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USS
Frederick Funston (APA-89)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Frederick_Funston_(APA-89)
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USS
Frederick Funston (APA-89)
USS Frederick Funston (APA-89)
was a Frederick
Funston-class
attack
transport that served with the US Navy during World War
II. Before serving as a Navy APA, she had been a US
Army transport of the same name. After World War II, she
was returned to the Army and redesignated USNS Frederick
Funston. After the outbreak of the Korean War, she was
handed back to the Navy once again and relisted as USNS Frederick
Funston (T-AP-178).
Named after US Army General Frederick
Funston[1]
a Medal of Honor recipient, the ship was launched 27 September
1941 by Seattle-Tacoma
Shipbuilding Corporation at Tacoma, Washington and
acquired by the US Army as a transport ship. She was acquired
from the Army by the US Navy on 8 April 1943, reclassified an
APA (Auxiliary Personnel Attack, i.e. attack transport), and
commissioned 24 April 1943, Commander J. E. Murphy in command.
World War II
Mediterranean Theatre
Invasion of Sicily
Frederick Funston
sailed from Norfolk, Virginia 8 June 1943 for rehearsal
landings on the coast of Algeria, and on 10 July arrived off
the assault beaches of Sicily to land her men successfully
through heavy surf. Three days later she sailed to train at
Oran for the assault on Salerno, off which she lay from 8 to
10 September landing soldiers.
Invasion of Salerno
The transport returned to North Africa to load
reinforcements whom she landed at Salerno on 22 and 23
September, then made three voyages from Oran to Naples
carrying Army service troops, engineers, and rangers. On 30
November, she cleared Oran for Northern Ireland with
paratroopers on board, and after disembarking them, sailed on
to New York, arriving 31 December 1943.
Pacific Theatre
Invasion of Saipan
After loading men of naval construction battalions at
Davisville, Rhode Island, Frederick Funston sailed for
the Pacific,
arriving at Honolulu 16 March 1944. Here she landed the Seabees
and embarked Marines for the invasion of Saip
an, landing them in the initial assault 15 June. After
a week off the beaches offloading cargo and taking casualties
on board, she returned to Honolulu. Here the casualties were
transferred to hospitals, and soldiers taken on board with
whom she reinforced Guam on 24 July.
Invasion of Leyte
During August, the transport joined in training operations
in the Hawaiian Islands, then crossed to Manus, from which she
sailed 14 October for the invasion of Leyte. She landed her
troops and cargo on 21 October, the day after the initial
assault, and the following day cleared for Aitape,
New Guinea, to embark reinforcements. These were put ashore at
Leyte 14 November.
Invasion of Luzon
Training off New Guinea and in Huon Gulf prepared Frederick
Funston for the initial landings on Luzon of 9 January
1945. That night a watchful lookout spotted and shot a suicide
swimmer only 50 yards from the ship.
Invasion of Iwo Jima
Completing her unloading the next day, Frederick
Funston sailed by way of Leyte and Ulithi
to Guam to embark Marines for the assault on Iwo Jima. With
her troops held in reserve, she did not land them until 27
February, although she lay off the island throughout the
assault. She returned to Guam with casualties 8 March, then
replaced her landing craft at Guadalcanal and exercised at Nouméa
through April. She returned to the west coast for overhaul in
May 1945
After hostilities
Frederick Funston
reached the Philippines 3 October for inter-island transport
duty until 8 December when she returned to San Francisco.
Another voyage was made to carry occupation troops to the
Marianas and return veterans to the United States between 22
December and 7 February 1946.
She was decommissioned and returned to the Army 4 April
1946.
Second Navy commission
After serving with the Army
Transportation Corps Fleet out of Seattle, Frederick
Funston returned to naval custody when the Military
Sea Transportation Service was formed in 1950, and was
placed in noncommissioned status for operations with a Civil
Service crew, after which she saw some service in the Korean
War.
The ship was scrapped in 1969.
Awards
Frederick Funston
received six battle
stars for World War II. service and one for the Korean
War.
| Name: |
USS Frederick Funston (APA-89) |
| Namesake: |
General Frederick
Funston |
| Builder: |
Seattle-Tacoma
Shipbuilding |
| Launched: |
27 September 1941 |
| Sponsored by: |
Miss Barbara E. Funston |
| Acquired: |
(by the Navy) 8 April 1943 |
| Commissioned: |
24 April 1943 |
| Decommissioned: |
N/A |
| Reclassified: |
To T-AP-178 (date unknown) |
| Struck: |
N/A |
Honours and
awards: |
Six battle
stars for World
War II service, one for the Korean
War |
| Fate: |
Scrapped, 1969 |
| Class & type: |
Frederick Funston-class attack
transport |
| Displacement: |
7,000 tons (lt) |
| Length: |
492 ft |
| Beam: |
69 ft 6 in |
| Draft: |
26 ft 6 in |
| Propulsion: |
Geared Turbine Drive, 2 x Babcock
and Wilcox header-type boilers, single propeller,
designed shaft horsepower 8,000 |
| Speed: |
16 knots |
| Capacity: |
Troops: 2,200 |
| Complement: |
576 |
| Armament: |
1 x 5"/38
caliber dual-purpose gun mount, 2 x 3"/50
cal. dual purpose gun mounts, eight 1.1" AA
guns, replaced by 16 x 20mm
gun mounts |
| Notes: |
MCV
Hull No. ?, hull type C3-S-A1 |
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