Brontekst bekijken van Generaal Hersey (schip, 1944)

[[file:general-hersey-002.jpg|300px|alt='General M. L. Hersey'' in 1952|thumb|'General M. L. Hersey'' in 1952]]{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=general-hersey-002.jpg
|Ship caption=''General M. L. Hersey'' in 1952
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1944}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=[[Mark L. Hersey|Mark Leslie Hersey]]
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=*[[Kaiser Shipyards|Kaiser Co., Inc.]]
*[[Richmond, California]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=date unknown
|Ship launched=1 April 1944
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=31 May 1944
|Ship commissioned=29 July 1944 (U.S. Navy)
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=1 June 1946 (U.S. Navy)
|Ship maiden voyage= 
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship in service=1 June 1946 (U.S. Army)
|Ship out of service=1 March 1950 (U.S. Army)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
{| {{Infobox schip begin}}
| Hide header=yes
| Ship in service=1 March 1950 (MSTS)
| Ship out of service=3 September 1959 (MSTS)
| Ship renamed=*SS ''Pittsburgh'', 16 August 1968 <ref>{{cite web | first = Gary P. | last = Priolo | url = http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22148.htm | title = USS General M. L. Hersey (AP-148), USAT General M. L. Hersey, USNS General M. L. Hersey (T-AP-148) | work = NavSource Online | publisher = NavSource Naval History | date = 10 August 2007 | access-date = 2007-11-20 }}</ref> 
*SS ''St. Louis'', September 1969 <ref>|Ship reclassified=T-AP-148, 1 March 1950|Ship refit=|Ship struck=|Ship reinstated=|Ship homeport=|Ship identification=*{{IMO Number|6903228}}
**Code letters NJIA
**[[File:ICS November.svg|15px|border]] [[File:ICS Juliett.svg|15px|border]] [[File:ICS India.svg|15px|border]] [[File:ICS Alpha.svg|15px|border]]|Ship motto=|Ship nickname=|Ship honours=|Ship honors=|Ship captured=|Ship fate=Scrapped, 1988|Ship notes=|Ship badge=}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|General G. O. Squier|transport ship}}
|Ship type=
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=9,950 tons (light), 17,250 tons (full)
|Ship length=522 ft 10 in (159.36 m)
|Ship beam=71 ft 6 in (21.79 m)
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=24 ft (7.32 m)
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=[[steam turbine]], {{convert|9900|shp|lk=in|abbr=on}} driving single [[Propeller (marine)|screw]] 
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed={{convert|17|kn|km/h}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=3,823 troops
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=356 (officers and enlisted)
|Ship crew=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*4 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|5"/38 caliber]] guns
*8 × [[1.1"/75 caliber gun|1.1"/75]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] guns
*16 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm]] AA guns
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}|}'''USS ''General M. L. Hersey'' (AP-148)''' was a {{sclass|General G. O. Squier|transport ship}} of the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] in [[World War II]]. She was named in honor of [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] general [[Mark L. Hersey|Mark Leslie Hersey]]. She was transferred to the U.S. Army as '''USAT ''General M. L. Hersey''''' in 1946. On 1 March 1950 she was transferred to the [[Military Sea Transportation Service]] (MSTS) as '''USNS ''General M. L. Hersey'' (T-AP-148)'''. She was later sold for commercial use, and operated under the names '''SS ''Pittsburgh''''' and '''SS ''St. Louis'''''.<ref name=navsrc148 />

== Operational history ==

''General M. L. Hersey'' (AP-148) was built by [[Kaiser Shipyards|Kaiser Co., Inc.]] of [[Richmond, California]] under [[United States Maritime Commission|Maritime Commission]] contract MC #665. She was launched on 1 April 1944 sponsored by Mrs. Alice Hersey Wick, General Hersey's daughter and acquired by the Navy on 31 May 1944. She was commissioned on 29 July 1944.

After shakedown off [[San Pedro, Los Angeles, California|San Pedro]], ''General M. L. Hersey'' sailed from [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] in September with troops and cargo for [[garrison]]s in the Southwest Pacific. She reached [[Milne Bay]], [[New Guinea]] on 21 September and subsequently carried troops and supplies to the [[Admiralty Islands]], the [[Russell Islands]], and the [[Solomon Islands]], before departing [[Guadalcanal]] on 6 October for the United States. She brought home more than 3,000 veterans of the Pacific fighting, arriving in San Francisco on 19 October. Between 7 November 1944 and 14 August 1945 the transport made four round-trip voyages from San Francisco and, [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] to the Western Pacific, carrying troops to New Guinea, the [[Philippines]], the [[Palau]]s, and the [[Mariana Islands|Marianas]] during the final amphibious offensive against [[Empire of Japan|Japan]], At [[Leyte (island)|Leyte]] in November ''General M. L. Hersey'' endured frequent air attacks.

Following [[Surrender of Japan|the surrender of Japan]], she left Seattle 31 August and, steaming via the Philippines, she arrived in [[Yokohama]] on 24 September with occupation troops. There she embarked 3,052 troops and departed 5 days later as part of [[Operation Magic Carpet]] the sea-lift to return hundreds of thousands of American fighting men to the United States as quickly as possible. Between 3 December and 3 March 1946 she steamed twice to the Far East where she embarked returning veterans at Yokohama and [[Manila]] and transported them to San Pedro and San Francisco. Departing San Francisco on 23 March, she then steamed via Manila and [[Singapore]] to [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], India, and [[Colombo]], [[Sri Lanka|Ceylon]], where she embarked "Magic Carpet" troops. She departed Colombo 28 April, sailed via the [[Suez Canal]], and arrived in [[New York City|New York]] on 21 May. She decommissioned at New York 1 June and was turned over to [[War Shipping Administration]] (WSA) on 6 June for eventual use as a transport by the Army Transportation Service.

Rebuilt by the Army to 12,545 tons, she was on duty for the [[International Refugee Organization]] (IRO) and initially based out of [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] (but later based out of New York).<ref>{{cite news | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00D17FC3D5C127A93CBAB178AD85F448585F9| title = Shipping News and Notes; 5 Army Transportation Corps Ships to Be Shifted From New Orleans to New York | format = fee | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 20 September 1949 | access-date = 2007-11-20 | page = 127 }}</ref> 
On 14 January 1947, during a return voyage from [[Bremerhaven]], USAT ''General M. L. Hersey'' responded to distress calls issued by [[SS Tecumseh Park|SS ''Tecumseh Park'']] which was thought to be in danger of foundering {{convert|840|mi|km}} off [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], Nova Scotia. <ref>{{cite news | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0811FF345B157A93C7A8178AD85F438485F9 | title = Ship 'Breaking Up' In Terrific Storm; Army Transport Standing By Stricken Canadian Craft 840 Miles Off Halifax |url-access=subscription | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 15 January 1947 | access-date = 2007-11-20 | page = 10 }}</ref>  ''General M. L. Hersey'' stood by for two days before ''Tecumseh Park'' got underway on her own. <ref>{{cite news | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0813FE395A1B7B93C0AB178AD85F438485F9 | title = Ship Decliner Offer of Transport's Help |url-access=subscription | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 22 January 1947 | access-date = 2007-11-20 | page = 47 }}</ref> 

On 16 November 1949 USAT ''General M. L. Hersey'' left [[Naples]] with 1,283 [[displaced person]]s from Europe and arrived in [[Melbourne]], Australia on 6 December 1949. <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.immigrantships.net/v5/1900v5/generalhersey19491206.html | title = Immigrant Ships, Transcribers Guild, General Hersey | publisher = ImmigrantShips.net | date = 25 October 2002 | access-date = 2007-11-20 }}</ref>  This voyage was one of almost 150 "Fifth Fleet" voyages by some 40 ships bringing refugees of World War II to Australia. <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.fifthfleet.net/pb/wp_6a2460ca/wp_6a2460ca.html | title = Ships of the Fifth Fleet | first = Ann | last = Tündern-Smith | work = FifthFleet.net | date = 31 December 2006 | access-date = 2007-11-20 }}</ref>  ''General M. L. Hersey'' made two more such trips, arriving in Melbourne with 1,336 refugees on 27 April 1950, and in [[Fremantle, Western Australia|Fremantle]] with 1,370 passengers on 2 November 1950. <ref>

In the midst of her "Fifth Fleet" voyages to Australia, the transport was reacquired by the Navy 1 March 1950. ''General M. L. Hersey'' was placed in service and assigned to [[Military Sea Transportation Service|MSTS]] under a civilian crew. Continuing to operate out of New York, she resumed carrying European refugees to the United States in support of the IRO.

On 07:32 on 4 November 1951, while ferrying elements of the [[43rd Infantry Division (United States)|43rd Infantry Division]] to Bremerhaven, USNS ''General M. L. Hersey'' struck [[Argentina|Argentine]] cruise ship [[MS Maipo|MS ''Maipo'']] amidships in thick fog over a calm [[North Sea]]. ''Maipo'' sank some three hours after the collision off [[Wangerooge]]. All 238 people aboard ''Maipo'' were rescued, and no one aboard ''General M. L. Hersey'' was injured.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70715FB3A5A127B93C7A9178AD95F458585F9 | title = U.S. Troopship in Collision; Liner Sinks, All Hands Safe; ALL SAFE IN SHIP CRASH |url-access=subscription | agency = [[Associated Press]]| work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 5 November 1951 | access-date = 2007-11-20 | page = 1 }}</ref> 

During 1952 and 1953 she made four round-trips from San Francisco to the Far East in support of the [[Korean War]]. She was placed out of service 11 June 1954 and placed in the [[Pacific Reserve Fleet]] at [[San Diego, California|San Diego]]. Later transferred to the [[United States Maritime Administration|Maritime Administration]], on 3 September 1959 she entered the [[National Defense Reserve Fleet]], [[Suisun Bay|Suisun Bay, California]].

The ship was sold under the MARAD Ship Exchange Program to [[Sea-Land Service, Inc.]] on 16 August 1968 and renamed SS ''Pittsburgh''. She was renamed SS ''St. Louis'', USCG ON 515620, IMO 6903228, in September 1969, and converted by [[Todd Shipbuilding]], San Pedro, CA to a [[container ship]] 10 January 1970. The ship was scrapped in 1988. <ref><ref>Williams, 2013, pp. 134</ref>  <ref>Cudahy, 2006, pp. 263, 280</ref> 

''General M. L. Hersey'' received one [[battle star]] for World War II service and two battle stars for Korean War service.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book| last=Cudahy |first=Brian J. |title=Box Boats: How Container Ships Changed the World | url=https://archive.org/details/boxboats00bria | url-access=registration |publisher= Fordham University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8232-2569-9}}
* {{cite book| last=Williams |first= Greg H. |title=World War II U.S. Navy Vessels in Private Hands |publisher=McFarland Books |year=2013 |isbn= 978-0-7864-6645-0}}
[[Category:Schip op naam]][[Category:Transport ships of the United States Army]]
|}