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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Pierce (APA-50)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Mike - Tango
NKMT

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (8) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Individual Awards

Purple Hearts (2 KIA - Lingayen Gulf, 9 January 1945)

Ormsby Class Attack Transport:

Laid down, 22 July 1942, as SS Northern Light a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 289), at Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, CA.

Assigned to the Navy as Naval Transport as Pierce (AP-95)

Launched, 10 October 1942

Reclassified and redesignated Attack Transport (APA-50), 1 February 1943

Commissioned USS Pierce (APA-50), 30 June 1943, CDR. Arthur R. Ponto in command

During World War II USS Pierce was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
TransRon Thirteen, COMO. M.O. Carson USN (16);
TransDiv Thirty-Seven and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Gilbert Islands operation Makin Island, 20 to 24 November 1943	Leyte operation Leyte landings, 13 to 21 October and 19 to 29 November 1944
Marshall Islands operation Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 January to 8 February 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 to 24 June 1944	Manila Bay-Bicol operation Zambales-Subic Bay, 29 to 30 January 1945
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, Anguar, 5 September to 14 October 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 5 April 1945

Following World War II USS Pierce was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 to 5 September 1945 and 14 to 26 October 1945

Decommissioned, 11 March 1946, at Mobile, AL.

Struck from the Naval Register, 17 April 1946

USS Pierce earned eight battle stars for World War II service

Returned to the Maritime Commission, 2 May 1946, for disposal

Merchant Service

Title transfer for commercial service, 24 October 1947, to the United States Lines, renamed SS American Planter

Returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, VA., 13 June 1965

Withdrawn from reserve and chartered to States Marine Lines for MSTS operation, 26 August 1965

Returned to the MARAD for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA., 17 November 1967

Final Disposition, purchased for scrapping, 3 March 1969, by National Metal and Steel Corp., Terminal Island, CA. Physically withdrawn from the reserve fleet, 25 March 1969 and scrapped in May 1969 at Terminal Island, CA.

Specifications:
Displacement 13,910 t.(fl)
Length 459' 3"
Beam 63'
Draft 24'
Speed 16.5 kts.

Complement

46 Officers

478 Enlisted

Troop Accommodations

83 Officers

1,465 Enlisted

Cargo Capacity 2,700 DWT

non-refrigerated 150,000 cu. ft.

Boats

two LCM(3)s

twenty-two LCVPs

two LCPUs

Armament

two single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

four twin 20mm AA gun mounts

eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 8,900 Bbls

Diesel 675 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric geared drive turbine

two Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers, 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

three turbo-drive 250Kw 240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

one propeller, 6,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS Pierce (APA-50)
	97k	Amidships looking forward plan view of *USS Pierce* (APA-50)** at San Francisco, 1 September 1943 Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6220-43	Darryl Baker
	84k	Aft plan view of *USS Pierce* (APA-50)** at San Francisco, 1 September 1943 Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6222-43	Darryl Baker
	62k	Stern view of *USS Pierce* (APA-50)** off San Francisco, 3 September 1943 Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6237-43	Darryl Baker
	62k	Broadside view of *USS Pierce* (APA-50)** off San Francisco, 3 September 1943. Notice that she has no landing craft in her boat davits. Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6239-43	Darryl Baker
	82k	*USS Pierce* (APA-50)** at anchor, date and place unknown. US Navy photo	Phil Kettmann
	49k	*USS Pierce* (APA-50)** at anchor, date and place unknown. US Navy photo	Phil Kettmann
	55k	*USS Pierce* (APA-50)** at anchor, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Phil Kettmann
100305013	288k	*USS Pierce* (APA-50)*, closest ship in background, stands off Saipan during the invasion of that island in June 1944. US National Archives ID 205586550*, Local Identifier 26-G-2493, US Coast Guard photo # 2493 by Coast Guard photographer Gates.	David Upton
	62k	*USS Pierce* (APA-50)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
	91k	*USS Pierce* (APA-50)** off Hunters Point Navy Yard, San Francisco, 17 July 1945. Note the armament aft, including the two twin 40 mm mounts that replaced the ship's original two 1.1" quadruple mounts. US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo # 19-N-90209, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Mike Green
/ 100305014	111k	*USS Pierce* (APA-50)** at anchor in San Francisco Bay, circa 1945-1946. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 78159	Robert Hurst
Merchant Service
	291k	Watercolor/print of ex-Pierce (APA-50) in commercial service as the United States Line's freighter SS American Planter underway by M. Lenne.	Ellene Emborn
	61k	SS American Planter berthed in Bremen, Germany, February 1963.	Photo by Gerhard L. Mueller-Debus
	275k	SS American Planter underway, date and location unknown. (Originally copyrighted by &A. Duncan.)	Gerhard L. Mueller-Debus
100305015	158k	SS American Planter underway, date and location unknown. Photographer Louis Claes. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q85621807.rdf Category: from the MAS museum collections. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q85621807.rdf This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer.	Robert Hurst

USS Pierce (APA-50)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Ponto, Arthur Rudolph USN	30 June 1943 - 30 April 1944
02	CAPT. Adams, Francis McKee, USN (USNA 1922)	30 April 1944 - 30 April 1945
03	CDR. Ray, Clarence 'C' :RADM USN (USNA 1925)	30 April 1945 - 11 March 1946


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Database

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 12 December 2025