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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

AP-37 / APA-18 President Jackson


Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - India - Foxtrot
 NCIF
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (1 Nov 43, 21 Feb 45)
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (8)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
President Jackson Class Transport
  • Laid down, 2 October 1939, as Maritime Commission type (C3 P & C) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 53) at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Corp. Newport News VA.
  • Launched, 7 June 1940
  • Delivered to American President Lines, 25 October 1940
  • Acquired by the Navy, 30 June 1941
  • Commissioned USS President Jackson (AP-37), 16 January 1942, CDR. C. W. Weitzel in command
  • Reclassified Attack Transport (APA-18), 1 February 1943
  • During WWII President Jackson was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings, 7 August 1942 Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Emirau Island landing, 25 March 1944
    Consolidation of the Solomon Island
    Consolidation of southern Solomons, February to June 1943     		Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 21 July 1944
    New Georgia Group operation
    New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation, 30 June 1943     		Luzon operations
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 11 January 1945
    Treasury-Bougainville operation
    Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, 1 November 1943     		Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 21 February to 6 March 1945

  • Transferred to Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) control, 22 October 1949, redesignated (T-AP-18)
  • During the Korean War President Jackson participated in the following campaigns:
    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    North Korean Aggression
    18 to 20 September 1950     		Inchon Landing
    15 to 17 September 1950
    Communist China Aggression,
    5 to 20 November 1950     		Second Korean Winter
    25 to 26 January 1952

  • Decommissioned, 6 July 1955
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 October 1958
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 1 December 1958, for disposal
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 23 April 1973 and delivered, 15 May 1973, to N.W. Kennedy Ltd., % Mitsui & Co., (Canada) Ltd.
  • President Jackson earned eight battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for Korean War service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 9,500 t.(lt), 16,175 t.(fl)
    Length 491'
    Beam 69' 6"
    Draft 26' 6"
    Speed 17 kts.
    Complement
    35 Officers
    477 Enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    70 Officers
    1,312 Enlisted
    Cargo Capacity 3,500 t.
    Armament
    four 3"/50 dual purpose guns
    two single 40mm AA gun mounts
    twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Boats
    thirty-two LCVPs
    three LCM(3)
    Propulsion geared turbine drive, two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, single screw, designed shaft horsepower 8,500
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Commercial Service
    President Jackson 414k SS President Jackson in the service of American President Lines, New York Harbor, circa, late 1940, early 1941. Scott at LBS Products
    USS President Jackson (AP-37)
    President Jackson 89k President Jackson (AP-37), in the distance, alongside an oiler, probably at Noumea, New Caledonia, as seen from Wasp (CV-7) on the eve of the Guadalcanal-Tulagi invasion. Photo is dated 4 August 1942. Ship in the foreground is an as-yet little modified "flush-deck" destroyer, with no hull number showing.
    US National Archive photo # 80-G-K-559, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Jackson 117k Ships maneuvering between Tulagi and Guadalcanal during the Japanese aerial torpedo attack on 8 August 1942. President Jackson (AP-37) is at left. HMAS Australia is in the center distance, with anti-aircraft shells bursting nearby. Photographed from Ellet (DD-398).
    US National Archive photo # 80-G-K-385, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Scott at LBS Products
    President Jackson 108k President Jackson (AP-37) maneuvers under Japanese air attack off Guadalcanal, 12 November 1942. In the center background is smoke from an enemy plane that had just crashed into the after superstructure of San Francisco (CA-38), which is steaming away in the right center. Photographed from President Adams (AP-38). Note the anti-aircraft shell bursts.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-32366, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Scott at LBS Products
    USS President Jackson (APA-18)
    President Jackson 160k President Jackson (APA-18) date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 .
    President Jackson 74k President Jackson (APA-18), date and location unknown. She is wearing camoflage Measure 33/6T. Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
    President Jackson 96k President Jackson (APA-18)'s LCVP's bringing Marines ashore at Bougainville, undated USMC photo # 17 Submitted by Tom Kerman
    Courtesy Andy Vigil
    President Jackson 117k President Jackson (APA-18)'s LCVP's and other landing craft off the Bougainville beachhead, November 1943
    USMC photo # 68267, from the collections at the US Naval Historical Center    		 Submitted by Scott at LBS Products
    President Jackson/George Clymer 82k One of President Jackson (APA-18)'s LCVPs approaching a Bougainville beach during a resupply mission, 5 January 1944.The ship in the center right distance is George Clymer (APA-27).
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-55881, a US Navy photo now in the collections at the US National Archives    		 Submitted by Scott at LBS Products
    President Jackson 98k President Jackson (APA-18), photographed, 8 March 1947, in the Elizabeth River below the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA. Note the snow on the ship.
    US Navy photo # NH 97886 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Jackson 109k President Jackson (APA-18), photographed, 8 March 1947, in the Elizabeth River below the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA. Note the snow on the ship and on the building ashore.
    US Navy photo # NH 97887 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Jackson 89k President Jackson (APA-18), photographed, 8 March 1947, in the Elizabeth River below the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA. with a harbor tug alongside. Note the snow on buildings ashore and on the old ferry boats at right.
    US Navy photo # NH 97888 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Jackson 94k President Jackson (APA-18), photographed, 8 March 1947, in the Elizabeth River below the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA. with a harbor tug alongside. Note the snow on the ship and the buildings ashore.
    US Navy photo # NH 97889 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Jackson 69k President Jackson (APA-18), photographed in the vicinity of Norfolk, VA. from a NAS Norfolk, aircraft, 12 March 1947.
    US Navy photo # NH 97890 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Jackson 94k President Jackson (APA-18), photographed in the vicinity of Norfolk, VA. from a NAS Norfolk, aircraft, 12 March 1947.
    US Navy photo # NH 97891 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
    		 US Naval Historical Center
    View the President Jackson (AP-37 / APA-18)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    No Information Available
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 24 August 2007