- USS General H. W. Butner (AP-113)
USS "General H. W. Butner" (AP-113) was a
troop transport that served with theUnited States Navy inWorld War II and theKorean War . She was redesignated T-AP-113 in October 1949."General H. W. Butner" was launched by the
Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company ofKearny, New Jersey , 19 September 1943 underMaritime Commission contract for the Army; acquired by the Navy 5 December 1943; placed in ferry commission the same day for transfer to theMaryland Drydock Company ofBaltimore , for conversion to atroop transport ; and placed in full commission 11 January 1944, Captain A. P. Lawton in command.World War II
After shakedown in
Chesapeake Bay , "General H. W. Butner" sailed 23 February 1944 fromNorfolk, Virginia carrying troops toMorocco . ArrivingCasablanca 3 March, the ship returned to Norfolk for another load of troops, and sailed again for Casablanca, arriving back at Norfolk 20 April.After only 3 days in port "General H. W. Butner" sailed again, this time eastward to the West Coast. Her ports of call on this long voyage were
Durban, South Africa ;Bombay ;Melbourne, Australia ; andSan Pedro, California , where she arrived 1 July. The transport then retraced her steps to Melbourne and Bombay, arriving off theIndia n coast 26 August. From there she returned to Melbourne with troops and sailed for California viaNoumea andEfate ,New Hebrides . She arrived in San Pedro 6 October 1944.Continuing the vital work of ferrying troops to and from the
Pacific Theater , "General H. W. Butner" departed San Pedro 21 October 1944, called at Melbourne, Bombay,Sydney , and Noumea, and returned to San Pedro 7 January 1945. Departing San Francisco 17 February, she brought troops toFinschafen ,Hollandia ,Leyte ,Manus Island ,Guadalcanal , and many other islands, as the amphibious advance through the Pacific reached its final phase.She returned to San Francisco 12 May, departed 20 May for the
Panama Canal , and from there steamed toLe Havre, France . The far-ranging transport departedFrance with troops 12 June, and arrived back in Norfolk 20 June. Thus she completed a circuit of the earth, though, in the meantime, she had steamed a distance equal to six times its diameter while supporting wartime operations."General H. W. Butner" made one more voyage before the end of the Pacific war, redeploying troops from the
European Theater . She sailed fromMarseilles 7 July, via the Panama Canal, forUlithi andEniwetok , finally arrivingOkinawa 1 September. She then returned to theUnited States , arrivingSeattle 24 September.After hostilities
The ship also served as a troop transport during the occupation of
Japan , leaving San Francisco 5 January 1946 she made four voyages carrying troops to the Pacific stopping atYokohama ,Shanghai ,Tsingtao , and other ports in support of American efforts to stabilize theChina situation and to occupy Japan.Postwar service
She sailed for
Boston fromCalifornia early in 1947 for conversion to a combination dependent and troop transport, emerging 28 June and returning to San Francisco. During the next 2 years she operated in the Pacific betweenGuam and San Francisco, carrying dependents and servicemen to stations in theFar East . Transferred to theMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) under Navy captain and crew in October 1949, she departed for Norfolk via the Panama Canal andBermuda , arriving 10 January 1950. She then operated in theCaribbean until 11 April, when she departed forSan Diego, California . "General H. W. Butner" arrived San Diego 24 April, and on 10 May made another Pacific cruise which lasted until her return to the West Coast 12 June.Korean War
Before the month ended, the
Korean War broke out. Fortunately, "General H. W. Butner" was one of the handful of ships immediately available. She promptly returned to Guam with vitally needed troops; returned to the West Coast for more troops; and headed for Japan, arriving Yokohama 31 August to prepare for theInchon landing. This daring amphibious operation took theCommunist troops by surprise and forced them to abandon the ground they had taken in South Korea and to retreat north across the38th Parallel . Arriving off the beach 16 September, troopship "General H. W. Butner" landed her troops in this important action, and then departed for Japan. The last day of the year saw her depart from Okinawa for San Francisco.During 1951 the ship continued to sail from California to Yokohama and Guam in support of the U.N. effort in
Korea until she departed San Francisco forGalveston, Texas , 29 June.Later service
From there the ship continued to
Bremerhaven, Germany , and thence to New York, mooring 5 September 1951. During the next months she carried troops and dependents to theMediterranean and back, then departed for the Pacific again 19 February 1952. Transiting the Panama Canal from New York, she arrived at Yokohama 19 March, and 3 days later began the long trip back to Panama. From theCanal Zone , "General H. W. Butner" sailed toLa Pallice , France, and to Bremerhaven, where she embarked passengers for New York."General H. W. Butner" began a regular schedule from
Brooklyn, New York , toSouthampton and Bremerhaven soon afterward, supporting American military commitments inEurope . Except for occasional visits to the Mediterranean (June 1953 and September-October 1959) and to the Caribbean (November 1956 and November 1958) she continued this run until decommissioning.Decommission
"General H. W. Butner" was decommissioned 28 January 1960 at
Bayonne . She was turned over to theMaritime Administration (MARAD), and in March 1960 entered theNational Defense Reserve Fleet , berthed inJames River , Virginia.She was sold for scrap for the sum of $604,050 to Luria Brother and Co. on 17 November 1976, and scrapped in
Taiwan the following year.Awards
"General H. W. Butner" received two
battle star s forKorean War service.References
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/ap113.htm "General H. W. Butner" AP-113] - DANFS Online.
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22113.htm USS "General H. W. Butner" (AP-113)] , Navsource Online.
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