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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Storm King (AP-171)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Whiskey - Victor
NKWV

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

Storm King Class Class Transport::

Laid down, 20 July 1943, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1346), at North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, N.C.

Launched, 17 September 1943

Delivered to the US Navy, 3 December 1943, at Wilmington, N.C.

Placed in reduced commission, 4 December 1943, for transit to her fitting out yard, t Brooklyn, N.Y.

Converted to a Naval Transport at Brooklyn, N.Y.

Commissioned in full USS Storm King (AP-171), 10 February 1944, CAPT. Harold D. Krick in command

During WWII USS Storm King was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 to 24 June 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 15 to 27 September 1944	Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 10 to 17 March 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 22 October 1944

Decommissioned and delivered to the Maritime Commission, 2 August 1946, for disposal at the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 15 August 1946

USS Storm King earned five battle stars for World War II service

Merchant Service

Sold for commercial service by the Maritime Commission, 30 July 1947, to Grace Line Inc

Renamed SS Santa Cruz, 3 September 1947

Purchased by Gulf & South America SS Co. Inc., 22 December 1947, renamed SS Gulf Farmer

Purchased by Battery Steamship Corp., 1 June 1964, renamed SS Ranger

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 25 June 1970, to Chou's Iron & Steel Ltd. for scrapping in Taiwan

Specifications:
Displacement 4,600 t.(lt) 13,910 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 23'
Speed 16.5 kts.

Complement

Officers 6

Enlisted 250

Troop Accommodations

Officers 66

Enlisted 1,513

Largest Boom Capacity 50 t.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

Cargo Capacity 3,000 DWT

non-refrigerated 100,000 Cu. ft.

Fuel Capacity NSFO 8,650 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

two Foster and Wheeler header-type boilers, 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

three turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

single propeller, 6,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
USS Storm King (AP-171)
	72k	*USS Storm King* (AP-171)** near the Norfolk Navy Yard, 3 April 1944. This ship can easily be distinguished from her sister by the radar mast forward of the stack, the lookout station on top of the foremast, the two separate kingposts in the bow, and the lack of any Welin davits for landing craft. US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo # 19-N-64628 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
80-G-224684	736k	*USS Storm King* (AP-171) under way off Norfolk, VA., 5 April 1944, wearing camouflage Measure 32/1f. The colors are dull black, ocean gray and light gray. Although not fitted as an APA, Storm King** could carry enough landing craft to be used as an APA. US National Archives, Photo No.'s 80-G-224684 and 80-G-224605, courtesy of C. Lee Johnson, (usndazzle.com).	Mike Green
80-G-224605	580k		Mike Green
	103k	*USS Storm King* (AP-171)** in San Francisco Bay at the conclusion of a Magic Carpet voyage between October 1945 and July 1946. The ship appears to have lost her armament, suggesting that the photo was taken in 1946. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 96685, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
	399k	*USS Storm King* (AP-171)** bronze plaque presented to crew member Richard W. Pumphrey.	Russell C. Zaccari
Merchant Service Gulf and South American SS Co. Battery SS Co.
	88k	Ex-*USS Storm King* (AP-171)** in merchant service as SS Gulf Farmer (Gulf & South America SS Co. Inc.) berthed at Galveston, TX, early 1960s.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	382k	Gulf & South America SS Co. Inc.'s SS Gulf Farmer berthed at New Orleans LA., circa 1950s. Photo copyrighted by A. Duncan	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
092217111	260k	Battery Steamship Corp's SS Ranger underway, circa 1964, location unknown.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	62k	Ex-*USS Storm King* (AP-171)** in merchant service as Battery Steamship Corp's SS Ranger working cargo during a severe snow storm at Bremerhaven, Germany, February 1966.	Photo by Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	415k	Battery Steamship Corp's SS Ranger working cargo during an increasingly severe snow storm at Bremerhaven, Germany, February 1966.	Photo by Gerhard Mueller-Debus

USS Storm King (AP-171)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Krick Sr., Harold David, USN (USNA 1923)	10 February 1944 - 25 July 1944
02	CDR. Hansen, Harry James, USN :RADM	25 July 1944 - 2 August 1946


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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Last Updated 12 March 2021