Harris class attack transport
Encyclopedia
The Harris-class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transport
that saw service in World War II
.
Like all attack transports, the purpose of the Harris class ships was to transport troops and their equipment to hostile shores in order to execute amphibious
invasions using an array of smaller integral landing craft
. As with all such ships, the Harris-class was well armed with antiaircraft weaponry to protect itself and its vulnerable cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
hull types during the war. It also holds the distinction of being the first group of ships commissioned into the US Navy which would eventually serve as attack transports.
The origins of the Harris class go back to America's
entry into World War I
. At that time, the US Shipping Board
was set up to modernize America's merchant cargo fleet, and to provide ships suitable for service as naval auxiliaries
. During this period, the Shipping Board contracted with several firms, including New York Shipbuilding
and Bethlehem Steel
, for the building of a class of large ships to be used as troop transports. The ships were known simply as the "535 class" after their length in feet.
Although they arrived too late to see service in the First World War, sixteen were duly completed between 1919 and 1922, and since the Navy no longer had use for them, they were all eventually sold or contracted out to private companies, most notably Dollar Lines (hence the class' alternative name, the Dollar class). For their new role the vessels were converted to passenger-cargo ships, serving mostly on routes between the United States
and South America
, and until the 1930s, were amongst America's fastest and best passenger liners.
In 1937, with another major war looming on the horizon, the US Government began to consider the possibility of reacquiring the 535' class for their originally intended role as troop transports, and when war broke out in Europe in 1939, it was decided to go ahead with the acquisition. Accordingly, a dozen of the Dollar class vessels were purchased by the War Department
and converted into troop transports for service with the US Army, which named most of them after distinguished Army leaders.
The ships were all eventually handed over to the US Navy, but three of them, Wharton, Tasker H. Bliss and Hugh L. Scott were sunk by enemy action not long after America's entry into the war, while another, Willard A. Holbrook, was acquired but never commissioned. The remaining eight then took the name of the earliest surviving ship commissioned, USS Harris, and thus they became the Harris class. The Navy chose not to rename the individual ships, so they retained their former Army names. In February 1943, all the ships of the class were redesignated as attack transports.
Their main armament consisted of four 3"/50 caliber guns, supported by one or two twin 40mm cannon and a variable number of 20mm weapons. Some of the ships also had one or two quad-mounted 1.1" guns.
Later classes of attack transport were to receive heavier armament as the 20mm weapon in particular was to prove of limited effectiveness at combating Japanese kamikaze
tactics.
, Atlantic
and Pacific Theatres
. Ships of the class saw action in virtually every major amphibious
operation of the war, including the invasions of North Africa
, Sicily, Italy, Normandy
and Southern France; and in the Pacific, through America's island hopping campaign, from the invasions of the Aleutians and Guadalcanal in 1942 to the final battle for Okinawa in 1945.
At the close of hostilities a number were employed in redeploying American troops for occupation duty in newly conquered Japan
and its former territories in China
and Korea
, after which they were utilized in Operation Magic Carpet, the giant sealift organized to bring demobilizing American servicemen back the United States
.
The entire class was decommissioned
shortly after the war in early 1946, and scrapped in February-March 1948.
Attack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
that saw service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Like all attack transports, the purpose of the Harris class ships was to transport troops and their equipment to hostile shores in order to execute amphibious
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
invasions using an array of smaller integral landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
. As with all such ships, the Harris-class was well armed with antiaircraft weaponry to protect itself and its vulnerable cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
Background
The Harris class is amongst the few classes of attack transport that were converted from pre-war tonnage rather than built from either Maritime Commission or Victory shipVictory ship
The Victory ship was a type of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace shipping losses caused by German submarines...
hull types during the war. It also holds the distinction of being the first group of ships commissioned into the US Navy which would eventually serve as attack transports.
The origins of the Harris class go back to America's
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. At that time, the US Shipping Board
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....
was set up to modernize America's merchant cargo fleet, and to provide ships suitable for service as naval auxiliaries
Auxiliary ship
An auxiliary ship is a naval ship which is designed to operate in any number of roles supporting combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliaries are not primary combatants, although they may have some limited combat capacity, usually of a self defensive nature.Auxiliaries are extremely...
. During this period, the Shipping Board contracted with several firms, including New York Shipbuilding
New York Shipbuilding
The New York Shipbuilding Corporation was founded in 1899 and opened its first shipyard in 1900. Located in Camden, New Jersey on the east shore of the Delaware River, New York Ship built more than 500 vessels for the U.S...
and Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
, for the building of a class of large ships to be used as troop transports. The ships were known simply as the "535 class" after their length in feet.
Although they arrived too late to see service in the First World War, sixteen were duly completed between 1919 and 1922, and since the Navy no longer had use for them, they were all eventually sold or contracted out to private companies, most notably Dollar Lines (hence the class' alternative name, the Dollar class). For their new role the vessels were converted to passenger-cargo ships, serving mostly on routes between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and until the 1930s, were amongst America's fastest and best passenger liners.
In 1937, with another major war looming on the horizon, the US Government began to consider the possibility of reacquiring the 535' class for their originally intended role as troop transports, and when war broke out in Europe in 1939, it was decided to go ahead with the acquisition. Accordingly, a dozen of the Dollar class vessels were purchased by the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
and converted into troop transports for service with the US Army, which named most of them after distinguished Army leaders.
The ships were all eventually handed over to the US Navy, but three of them, Wharton, Tasker H. Bliss and Hugh L. Scott were sunk by enemy action not long after America's entry into the war, while another, Willard A. Holbrook, was acquired but never commissioned. The remaining eight then took the name of the earliest surviving ship commissioned, USS Harris, and thus they became the Harris class. The Navy chose not to rename the individual ships, so they retained their former Army names. In February 1943, all the ships of the class were redesignated as attack transports.
Description
The Harris class had almost twice the displacement of most its sister attack transport classes whilst retaining about the same speed of 17-18 knots. The ships could consequently carry a large number of troops - between about 1,500 and 2,000 (and it seems, in more comfortable conditions than those that prevailed for the other APA classes). They could also carry a moderate amount of cargo.Their main armament consisted of four 3"/50 caliber guns, supported by one or two twin 40mm cannon and a variable number of 20mm weapons. Some of the ships also had one or two quad-mounted 1.1" guns.
Later classes of attack transport were to receive heavier armament as the 20mm weapon in particular was to prove of limited effectiveness at combating Japanese kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
tactics.
Service
Commissioned relatively early in the war, the Harris class ships saw action in all the major theatres of war, including the MediterraneanMediterranean Theatre
The Mediterranean Theatre is the war zone covering the Mediterranean Sea. It has seen at least two wars spanning the whole of the sea:*Mediterranean theatre of World War I*Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres of World War II...
, Atlantic
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
and Pacific Theatres
Pacific Theatres
Pacific Theatres is a chain of movie theaters in the Los Angeles area of California. Pacific Theatres is owned by Decurion Corporation which also owns ArcLight Cinema Company .- Developments : The company has some 300 movie screens in California...
. Ships of the class saw action in virtually every major amphibious
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
operation of the war, including the invasions of North Africa
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, Sicily, Italy, Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
and Southern France; and in the Pacific, through America's island hopping campaign, from the invasions of the Aleutians and Guadalcanal in 1942 to the final battle for Okinawa in 1945.
At the close of hostilities a number were employed in redeploying American troops for occupation duty in newly conquered Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and its former territories in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, after which they were utilized in Operation Magic Carpet, the giant sealift organized to bring demobilizing American servicemen back the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The entire class was decommissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
shortly after the war in early 1946, and scrapped in February-March 1948.