correction of the damage. "Arthur Middleton" departedSeattle, Washington , on 6 September, bound forNew Zealand . She arrived atWellington on 12 October, viaSuva ,Fiji Islands . The ship took on marines and cargo and sailed toEfate, New Hebrides , for staging operations. She then steamed to theGilbert Islands 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 forHawaii .On 7 December, "Arthur Middleton" reached
Pearl Harbor and began training operations. She sortied fromOahu on 23 January 1944 with Task Group (TG) 51.1, carrying marine reserves for the assault on theMarshall Islands . The transport remained in waters east ofKwajalein Atoll 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. On 15 February, "Arthur Middleton" sailed with the task group charged with invadingEniwetok .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 onParry 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 ship arrived offSaipan on 15 June and debarked her passengers later that day atCharan Kanoa . She then began taking casualties on board while unloading her cargo. Although there were frequent air raid alerts during these operations, noJapan 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 , carrying troops and equipment between the two points. At the end of these shuttle runs, the transport sailed for theAdmiralty Islands . She arrived at Manus on 3 October and began preparations for the long awaited operations to liberate thePhilippine Islands . On 14 October, "Arthur Middleton" sortied with TG 79.2 and arrived inLeyte Gulf on the 20th. The ship remained in the area unloading troops until 24 October, when she headed forHollandia, 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 theLingayen Gulf 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 . On 16 March, the transport sailed with TG 53.1 for Ulithi, where staging operations were held for theRyūkyū campaign. The ship discharged troops and cargo atOkinawa 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 . Following the detachment of her Coast Guard personnel, "Arthur Middleton" was transferred to theNaval Transportation Service on 1 February 1946.During the next four months, the transport made six roundtrips between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor. She then steamed through the
Panama Canal and continued on toNorfolk, Virginia , where she arrived on 19 July 1946. The ship was placed out of commission at Norfolk on21 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 on1 October 1958 ; and the ship was transferred to theMaritime Administration for layup in the James River. She was placed in theNational Defense Reserve Fleet on 3 March 1959. The vessel was sold on9 May 1973 to theConsolidated Steel Corporation ,Brownsville, Texas , and was later scrapped."Arthur Middleton" won six
battle star s for her World War II service.As of 2005, no other ship in the United States Navy has been named "Arthur Middleton".
References
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/03/03025.htm APA-25 "Arthur Middleton"] , Navsource Online.
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