Engineering:P2 transport

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The P2 transport was a United States Maritime Commission design for a passenger ship which could be readily converted into a troop transport. Three variants of the design were built, the P2-SE2-R1 (Admirals), P2-S2-R2 (Generals), and P2-SE2-R3 (Presidents).

Admirals

USS Admiral R. E. Coontz (AP-122).jpg
USS Admiral R. E. Coontz (AP-122)
Class overview
Name: Admiral-class
Builders: Bethlehem Alameda Works
Operators:  United States Navy
Built: 1942–45
In commission: 1944–91
Planned: 10
Completed: 8
General characteristics [1]
Type:

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P2-SE2-R1

Displacement: 12,650 long tons (12,853 t)
Length: 609 ft (186 m) o/a
Beam: 75 ft 6 in (23.01 m)
Draft: 25 ft (7.6 m)
Depth: 43 ft 6 in (13.26 m)
Installed power: 19,000 hp (14,168 kW)
Propulsion: Turbo-electric transmission; twin screw propellers
Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range: 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi)
Capacity: 100,000 cu ft (2,800 m3)
Troops: 5,200

Ten P2-SE2-R1 ships were ordered by the Maritime Commission in World War II. The ships were laid down by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Alameda, California. The intended use of these ships after the war was trans-Pacific service. As ordered, the ships were named after U.S. Navy admirals. Only eight ships were completed as troop transports for the navy, with the last two ships canceled on 16 December 1944. Despite being canceled, the last two ships were completed after the war to the P2-SE2-R3 design as civilian ships.

In 1946 the ships were all decommissioned by the navy and transferred back to the Maritime Commission, and from there to the United States Army. The army operated them with civilian crews as part of the Army Transport Service and renamed them after generals of the United States Army. In 1950 the ships were transferred back to the navy, but not recommissioned. Instead they were assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service, manned by a civil service crew, and keeping the names the army had given them.

United States Navy Army Transport Service Military Sea Transportation Service
USS Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120) USAT General Daniel I. Sultan USNS General Daniel I. Sultan (T-AP-120)
USS Admiral W. L. Capps (AP-121) USAT General Hugh J. Gaffey USNS General Hugh J. Gaffey (T-AP-121)
USS Admiral R. E. Coontz (AP-122) USAT General Alexander M. Patch USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122)
USS Admiral E. W. Eberle (AP-123) USAT General Simon B. Buckner USNS General Simon B. Buckner (T-AP-123)
USS Admiral C. F. Hughes (AP-124) USAT General Edwin D. Patrick USNS General Edwin D. Patrick (T-AP-124)
USS Admiral H. T. Mayo (AP-125) USAT General Nelson M. Walker USNS General Nelson M. Walker (T-AP-125)
USS Admiral Hugh Rodman (AP-126) USAT General Maurice Rose USNS General Maurice Rose (T-AP-126)
USS Admiral W. S. Sims (AP-127) USAT General William O. Darby USNS General William O. Darby (T-AP-127)
USS Admiral D. W. Taylor (AP-128) Canceled 16 December 1944 and completed as civilian passenger liners.
USS Admiral F. B. Upham (AP-129)

Generals

USS General H. W. Butner APA-113.jpg
USS General H. W. Butner (APA-113)
Class overview
Name: General-class
Builders: Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Kearny, New Jersey
Operators:  United States Navy
Built: 1942–45
In commission: 1943–70
Completed: 11
General characteristics [1]
Type:

list error: mixed text and list (help)
P2-S2-R2

Displacement: 11,450 long tons (11,634 t)
Length: 623 ft (190 m) o/a
Beam: 75 ft 6 in (23.01 m)
Draft: 29 ft (8.8 m)
Depth: 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m)
Propulsion: C3-type geared turbines, 18,000 hp (13,423 kW), 2 shafts
Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range: 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi)
Capacity: 36,000–48,000 cu ft (1,000–1,400 m3)
Troops: 4,500 to 4,800

Eleven P2-S2-R2 ships were ordered by the Maritime Commission in World War II. The ships were laid down by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Kearny, New Jersey. The intended use of these ships after the War was for South American service. As ordered, the ships were all named after United States Army generals.

Unlike the Admirals, the Generals did not have a relatively uniform life after World War II. Three were transferred to the Army as the Admirals had been, of which one was disposed of by the Army and converted to a passenger liner before the Korean War. Five were retained by the Navy and were transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service in October 1949 to be manned by civilian crews, and two others were transferred to American President Lines with the intent of being converted to a passenger liners, but ended up being chartered troop ships that in the Korean War were rejoined to military control as part of the Military Sea Transportation Service.

Ships in class

Ship name Hull no. Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Post USN - service names Fate
General John Pope AP-110 Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey 14 July 1942 21 March 1943 5 August 1943 12 June 1946 USAT General John Pope
USNS General John Pope (T-AP-110)
Scrapped
General A. E. Anderson AP-111 2 May 1943 5 October 1943 10 November 1958 USNS General A. E. Anderson (T-AP-111) Scrapped in Taiwan, July 1987
General W. A. Mann AP-112 1942 Unknown 13 October 1943 11 December 1965 USNS General W. A. Mann (T-AP-112)
General H. W. Butner AP-113 19 September 1943 11 January 1944 28 January 1960 USNS General H. W. Butner (T-AP-113)
General William Mitchell AP-114 Unknown 31 October 1943 19 January 1944 1 December 1966 USNS General William Mitchell (T-AP-114) Scrapped at Taiwan, 1988
General George M. Randall AP-115 20 July 1943 30 January 1944 15 April 1944 2 June 1961 USNS General George M. Randall (T-AP-115) Sold for scrap, 8 May 1975
General M. C. Meigs AP-116 22 September 1943 13 March 1944 3 June 1944 1 October 1958 SS General M. C. Meigs
USNS General M. C. Meigs (T-AP-116)
Broken up after being stranded on 9 January 1972
General W. H. Gordon AP-117 2 November 1943 7 May 1944 29 Jun 1944 April 1970 SS General W. H. Gordon
USNS General W. H. Gordon (T-AP-117)
Scrapped 1987, Taiwan
General W. P. Richardson AP-118 2 February 1944 6 August 1944 15 April 1944 14 February 1946 USAT General W. P. Richardson
SS La Guardia
SS Leilani
SS President Roosevelt
SS Atlantis
SS Emerald Seas
SS Sapphire Seas
SS Ocean Explorer I
Scrapped in India, 2005
General William Weigel AP-119 15 March 1944 3 September 1944 6 January 1945 10 May 1946 USAT General William Weigel
USNS General William Weigel (T-AP-119)
Scrapped 1987, Taiwan
General J. C. Breckinridge AP-176 18 March 1945 30 June 1945 1 December 1966 USAT General J. C. Breckinridge
USNS General J. C. Breckinridge (T-AP-176)
Scrapped 1988, Taiwan

Presidents

As noted above, the last two Admirals were canceled in 1944 while under construction. They were completed to the P2-SE2-R3 design and operated by American President Lines as the SS President Cleveland (ex-USS Admiral D. W. Taylor) and the SS President Wilson (ex-USS Admiral F. B. Upham). The President Wilson was later renamed SS Oriental Empress when sold to C.Y. Tung in 1978.

References


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