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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS U.S. Grant (AP-29)
ex
 USAT U.S. Grant (1922 - 1940)
 USAT Madawaska (1919 - 1922)
USS Madawaska (ID #3011) (1917 - 1919)
USS König Wilhelm II (1917)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Whiskey - Kilo - Delta
NWKD
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - World War I Victory Medal (with bronze star in lieu of Transport clasp) - American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp)
Bottom Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Steel-hulled screw steamer:
  • Laid down, date unknown, at Vulcan Aktrenegesellecraft, Stettin, Germany as SS König Wilhelm II
  • Launched, 20 July 1907
  • Operated by the Hamburg-American Line until interned in the United States in 1914 at Hoboken, N.J.
  • Seized as a war prize by the US Government at the United States 6 April 1917
  • Commissioned USS König Wilhelm II, 27 August 1917, LT. Charles McCauley in temporary command
  • Renamed USS Madawaska (ID-3011), 1 September 1917
  • Decommissioned, 2 September 1919, struck from the Naval Register and turned over to the US Army Transport Service
  • Commissioned USAT Madawaska, 2 September 1919
  • Madawaska made several voyages between 21 February and 7 July 1920 to evacuate elements of the Czech Legion from Vladivostok and disembark them at Fiume, Croatia
  • Participated in the Polish Relief Expedition in January-February 1921
  • Laid up, 1 April 1921, at New York
  • Permanently transferred 30 June 1921 by Executive Order to the War Department
  • The ship underwent a major refit and overhaul December 1921-April 1922
  • Renamed USAT U. S. Grant, 3 June 1922, in honor of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, commanding general of the U.S. Army 1864-66 and 18th president of the United States
  • Assigned to the A.T.S. Pacific Fleet with home port at Fort Mason, CA.
  • USAT U.S. Grant serviced the San Francisco—Honolulu-Manila-Chinwangtao route and made occasional port calls at Guam and Nagasaki, Japan
  • She also made occasional voyages on the San Francisco-Canal Zone-Puerto Rico-New York route
  • Laid up at San Francisco during April 1925-June 1927 for reboilering from coal to oil and other major renovations
  • U.S. Grant supported the U.S. Marine expedition and the U.S. Army topographic survey mission to Nicaragua 1928-32
  • Transported Emiliano Aguinaldo, famed Filipino guerrilla leader from Manila to the U.S. in January 1929 for a tour of the country
  • Transported the 15th Infantry on its return from China to Tacoma, WA, in March 1938
  • Ran aground 19 May 1939 at Guam, but was successfully pulled off the reef with only minor damage
  • Decommissioned, and transferred the US Navy 16 June 1941
  • Commissioned USS U. S. Grant (AP-29), 16 June 1941, CAPT. Herbert Ross. Hein in command
  • During World War II USS U.S. Grant was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Aleutians operations
    Attu occupation, 13 to 17 May 1943
  • Decommissioned, 14 November 1945
  • Returned to the War Department
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 28 November 1945
  • USS U.S. Grant (AP-29) earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Transferred by the War Department to the Maritime Commission for disposal
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 16 January 1948, to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, MD., Contract PD-X-411, for $181,000.00, delivered 24 February 1948
    Specifications:
    Displacement 14,940 t.
    Length 508' 2"
    Beam 55' 3"
    Draft 27' 6"
    Speed 15 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 38
    Enlisted 364
    Troop Accommodations
    Officers 159
    Enlisted 988
    Cargo Capacity 600 DWT
    non-refrigerated 33,302 Cu ft.
    refrigerated 6,860 Cu ft.
    Largest Boom Capacity 5 t.
    Armament
    WWI
    unarmed
    World War II
    one single 5"/38 cal. dual purpose gun mount
    four single 3"/50 cal. dual purpose gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 12,500 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one Vulcan Iron Works vertical triple expansion steam turbine
    six Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 215 psi Sat°
    Ship's Service Generators
     two turbo-drive 150Kw 120V D.C.
     two turbo-drive 200Kw 120V D.C.
    single propeller, 6,800shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    SS König Wilhelm II
    U S Grant 89k
    Namesake
    Wilhelm II., King of Württemberg ruled the duchy of Württemberg from 1891 to 1918. He was born in Stuttgart in 1848 and died on October 2, 1921 in Bebenhausen. This popular king was forced to resign in 1918 at the end of the First World War. After his resignation, he never entered the royal residence town of Stuttgart again, settling instead in Tübingen. His wish was to have a simple grave in the old cemetery in Ludwigsburg. He is memorialized with a statue of him walking his dogs in front of the Wilhelmspalais, the royal residence in Stuttgart.    		 Bill Gonyo
    U S Grant 115k The German Passenger Liner SS König Wilhelm II probably at Hoboken, New Jersey, circa April 1917, after she had been seized by the United States. Note sentry in the foreground. She was turned over to the Navy and commissioned on 27 August 1917 as USS König Wilhelm II. Her name was changed to USS Madawaska on 1 September 1917 and she later received the identification number 3011. She was transferred to the War Department in September 1919 and subsequently served as USAT Madawaska, USAT U.S. Grant and, after 1941, USS U.S. Grant (AP-29).
    US Navy photo # NH 94204 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 48k SS König Wilhelm II 1911 Passenger List. Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant 82k
    USS Madawaska (ID #3011)
    U S Grant
    092202953    		 46k
    Namesake
    Madawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge over the Saint John River. Home of a large annual Acadian festival, Madawaska is the northernmost town in New England.    		 Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant 70k USS Madawaska (ID-3011) at sea during a trans-Atlantic trooping voyage, November 1917.
    US Navy photo # NH 83124 from the collection of Chief Warrant Officer J.B. Dofflemeyer, 1972.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 94k Ships in convoy, USS Madawaska (ID #3011) is at right, and USS Rowan (Destroyer #64) at left. Photographed from USS San Diego (Armored Cruiser #6)
    US Navy photo # NH 83125 from the collection of Chief Warrant Officer J.B. Dofflemeyer, 1972.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 76k Halftone reproduction of photo of USS Madawaska (ID #3011) taken circa 1918, showing the ship painted in "dazzle" camouflage.
    US Navy photo # NH 85171 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command , courtesy of William H. Davis, 1977.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 80k USS Madawaska (ID #3011) underway at sea in 1918, while she was painted in "dazzle" camouflage. A "1000-ton" type destroyer, also in camouflage paint, is in the left background. Photographed by "HF Co". The original image is printed on postcard ("AZO") stock.
    US Navy photo # NH 105376 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command , donation of Charles R. Haberlein Jr., 2007.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 60k USS Madawaska (ID #3011) ward room as her stewards prepare to serve a meal, 1918-19.
    This image was published in 1918-1919 by A.M. Simon, 324 E. 23rd St., New York City, as one of ten photographs in a "Souvenir Folder" of views concerning USS Madawaska.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 103148. Donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2005.    		 Robert Hurst
    U S Grant 49k USS Madawaska (ID #3011) at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, 19 February 1919 in a panoramic photograph, taken by the G.L. Hall Optical Co., Norfolk, Va. Note Navy Yard railway crane in the right center foreground, with two very large crates beyond. USS Madawaska is still wearing World War I "dazzle" camouflage, more than three months after the Armistice. Most of the clutter seen in the upper part of the image is the coaling gear and other upper works of a Navy collier tied up off USS Madawaska's opposite (port) side.
    US Navy photo # NH 98556 donated the US Naval History and Heritage Command by the Norfolk Naval Shipyard Museum, Portsmouth, VA.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 98k View on board USS Madawaska (ID #3011), circa 1917-1918, looking aft from her bow. Note life rafts on her foremast shrouds and stacked on deck.
    US Navy photo # NH 98552 from the collection of Arthur A. Wright, donated by his brother, Everett B. Wright, January 1978 to the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 87k View on board USS Madawaska (ID #3011), circa 1917-1918, looking aft over her stern. Location is probably New York Harbor.
    US Navy photo # NH 98553 from the collection of Arthur A. Wright, donated by his brother, Everett B. Wright, January 1978 to the US Naval History and Heritage Command .    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 106k USS Madawaska (ID #3011) in port, with much of her crew on deck, circa late 1918 or early 1919. Photographed by Holladay, Newport News, Virginia.
    US Navy photo # NH 103145 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command , donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2005.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 126k USS Madawaska (ID #3011) moored pierside, date and location unknown. Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant 147k USS Madawaska (ID #3011) moored pierside at St. Nazaire, France in May 1919. This panoramic view was assembled from two separate photographs. Copied from the Donald R. Cochran album (Lot S-591), page 11. Donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2010.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo #: NH 107071.    		 Robert Hurst
    U S Grant 445k US soldiers on the deck of USS Madawaska (ID #3011) awaiting their turn to go ashore, at Newport News, VA., date unknown.
    US Navy photo from "A History of The Transport Service: Adventures And Experiences Of United States Transports And Cruisers In The World War", by Vice Admiral Albert Gleaves, USN, published by George H. Doran Company    		 Robert Hurst
    USAT Madawaska
    U S Grant 96k USAT Madawaska in harbor, circa 1920-1921. The ship, was renamed USAT U.S. Grant in 1922.
    US Navy photo # NH 76072 from the collections US Naval History and Heritage Command , courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1972.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 1244k USAT Madawaska departing Mare Island's dry dock #2, 9 January 1920. The bow of the USS Comfort (AH-3) and USAT Mount Vernon (after mast) are in the background.
    US Navy photo, file name AP 29 010920 01    		 Darryl Baker
    U S Grant 1109k USAT Madawaska in the Mare Island channel with Navigator (YT-39) alongside, 9 January 1920.
    US Navy photo, file name AP 29 010920 02    		 Darryl Baker
    U S Grant
    092202958    		 188k USAT Madawaska one of the transport ships that transported Czechoslovak legionnaires from the port of Vladivostok back to their homeland. In 1920, this ship specifically carried out the transport of members of the 19th Czechoslovak legion from Vladivostok (via Singapore) to Trieste. A total of over 2,250 people were transported by this ship. 104 officers, 2,069 privates, 33 citizens, 6 prisoners, 35 women, 6 children and 7 foreign nationals.
    Author of this photo is an unknown person (Wikipedia Commons)    		 Robert Hurst
    USAT U.S. Grant
    U S Grant 125k
    Namesake
    Ulysses S. Grant, victorious commander of the Union Army during the Civil War, and 18th President of the United States, was born 1822 at Point Pleasant, Ohio. He graduated from West Point in 1843; served under Taylor and Scott in the Mexican War; resigned his commission 1854. On the outbreak of Civil War he was commissioned Colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry, later Major General of Volunteers. His wise use of power afloat in combined operations, commencing with the occupation of Paducah, Ky., won impressive victories at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga. His determination to win prompted Lincoln to appoint him supreme commander of the Union forces. His relentless campaign against Richmond, in which he continued to take full advantage of the North's control of the sea, forced Lee to surrender at Appomattox. In 1867 Grant received an interim appointment as Secretary of War. In 1868 he was elected to his first of two terms as President. He devoted his later years to the writing of his "memoirs," which were published in 1885, the year of his death.
    Digital ID: cph 3a53291 Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division    		 Bill Gonyo
    U S Grant 136k USAT U.S. Grant underway in the Territory of Hawaii, circa 1925.
    A US Army Signal Corps photo now in the collections of the US Library of Congress. Photo #, LC-DIG-npcc-13982.    		 Mike Green
    U S Grant 857k USAT U.S. Grant moored at Mare Island Navy Yard, 21 April 1927. Note and unidentified YD and YC-307 alongside Grant's starboard side, aft.
    US Navy photo     		Darryl Baker
    U S Grant 832k USAT U.S. Grant moored at Mare Island Navy Yard in July 1927.
    US Navy photo     		Darryl Baker
    U S Grant 637k Photo of USAT U.S. Grant's main dining room while at Mare Island Navy Yard in late 1927.
    US Navy photo     		Darryl Baker
    U S Grant 886k USAT U.S. Grant departing Mare Island Navy Yard, 2 October 1928 with the assistance of tugs USS Undaunted (AT-58) and Navigator (YT-39).
    US Navy photo     		Darryl Baker
    U S Grant 65k USAT U.S. Grant underway, circa 1920s or 1930s.
    US Navy photo # NH 67486 from the collections US Naval History and Heritage Command , courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1972.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 221k USAT U.S. Grant in port, circa the 1930s. The original image is printed on postcard ("AZO") stock.
    US Navy photo # NH 105104 from the collections US Naval History and Heritage Command , donation of Charles R. Haberlein Jr., 2007.    		 Hank Zaletel
    U S Grant
    092202955     		211k USAT U.S. Grant underway in the Panama Canal arriving probably at Fort Amador, circa 1938. .
    Photos from the collection of PVT. Walter Fish, US Coastal Artillary Corps    		 Steve Hatchett
    U S Grant
    092202956     		160k
    U S Grant
    092202957     		198k
    U S Grant 180k USAT U.S. Grant under way in Puget Sound, 23 March 1938, bringing the 15th Infantry from China to Fort Lewis. Aboard were 808 enlisted men and officers plus 417 wives and children.
    Seattle Public Library, Photo No. SPL_SHP_40198, not for commercial use.    		 Mike Green
    U S Grant 534k USAT U.S. Grant arriving in Tacoma Washington's Commencement Bay, 23 March 1938. The flyover planes from Fort Lewis have been superimposed over the transport. The 'Can Do Regiment' was being transferred from China to Fort Lewis after 26 years of continuous service. The ship left Chingwantao, 2 March 1938, just as bombing began in the war between China and Japan. Thirty-five soldiers were forced to leave their Chinese wives behind. United States law strictly forbids the immigration of Chinese women, even those married to U.S. Soldiers.
    Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studios, Photo No.D7143-2B, not for commercial use.    		 Mike Green
    U S Grant 239k USAT U.S. Grant arriving in Tacoma Washington's Commencement Bay, 23 March 1938. The 'Can Do Regiment' was being transferred from China to Fort Lewis. The ship left Chingwantao, 2 March 1938, just as bombing began in the war between China and Japan.
    Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studios, Photo No. D7143-7, not for commercial use.    		 Mike Green
    U S Grant
    092202952    		 376k The 10th Field Artillery band, state and local dignitaries, reporters and the Daffodil Queen waited at the Port of Tacoma, 23 March 1938 as the USAT U.S. Grant arrives with the the 15th Infantry from China.

    Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studios, Photo No.D7143-4, not for commercial use.    		 Mike Green
    U S Grant 107k USAT U.S. Grant under way in Manila Bay, 11 May 1938. Photographed by the U.S. Army Air Corps Second Observation Squadron. Note the U.S. flag painted on her side.
    US Navy photo # NH 93756.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 90k USAT U.S. Grant steaming in the Sibuyan Sea, Philippine Islands, 23 October 1938. Photographed by the U.S. Army Air Corps Second Observation Squadron.
    US Navy photo # NH 93755    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    U S Grant 79k USAT U.S. Grant at Honolulu T.H., circa 1936. Photo by Edward Cwalinski US Army Ret. Barry Litchfield
    U S Grant 89k USAT U.S. Grant at anchor, date and location unknown. This ship had served the Army in the Pacific since 1921, epitomizing the leisurely and comfortable travel to distant garrisons that characterized the peacetime Army. She had striking good looks that stayed with her even after gray paint had covered her peacetime colors.
    US National Archives photo and text from "U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II" by David H. Grover.    		 Robert Hurst
    U S Grant 174k Post card image of USAT U.S. Grant under way, circa 1931, location unknown. Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant 84k USAT U.S. Grant underway, date and location unknown. Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant 102k Post card image of USAT U.S. Grant underway in the Panama Canal, May 1935. Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant 232k USAT U.S. Grant underway in the Panama Canal, entering Miraflores Locks, date unknown. Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant 362k USAT U.S. Grant moving through the Panama Canal, Miraflores Locks, circa mid-1930s. Brian Miller
    U S Grant 139k USAT U.S. Grant matchbook cover Tommy Trampp
    U S Grant
    092202954    		 401k USAT U.S. Grant departing Manila, P.I., 31 May 1940.
    US National Archives I.D. 68156474, a US Army Air Corps photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 David Upton
    USS U.S. Grant (AP-29)
    U S Grant 1426k USS U.S. Grant (AP-29) commissioning ceremony, 16 June 1941, at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA.
    US Navy photo     		Darryl Baker
    U S Grant
    19-N-27215    		 79k USS U.S. Grant (AP-29) at anchor near Mare Island Navy Yard, 30 January 1942.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command, photo #'s 19-N-27215, 19-N-27216 and 19-N-27217, US Navy Bureau of Ships photos now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Mike Green
    U S Grant
    19-N-27216    		 97k
    U S Grant
    19-N-27217    		 90k
    U S Grant 38k USS U. S. Grant (AP-29) under way, circa 1941 to 1945 Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
    U S Grant 100k USS U.S. Grant (AP-29) at New Orleans, LA., 25 April 1945. The most conspicuous wartime modification was the addition of a tall pole and a small lattice radar mast behind the bridge.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command, photo # 19-N-82197, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Mike Green
    USS Madawaska (ID #3011) / USS U.S. Grant (AP-29) / USAT U.S. Grant
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) and US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941 Vol. 4.
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. McCauley, Charles, USNRF27 August 1917 - 29 August 1917USS Madawaska
    02CDR. Watson, Edward Howe, USN (USNA 1895)29 August 1917 - 1 August 1918USS Madawaska
    03CDR. Henderson, Robert William, USN (USNA 1904) :RADM1 August 1918 - November 1918USS Madawaska
    04CAPT. Cole, Cyrus Willard, USN (USNA 1899)November 1918 - 5 March 1919USS Madawaska
    05CDR. Mannix, Daniel Pratt, USN (USNA 1900)5 March 1919 - 2 September 1919USS Madawaska
     Decommissioned2 September 1919 - 16 June 1941 
    06CAPT. Hein, Herbert Ross, USN (USNA 1910)16 June 1941 - 21 February 1943USS U. S. Grant (AP-29)
    07CAPT. Hutton, Charles Lester, USN (USNA 1920)21 February 1943 - 1 January 1945USS U. S. Grant (AP-29)
    08CDR. Bacon, Howard Perry, USNR1 January 1945 - 14 November 1945USS U. S. Grant (AP-29)
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Army Transportation Service Ship's Masters
    02CAPT. Kerr, L.R.N., A.T.S.21 June 1917 - 20 February 1921
    03CAPT. Bartlett, Robert A., A.T.S.20 February 1921 - July 1922
    04CAPT. Scott, James W., A.T.S.July 1922 - February 1927
    05CAPT. Hall, Frank, A.T.S.February 1927 - March 1927
    06CAPT. Scott, James W., A.T.S.March 1928 - June 1928
    07CAPT. McLellan, Edgar S., A.T.S.September 1928 - 12 September 1932
    08CAPT. Shears, Robert W., A.T.S.12 September 1932 - June 1935
    09UnknownJune 1935 - 16 June 1941
    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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    Last Updated 24 March 2023