Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS President Adams (APA-19)
ex
 USS President Adams (AP-38) (1941 - 1943)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Bravo - Xray
 NCBX
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)
President Jackson Class Transport
  • Laid down, 6 June 1940, as a Maritime Commission type (C3 P & C) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 57) at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Corp., Newport News, VA.
  • Launched, 31 June 1941
  • Completed and delivered the US Navy, 5 June 1941
  • Converted to Naval service as a Transport at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA.
  • Commissioned USS President Adams (AP-38), 19 November 1941, CDR. Carl W. Brewington USN in command
  • During WWII USS President Adams was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Eleven, COMO. D.W. Loomis USN (18);
     TransDiv Thirty-Two, CAPT. C.W. Weitzel and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings, 7 to 9 August 1942 New Georgia Group operation
    New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation, 30 June 1943
    Capture and defense of Guadalcanal, 12 November 1942 Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 21 to 28 July 1944
    Treasury-Bougainville operation
    Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, 1 and 8 and 9 November 1943     		Luzon operations
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 11 and 12 January 1945
    Guadalcanal (Third Savo), 12 to 15 November 1942 Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 to 28 February 1945
    Consolidation of the Solomon Island
    Consolidation of southern Solomons, 17 February 1943     		 

  • Redesignated Attack Transport (APA-19), 1 February 1943
  • Following World War II USS President Adams was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    25 October to 12 November 194524 February to 6 March 1946
    18 to 21 December 194524 to 27 August 1946
    24 April to 3 May 194615 to 23 November 1946
    12 to 14 and 24 to 25 November 194615 to 20 December 1946
    23 to 27 December 194610 to 18 December 1947

  • Decommissioned, 14 June 1950, at San Francisco, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • Struck from the Naval Register and transferred to the Maritime Commission, 1 October 1958, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • USS President Adams earned nine battle stars for World War II service
  • Title transferred to the Maritime Administration, 15 December3 1958
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 22 January 1973, to National Metal & Steel Corp. (PD-X-952 dated 13 December 1972) for $78,911.78, Withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet, 7 February 1973 for scrapping in Taiwan
    Specifications:
    Displacement 9,500 t.(lt), 16,000 t.(fl)
    Length 491'
    Beam 69' 6"
    Draft 26' 6"
    Speed 18.4 kts (trial)
    Complement
    35 Officers
    477 Enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    70 Officers
    1,312 Enlisted
    Flag Accommodations
    Officers 8
    Largest Boom Capacity 30t.
    Cargo Capacity 6,80 0DWT
    non-refrigerated 185,000 Cu. ft.
    Armament
    four single 3"/50 dual purpose guns
    two twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    three single 40mm AA gun mounts
    twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Boats
    thirty-two LCVPs
    three LCM(3)
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO 10,950 Bbls.
    Diesel 800 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one Newport News Shipbuilding geared turbine drive
    two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 450psi 750°
    double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gear
    Ships Service Generators, four 300Kw 120V/240V D.C.
    single propeller, designed shaft horsepower 8,500
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Maritime Administration
    President Adams 223k
    Namesake

    Named for the 2nd and the 6th Presidents of the United States.
    Digital ID: cph 3a53276 Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
    Digital ID: cph 3a14834 Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division    		 Bill Gonyo
    President Adams
    100301915    		 109k SS President Adams sponsor. Mrs. Robert H. Jackson, breaks the traditional bottle of Champagne across the ship's bow during launching ceremonies at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Corp., Newport News, VA., 30 June 1941. Dale Hargrave
    President Adams
    100301916    		 70k
    USS President Adams (AP-38)
    President Adams 78k USS President Adams (AP-38) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		  
    President Adams 133k USS President Adams (AP-38), during amphibious exercises off the California coast, 7 April 1942.
    US National Archive # 80-G-31836 , a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Adams 98k USS President Adams (AP-38) photographed from USS Wasp (CV-7), at Noumea, New Caledonia, 4 August 1942. She is crowded with US Marines, bound for the invasion of Guadalcanal. USS Quincy (CA-39) is in the background.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-K-554, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 US Naval Historical Center
    President Adams 90k USS President Adams (AP-38), probably at Noumea, New Caledonia, as seen from USS Wasp (CV-7) on the eve of the Guadalcanal-Tulagi invasion. Photo is dated 4 August 1942. Note red lead primer showing through the boot topping along her waterline and large crowd of men on her decks.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-K-556, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 US Naval Historical Center
    USS President Adams (APA-19)
    President Adams 106k USS President Adams (APA-19) underway, date and location unknown. Her camouflage is Measure 32/6T.
    US Navy photo    		 Robert Hurst
    President Adams
    100301917    		 356k USS President Adams (APA-19) at anchor at Noumea New Caledonia, date unknown. Jacob C. Hortman
    President Adams 115k USS President Adams (APA-19) at anchor, date and location unknown. Her camouflage is Measure 32/6T.
    Photo by J.C. Stone Ship pictures, 23427 S. Anchor, Wilmington, CA.    		 David Buell
    President Adams 134k USS President Adams (APA-19) arriving on the West Coast with returning veterans during "Magic Carpet" operations, date and location unknown. David Buell
    President Adams 101k USS President Adams (APA-19) arriving on the West Coast with returning veterans during "Magic Carpet" operations, date and location unknown. David Buell
    President Adams 99k USS President Adams (APA-19) arriving on the West Coast with returning veterans during "Magic Carpet" operations, date and location unknown. David Buell
    President Adams 105k USS President Adams (APA-19) arriving on the West Coast with returning veterans during "Magic Carpet" operations, date and location unknown. David Buell
    President Adams 99k USS President Adams (APA-19) arriving on the West Coast with returning veterans during "Magic Carpet" operations, date and location unknown. David Buell
    President Adams 101k USS President Adams (APA-19) underway, 30 June 1947, as a unit of the Naval Transportation Service. While she remains in commission and fully armed, she was detached after World War II from the amphibious forces and used as a peacetime transport, carrying military personnel and dependents between the United States, the Far East, and the Caribbean. Note the replacement of her landing craft with regular lifeboats. All of her surviving sisters were similarly employed after the war, and all wore a similar broad black band on the funnel.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo # 19-N-89661 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Mike Green
    President Adams 393k Outboard and inboard profiles of USS President Adams (APA-19), modified as a dependent transport in April 1947.
    Illustrations from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft" by Norman Friedman.    		 Robert Hurst
    President Adams
    100301918     		281k USS President Adams (APA-19) tied up at San Francisco, CA., circa 1950. Note Tops of Oakland Bay Bridge truss section of the far left level with bow of ship. Darryl Baker
    USS President Adams (AP-38 / APA-19)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Brewington, Carl Wright, USN (USNA 1937)19 November 1941 - 30 January 1942
    02CAPT. Dean, Frank Homewood, USN (USNA 1917) :RADM30 January 1942 - 28 July 1943
    03CAPT. Johnson, Felix Leslie, USN (USNA 1919) :VADM28 July 1943 - 26 November 1943
    04CDR. Welles, Ratcliffe Chapman, USN26 November 1943 - 9 April 1944
    05CAPT. Erwin, Marion Corbett, USN9 April 1944 - 4 June 1945
    06CDR. Simonsen, Christian B., USNR4 June 1945 - 4 April 1946
    07CAPT. Zimmerman, Walter Ernest. USN (USNA 1922)4 April 1946 - 2 January 1948
    08CAPT. Duvall, William Howard, USN (USNA 1924)2 January 1948 - 1 June 1949
    09CDR. Henriques, Charles Buck, USN1 June 1949 - 14 June 1950
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Web Sites and Items of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Christmas 1945 Dinner Menu
    Postal Covers related to the ship
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Transport (AP) Photo Index Back To the Attack Transport (APA) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 26 May 2023