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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Herald of the Morning (AP-173)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Papa - Kilo NEPK

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Dulag, Battle of Leyte, 18 to 23 November 1944)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

La Salle Class Transport:

Built in 1943 as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1161) at Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, CA.

Launched, 14 August 1943

Delivered, 30 November 1943, to the United States Lines, under contract to the War Shipping Administration (WSA)

Returned to the Maritime Commission for transfer to the US Navy, date unknown

Converted for Navy service at United Engineering Co., Alameda, CA.

Commissioned USS Herald of the Morning (AP-173), 22 April 1944, CDR. Harry A. Dunn Jr. in command

During World War II USS Herald of the Morning was assigned to the 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, 16 to 26 June 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landing, 4 to 8 January 1945
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 5 September to 14 October 1944	Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 9 to 16 March 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 13 to 21 October, 19 to 29 November 1944

Following World War II USS Herald of the Morning was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
1 to 11 November 1945
28 December 1945 to 8 January 1946
30 March to 4 April 1946

Decommissioned, 9 August 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 9 August 1946

USS Herald of the Morning earned five battle stars for World War II service

Transferred, 9 August 1946, to the Maritime Commission National Defense Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Merchant Service

Sold for commercial service to Waterman Steam Ship Co., New Orleans, LA. and renamed SS Citrus Packer

Resold in 1958 to Gulf & South American Steamship Co., renamed SS Gulf Trader

Final Disposition, scrapped in 1973

Specifications:
Displacement 6,556 t.(lt) 13,910 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 25' 9"
Speed 16.5 kts. (trial)

Complement

Officers 28

Enlisted 375

Troop Accommodations

Enlisted 1,500

Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.

Cargo Capacity 2,100 DWT

non-refrigerated 127,527 Cu. ft.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose mounts

twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 10,300 Bbls

Diesel 880 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric steam turbine

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

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

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

single propeller, 6,000shp

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS Herald of the Morning (AP-173)
092217310	39k	*Namesake* Herald of the Morning - Named for the American sailing ship *Herald of the Morning* which was famous on both oceans in the second half of the 19th century as a fast and beautiful medium clipper.	Tommy Trampp
	65k	*USS Herald of the Morning* (AP-173)** pen and ink drawing.	Russ Padden
	49k	*USS Herald of the Morning* (AP-173)** underway, bow on view, date and location unknown.	Russ Padden
	101k	*USS Herald of the Morning* (AP-173)** underway in San Francisco Bay near Hunters Point Dock Yard, 21 June 1945. US National Archives RG-19-LCM photo # 19-N-87128 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Courtesy Shipscribe.com
	73k	*USS Herald of the Morning* (AP-173)** underway in San Francisco Bay, 21 July 1945. US Navy photo.	Dave Frazier for his father Chief Pharmacist Mate Francis E. (Jim) Frazier USS Herald of the Morning
092217311	641k	*USS Herald of the Morning* (AP-173)** docked at San Francisco, in 1946 just before her decommissioning, in August. Note suspension section of the Oakland - San Francisco Bay bridge in the background to the left and also note her weapons have been removed.	Darryl Baker
Merchant Service Waterman SS Corp Gulf and South American SS Co.
	586k	Ex- *USS Herald of the Morning* (AP-173)** in merchant service as the Waterman Steam Ship Co.'s, freighter, SS Citrus Packer aground as a result of a hurricane in 1949, location unknown.	David Bavirsha
	526k		David Bavirsha
	315k	Ex- *USS Herald of the Morning* (AP-173)** in merchant service as the Gulf & South American Steamship Co.'s freighter SS Gulf Trader moored pierside in a US Gulf port in the early 1960s. Photo originally copyrighted by late Alex Duncan.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus

USS Herald of the Morning (AP-173)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Dunn, Jr., Harry Albert	22 April 1944 - 9 August 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
Bangor Public Library - Digital Commons - U.S.S. Herald of the Morning (AP-173)

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 14 April 2023