Heywood class attack transport
Encyclopedia
The Heywood-class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transport
that saw service in World War II
.
Like all attack transports, the purpose of the Heywood class ships was to transport troops and their equipment to hostile shores in order to execute amphibious
invasions. To fulfill their mission, attack transports were fitted with a substantial number of integral landing craft
, and were well armed with antiaircraft weaponry to protect themselves and their vulnerable cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
hull types during the war.
The origins of the Heywood class go back to the U.S. entry into World War I
. At that time, the US Shipping Board
was set up to modernize America's merchant cargo fleet, and to provide ships suitable for service as naval auxiliaries
. One of the Board's contracts was subsequently with Bethlehem Steel
for the building of a class of ships which were to be 444 feet (135.3 m) long. They were known as the "444 class" after their length in feet.
Although they arrived too late to see service in the First World War, four ships of the class were duly completed in 1919. As the Navy no longer had use for them, they remained idle in the hands of the USSB through the 1920s, but around 1930 they were purchased by the Baltimore Steamship Company and substantially modified into passenger/cargo vessels according to a Gibbs & Cox
design. The modifications included lengthening the ships to from 444 to 507 feet (154.5 m), installing accommodation for 81 tourist class passengers, and upgrading their powerplants to provided greater power and speed. Baltimore Steamship subsequently employed them on passenger, fast freight and mail runs between various US ports and between the US and Europe.
In November-December 1940, the US Navy acquired all four of the ships and converted them into troop transports, a process that took three to five months. The ships subsequently entered service between November 1940 and May 1941. In 1942, they underwent further modification into attack transports.
, but the William P. Biddle also participated in Operation Torch
(the North Africa
n landings), and both Biddle and Neville took part in the invasion of Sicily
. All but Biddle took part in the Guadalcanal campaign, and all four participated in various other Pacific Theatre landings. The class as a whole earned 28 battle stars for World War II
service, an average of seven stars apiece.
Immediately after the war, most of the ships were occupied in deploying troops for occupation duties in newly-conquered Japan and in bringing home demobilizing servicemen in Operation Magic Carpet.
All four ships were decommissioned shortly after the war in March-April 1946. They appear to have been scrapped in the mid-1950s.
Attack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
that saw service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Like all attack transports, the purpose of the Heywood class ships was to transport troops and their equipment to hostile shores in order to execute amphibious
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
invasions. To fulfill their mission, attack transports were fitted with a substantial number of integral landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
, and were well armed with antiaircraft weaponry to protect themselves and their vulnerable cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
Background
The Heywood class is amongst the few classes of attack transport that were converted from pre-war tonnage rather than built from either Maritime Commission or Victory shipVictory ship
The Victory ship was a type of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace shipping losses caused by German submarines...
hull types during the war.
The origins of the Heywood class go back to the U.S. entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. At that time, the US Shipping Board
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....
was set up to modernize America's merchant cargo fleet, and to provide ships suitable for service as naval auxiliaries
Auxiliary ship
An auxiliary ship is a naval ship which is designed to operate in any number of roles supporting combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliaries are not primary combatants, although they may have some limited combat capacity, usually of a self defensive nature.Auxiliaries are extremely...
. One of the Board's contracts was subsequently with Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
for the building of a class of ships which were to be 444 feet (135.3 m) long. They were known as the "444 class" after their length in feet.
Although they arrived too late to see service in the First World War, four ships of the class were duly completed in 1919. As the Navy no longer had use for them, they remained idle in the hands of the USSB through the 1920s, but around 1930 they were purchased by the Baltimore Steamship Company and substantially modified into passenger/cargo vessels according to a Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox is a U.S. naval architecture firm that specializes in designing surface warships. Founded in 1922 in New York City, Gibbs & Cox is now headquartered in Arlington, Virginia....
design. The modifications included lengthening the ships to from 444 to 507 feet (154.5 m), installing accommodation for 81 tourist class passengers, and upgrading their powerplants to provided greater power and speed. Baltimore Steamship subsequently employed them on passenger, fast freight and mail runs between various US ports and between the US and Europe.
In November-December 1940, the US Navy acquired all four of the ships and converted them into troop transports, a process that took three to five months. The ships subsequently entered service between November 1940 and May 1941. In 1942, they underwent further modification into attack transports.
In service
The ships saw most of their action in the Pacific TheatrePacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, but the William P. Biddle also participated in Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
(the North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n landings), and both Biddle and Neville took part in the invasion of Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
. All but Biddle took part in the Guadalcanal campaign, and all four participated in various other Pacific Theatre landings. The class as a whole earned 28 battle stars for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service, an average of seven stars apiece.
Immediately after the war, most of the ships were occupied in deploying troops for occupation duties in newly-conquered Japan and in bringing home demobilizing servicemen in Operation Magic Carpet.
All four ships were decommissioned shortly after the war in March-April 1946. They appear to have been scrapped in the mid-1950s.