USNS ''Geiger'' (T-AP-197)/USTS ''Bay State IV'' was a transport ship in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. She was named after General

Roy Geiger Roy Stanley Geiger (January 25, 1885 – January 23, 1947) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served in World War I and World War II. In World War II, he became the first Marine Corps general to lead a field army. Geiger comma ...

, who, from July 1945 to November 1946, commanded Marine Force, Pacific Fleet.

Career

''Geiger'' was laid down as ''President Adams'' on 1 August 1949 under

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

contract for American President Lines by the

New York Shipbuilding Corporation The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

; launched on 9 October 1950; sponsored by Mrs. Edward J. Hart, wife of Congressman Hart of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

; renamed ''Geiger'' on 2 January 1951, while under conversion for MSTS; acquired by the Navy 13 September 1952; and placed in service the same day. Acquired for transport service during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, ''Geiger'' operated under MSTS from 1952. Over the years she made numerous runs in support of peace-keeping operations throughout the world. She crossed the Atlantic dozens of times, deploying troops to European bases and returning troops and refugees to the United States. Operating out of New York, ''Geiger'' provided support for the 6th Fleet on station in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. In response to the pro-Soviet takeover of the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

in August 1957, she steamed in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

while the 6th Fleet deployed to protect independent nations in the Middle East, including the pro-Western government of

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generati ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. In July 1958 she carried troops from European bases to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

to thwart an attempted Communist coup against the government of President

Chamoun Chamoun, Chamun or Shamoun ( Syriac: ܫܡܥܘܢ; Arabic: شمعون), is a masculine given and family name of Classical Syriac and Arabic origin. It is mainly a variant of the biblical name Simeon, Symeon, or Shimon, which is derived from Hebre ...

. Between 1959 and 1965 ''Geiger'' continued operations out of New York, steaming to Bremerhaven, Germany and

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, England; Mediterranean ports in North Africa, Italy, Greece, and Turkey; and American bases in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. Following the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

, she made three runs between New York and Cuba to return military dependents to

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on of land and water on the shore of Guant ...

during December 1962 and January 1963. Between 6 October and 23 November 1964, she participated in the amphibious exercise, Operation "Steel Pike I", the largest peacetime amphibious exercise ever conducted in the Atlantic. She supported the movement of combat-ready troops from the United States to the southwest coast of Spain and took part in the largest American military landing operation since the

. After returning to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, 23 November with 768 marines embarked, she resumed transport runs between New York and Bremerhaven. Arriving New York, 1 June 1965, she departed the next day for the Caribbean, where from 6 to 17 June she operated off

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

to support naval forces engaged in ending civil war in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. Following two more runs to Bremerhaven, ''Geiger'' departed New York 16 August for the Pacific. Steaming via

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

, she arrived

Qui Nhon Quy Nhon ( ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon was the capital of the former Bình Định province. As of 2022 its population was 481.110. H ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

, 19 September to bolster the Navy's transportation capabilities during the struggle to halt Communist aggression in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. Between 23 September and 1 October she sailed via

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan, to

Pusan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southe ...

, South Korea, where she embarked

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

troops bound for Vietnam. She returned to Qui Nhon 8 October; steamed to

Cam Ranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay () is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers (180 miles) nor ...

the 9th; then departed the next day for the United States, arriving

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

27 October. Sailing for the Far East 5 November, she reached Qui Nhon the 23d and resumed duty as a troop transport. Between 30 November and 13 December she rotated ROK troops from Vung Tau, South Vietnam, to Inchon and back. She departed Vietnam for the United States 13 December; and, steaming via Pearl Harbor and the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

, she arrived New York 13 January 1966. ''Geiger'' resumed transatlantic service to Bremerhaven 1 February, and during the next 6 months made six runs between the United States and Europe. Departing Bremerhaven 8 August, she steamed via the Panama Canal and San Francisco to resume troop-carrying duty in the Far East. During 1967 ''Geiger'' shuttled between San Francisco and Vietnam carrying U.S. troops to bolster Allied forces fighting in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

USTS ''Bay State IV''

In 1979 she was reassigned to the

Massachusetts Maritime Academy Massachusetts Maritime Academy (Mass Maritime, MMA) is a public university in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, focused on maritime-related fields. It was established in 1891 and is the second oldest state maritime academy in the United States. Orig ...

as the United States

Training Ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

(USTS) ''Bay State IV''. In December 1981 she suffered an

engine room On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the Compartment (ship), compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. The engine room is generally the largest physical compartment of the machinery space. It houses the vessel's prime move ...

fire. Declared a constructive loss, she was returned to the

Maritime Administration Maritime administrations, or flag state administrations, are the executive arms/state bodies of each government responsible for carrying out the shipping responsibilities of the state, and are tasked to administer national shipping and boating issu ...

for disposition.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Geiger Type P2 ships Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation 1950 ships Type P2 ships of the United States Navy Korean War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Vietnam War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Ships of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Maritime incidents in 1981 Ship fires