USS Arthur Middleton (AP-55)

USS ''Arthur Middleton'' (AP-55/APA-25) was the lead ship of the ''Arthur Middleton''-class attack transports and was in service with the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946. She was named for Founding Father Arthur Middleton and was scrapped in 1973.

History

''Arthur Middleton'' Not to be confused with the Liberty (EC2-S-C1) ship of th
same name
, launched 3 May 1942 at Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. sunk 1 January 1943 off Oran, North Africa. was a transport launched as the commercial cargo/passenger ship ''African Comet'' serving in the United States Navy during World War II. The ship, along with later sister ships and , was at the time the largest all welded passenger/cargo ship. The ships, of and varying only in interior decorations, were designed for New York to South and East African service with accommodations for 116 passengers.

''African Comet'', ordered as ''American Banker'', was laid down under a United States Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 106) on 1 July 1940 at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation. Launched on 28 June 1941, sponsored by Miss Mary Maud Farrell, and delivered 31 December 1941. The ship was acquired by the War Shipping Administration from the American South African Line, Inc., on 31 December 1941 and purchased by the Navy on 6 January 1942.

The ship was renamed ''Arthur Middleton'' (AP-55) on 7 January 1942 for Arthur Middleton, a member of the Continental Congress and one of the 56 signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. The ship underwent initial conversion at Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock Co. yard in Hoboken, N. J. for operation as a civilian-manned convoy-loaded transport.Photo data, US Navy Bureau of Ships photo 19-N-27271; ''USS ''Arthur Middleton'' (AP-55) departing New York, 18 January 1942, en route to the Pacific.'' dated 18 January 1942. She was fully converted for service as a combat-loaded (attack) transport by the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California after arrival in San Francisco from the South Pacific in June 1942. Commissioned on 7 September 1942.

After Navy acquisition and preliminary conversion, but before full conversion and commissioning, the ''Middleton'' was pressed into service during a shipping crisis involving securing the South Pacific lines of communication and critical air ferry route with Australia. New Caledonia (codename "Poppy"), a key point in those lines, had been in some turmoil with Vichy governance and recent takeover by Free French and was threatened by the Japanese. Another key island, Bora Bora (codename "Bobcat"), was also to be heavily reinforced in early 1942 yet available shipping was extremely short. Major realignment, taken to the head of state level, was required. The Bobcat convoy was to depart Charleston, South Carolina and, as a result of the candidate ship ''President Fillmore'' being damaged in a grounding with repairs taking longer than the convoy schedule allowed, the ''Arthur Middleton'' was quickly substituted and sent to Charleston from New York, but without proper ballasting for newly installed armament.

''Middleton'' turned out to be problematic with inadequate ballast for newly installed armament. She sailed for Charleston with a twelve degree list and then required work there. Work on ''Middleton'' and ''President Tyler'', herself described as "a mess," further delayed the convoy's departure from 15 January, already a delay from 8 January, to 25 January. A large convoy carrying elements of "Poppy Force" was to leave New York and, to conserve escorts, the Navy recommended combining the Poppy convoy with the Bobcat convoy and the Army agreed. Just as the Poppy convoy was due off Charleston the Navy found it could not make ''Middleton'' and another ship, the ''Hamul'' ready for sea until 27 January when ''Middleton'' was again delayed until mid afternoon. ''Middleton'' sailed for Australia and then to Bora Bora in Convoy BC.100 arriving Bora Bora on 17 February. The delay with ships and some cargo required that the convoy BT.200 bound for New Caledonia via Australia, carrying Poppy Force (designated Task Force 6814) that became the Americal Division, sailed separately a few days in advance of the Bora Bora force.

After full conversion to an attack transport in San Francisco the ship was manned by a combined Coast Guard and Navy crew. The transport held shakedown training off San Diego, California and sailed for the Aleutian Islands on 23 December. She reached Amchitka 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 under the 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 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 and for Dutch Harbor, Unalaska. There, work making temporary repairs continued through 17 June. She was then towed by the merchant ship and to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, for correction of the damage. ''Arthur Middleton'' departed Seattle, Washington, on 6 September, bound for New Zealand. She arrived at Wellington on 12 October, via Suva, Fiji Islands. The ship took on marines and cargo and sailed to Efate, New Hebrides, for staging operations. She then steamed to the Gilbert Islands for the landings on Tarawa

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