USS General William Weigel (AP-119)

USS "General William Weigel" (AP-117) was a troop transport that served with the United States Navy in World War II. After the war, she was acquired by the US Army and became USAT "General William Weigel". On the outbreak of the Korean War, she was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and designated USNS "General William Weigel" (T-AP-119), a designation she retained for her later service in the Vietnam War.

AP-119 was laid down under Maritime Commission contract 15 March 1944 by the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Kearny, New Jersey; named "General C. H. Barth" (AP-119) on 15 April 1944; renamed "General William Weigel" 24 August 1944; launched 3 September 1944; acquired by the Navy 4 January 1945; and commissioned at Bayonne, New Jersey, 6 January 1945, Captain Thomas Y. Awalt, USCG, in command.

World War II

"General William Weigel" sailed from New York 11 February 1945 with 5,000 rotation troops; and, after delivering them safely to Le Havre, embarked American and French veterans at Southampton and returned to New York 19 April. Underway again 1 May with Navy men bound for Puerto Rico, the troopship touched at San Juan to debark them and to take on 5,000 Army fighting men for passage to Hawaii.

As "General William Weigel" was steaming toward Pearl Harbor, one of her passengers became critically ill. To save his life, strict radio silence was broken to arrange a mid-ocean rendezvous with a seaplane out of Balboa. He was transferred to the seaplane 19 May and flown to a hospital; "General William Weigel" reached Honolulu 6 days later.

This far ranging ship sailed 28 May for Marseilles to embark 5,000 soldiers and transferred them to Eniwetok and Manila to take part in the climactic Pacific battles. Subsequently she loaded passengers at Leyte and returned via Ulithi to moor at San Pedro, California, 25 August 1945.

After hostilities

As part of the "Magic Carpet" fleet, she stood out from San Diego, California 11 September with rotation troops for Pearl Harbor and returned to San Francisco 24 September with 5,000 veterans. From 6 October 1945 to 8 February 1946, she made three round-trip trans-Pacific voyages (two out of San Francisco and the third from Seattle) to bring occupation troops to Yokohama.

Following a "Magic Carpet" voyage to Manila and back to San Francisco 11 April 1946, the transport departed San Francisco 16 April for New York, arriving 1 May. Decommissioned there 10 May 1946, she was transferred to the War Department for peacetime operations as an Army transport and made shuttle runs with troops and supplies from San Francisco to garrisons in the Pacific until reacquired by the Navy 20 July 1950. "General William Weigel" was assigned to MSTS 1 August 1950, and redesignated USNS "General William Weigel" (T-AP-119)"'.

Korean War

During this phase of her career, the ship sailed from the Pacific coast to Japan and Korea carrying troops for duty in the Korean War. She continued to rotate American troops to strengthen the United Nations position in Korea until she was placed in Reduced Operational Status in 1955.

"General William Weigel" was returned to the Maritime Commission 12 June 1958 and entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Olympia, Washington.

Vietnam War

She was reacquired by the Navy 18 August 1965 and assigned to MSTS as the Navy bolstered its support forces for the struggle against Communism in Southeast Asia. She carried troops to the Vietnam War through 1967.

Final decommission

"General William Weigel" was placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register on 31 March 1986. She was sold for scrapping on 10 April 1987 for the sum of $1,005,050, and scrapped in Taiwan later that year.

Awards

"General William Weigel" received seven battle stars for the Korean War and one for the Vietnam War.

References

* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/ap117.htm "General William Weigel" AP-117] - DANFS Online.
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22117.htm USS "General William Weigel" (AP-117)] , Navsource Online.
*DANFS