The unnamed transport, AP-120, was laid down on 10 December 1942 at Alameda, California

Alameda, California

Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...

 by the Bethlehem-Alameda Shipbuilding Corp., under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 678); named Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120) on 20 October 1943; launched on 22 November 1943; sponsored by Miss Dorothy Lucille Benson, granddaughter of the late Admiral William S. Benson

William S. Benson

William Shepherd Benson was an Admiral in the United States Navy and the first Chief of Naval Operations , holding the post throughout World War I.-Biography:...

; accepted from the Maritime Commission on 23 August 1944 and commissioned the same day, Capt. Francis H. Gardner in command.

After fitting out and provisioning at the Naval Supply Depot, Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, Admiral W. S. Benson stood out of San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...

 on 1 September 1944 for San Pedro, CA., to commence shakedown training. During the next two weeks, the transport carried out daily exercises and gunnery runs in the vicinity of Catalina

Catalina

- Geography :* Catalina, Arizona* Cătălina, Romania** Catalina, Covasna, Romania* Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur* Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental* Catalina, Newfoundland and Labrador* Santa Catalina Mountains...

, San Nicholas, and San Clemente Islands. Upon completion of this training, the ship underwent post-shakedown availability at the Todd Shipyard in Wilmington, CA., before she commenced work at the Small Craft Training Center, Terminal Island, CA., serving a tour of temporary duty in connection with the training of attack transport (APA) crews. Over the next two weeks, the ship operated locally with crews from , , and .

Admiral W. S. Benson returned to Todd's Wilmington yard on 15 October 1944 for major alterations, and upon completion of this yard period reported to Commander, Western Sea Frontier

Western Sea Frontier

The Western Sea Frontier, headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, was responsible for the sea defense of the Pacific coast of the United States and Mexico during World War II. The Western Sea Frontier was composed of many forces and commands, including the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth...

 and Commander, Naval Transport Service, for duty.

On 23 November, Admiral W. S. Benson got underway and moored at the Army embarkation pier at Wilmington, and embarked a total of 4,376 Army troops on 28 and 29 November before sailing for Bombay, India, on the morning of 30 November, on the first of two troop lifts to that port. Stopping briefly at Melbourne, Australia, en route, for provisions from 16 to 18 December, the transport continued on her destination, spending Christmas at sea. Two British destroyers, and , rendezvoused with the transport on 27 December, and assumed antisubmarine screening stations. Three days later, on 30 December 1944, Admiral W. S. Benson reached her destination and stood into Bombay Harbor.

After embarking passengers for the return voyage—civilians as well as military personnel (including among the troops 60 Chinese naval officers and 108 Chinese aviation cadets)—Admiral W. S. Benson got underway for Melbourne on 5 January 1945, Roebuck and Relentless again screening the ship out of dangerous waters until 8 January. Debarking some of her troop passengers—127 Australians and New Zealanders—upon her arrival at Melbourne on 16 January, the transport embarked 352 additional passengers on the 19th, and sailed for the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, ultimately reaching Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 on 2 February 1945.

Given a yard overhaul upon her return, Admiral W. S. Benson completed embarkation of 4,792 troops and passengers at San Pedro on 26 February; she sailed for Bombay the following morning. Stopping again at Melbourne en route, from 14 to 16 March 1945, the transport reached her destination on 27 March, escorted locally by and . Embarking 1,363 troops and passengers (of whom 107 were civilians), Admiral W. S. Benson sailed for Melbourne on 2 April.

Diverted to Brisbane, Australia, en route, Admiral W. S. Benson reached that port on 14 April and debarked 85 passengers. Embarking an additional 1,358 passengers, the transport proceeded on to Noumea, New Caledonia, on 16 April, and reached that port on the 18th. Embarking an additional 1,410 passengers there, she got underway for Espiritu Santo

Espiritu Santo

Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....

, New Hebrides

New Hebrides

New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...

, on the afternoon of the 21st, and reached her destination on the 22nd. There, the transport debarked 75 sailors and took on board an additional 174 for passage to the United States. Underway on the same day, 22 April, Admiral W. S. Benson brought her second round-trip voyage to a conclusion on 3 May 1945.

Drydocked at Terminal Island

Terminal Island

Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...

 for repairs and the replacement of a damaged starboard screw, Admiral W. S. Benson eventually left the repair yard on 11 May and shifted to a pier where she loaded stores and provisions for her next voyage. Underway from Wilmington on 17 May, the transport sailed for Marseilles, France, via the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

. Transiting the isthmian waterway between 23 and 25 May, the ship was then rerouted to the French port of Le Havre

Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...

, where she arrived on 3 June 1945. The following afternoon, she commenced embarking troops, a task which she completed very early the following morning. Among the 5,026 passengers were repatriated allied military prisoners (RAMPs). Standing out of Le Havre at 0800 on 5 June, Admiral W. S. Benson anchored off Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

 on the evening of the 11th, and then stood up the North River early the following morning. Despite the early hour, the RAMPs on board Admiral W. S. Benson, received a hearty reception; the transport "dressed ship" and exchanged whistle signals with passing ships.

After disembarking her passengers and undergoing repairs and alterations, Admiral W. S. Benson cleared New York on 6 July 1945 for Marseilles. Arriving at her destination on Bastille Day

Bastille Day

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...

 (14 July), the transport embarked 4,828 men slated for duty in the Pacific theater, before clearing that French port on 17 July.

Transiting the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 on 2 July, Admiral W. S. Benson stopped briefly at Balboa

Balboa

Balboa may refer to:Vasco Núñez de Balboa , Spanish explorerBalboa may also refer to:- Places :* Balboa, León, a Spanish village and municipality* Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, California, also called Balboa...

 before getting underway for the western Pacific on the following morning. Passing Eniwetok seven miles (11 km) to starboard on 13 August, the ship was diverted en route to Ulithi

Ulithi

Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...

, in the Western Carolines, that day, and arrived on the morning of 15 August, arriving in the midst of VJ Day celebrations. Fueling at Ulithi, the transport sailed for the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, accompanied by the destroyer , ultimately releasing her escort off Homonhon Island.

Joined by the destroyer escort on the evening of 19 August, the transport proceeded toward Lingayen

Invasion of Lingayen Gulf

The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...

, arriving there on 20 August and anchoring in San Fernando

San Fernando

-Argentina:*San Fernando, Buenos Aires, city of Greater Buenos Aires*San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, capital of Catamarca province-Mexico:*San Fernando, Chiapas*San Fernando, Coahuila*San Fernando, Durango*San Fernando, Tamaulipas...

 Harbor. There she debarked 1,073 troops and passengers, and that same evening took departure for Manila, again accompanied by Metivier. Heavy seas and limited transportation facilities rendered debarkation difficult, the ship remaining moored in the outer harbor until the 25th, when she shifted moorings to a wrecked ship near the breakwater. Shifting again, this time to a pier to commence debarkation and embarkation, Admiral W. S. Benson commenced this task on 27 August and concluded it on the 29th, sailing with a total of 4,382 passengers. Arriving off Homonhon Island on the afternoon of the 30th to await routing instructions, Admiral W. S. Benson got underway in convoy at noon the following day, escorted by the destroyer escort and proceeding in company with the Dutch motorship Weltevreden.

Reaching Ulithi on 3 September, the transport embarked 100 Navy enlisted passengers and got underway the same evening, ultimately arriving at San Francisco on the morning of the 14th. Following voyage repairs at the Bethlehem Shipyard at San Francisco, from 17 to 26 September, Admiral W. S. Benson provisioned at the Naval Supply Depot, Oakland, before proceeding to Pier 38 at San Francisco on 27 September, where she embarked 3,495 Navy officers and enlisted passengers. On the evening of the 28th, the transport sailed for Buckner Bay, Okinawa.

Admiral W. S. Benson arrived at her destination on 11 October 1945, just two days after a typhoon had wreaked havoc there. The disruption it caused rendered it impossible for the ship to disembark her passengers in the normal fashion. That day, she received on board 140 officers and enlisted men from the minelayer , which had gone aground during the typhoon. Two days later, the situation ashore having apparently been improved to permit it, the transport began disembarking her passengers, debarking 30 officers and 613 enlisted men from Navy construction battalion (CB)

Seabee

Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...

 units. Later that morning, she also debarked Weehawkens men as well.

Due to limited housing facilities on the "beach", Admiral W. S. Benson served as receiving ship, and commenced debarking passengers on the 18th directly to various fleet units in the Buckner Bay area, transferring 951 men to 44 Mine Force units in two days.

Underway for Japanese waters on 20 October, escorted by the destroyer , Admiral W. S. Benson reached Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...

, Japan, on 22 October, and again took up her duties as a receiving ship. Departing Sasebo for Matsuyama

Matsuyama, Ehime

is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. Its name means "pine mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889....

 on 25 October after debarking replacement sailors to the ships at Sasebo, Admiral W. S. Benson sailed in company with the destroyer , and anchored at her destination on the 16th. She transferred 153 enlisted men to eight ships as replacements before she sailed for Hiro Wan, for further debarkation of passengers and transferred in the following three days 750 enlisted men and embarked 20 naval enlisted men for passage to the United States.

Underway on 30 October for Wakayama

Wakayama, Wakayama

is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.-Background:Wakayama occupies 4% of the land area and has 40% of Wakayama prefecture's population. The city was founded on April 1, 1889....

 in company with the destroyers , , and , Admiral W. S Benson reached her destination on the 31st, the passage enlivened by the sighting, and quick sinking, of a mine. Transferring men as replacements for ships in the area, the transport embarked 30 officers and 678 enlisted men before getting underway for Nagoya, escorted by the destroyer , on 3 November. Arriving the following day, the ship embarked further passengers before sailing for Okinawa on the morning of 6 November. By 6 November, all of the men she had transported from San Francisco had been disembarked, with the exception of 76 enlisted men whose points for discharge had accumulated on the outbound trip and were to return to the United States with the ship for separation.

Anchoring off Hagushi Beach, Naha, Okinawa

Naha, Okinawa

is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...

, on the morning of 8 November, Admiral W. S. Benson there embarked 246 Army officers, 3,646 Army enlisted men, making a total passenger lift (including the naval passengers embarked in Japan) of 4,752. On the morning of 10 November, the transport got underway for Seattle, Wash., at which port she arrived on 21 November. Completing the debarking of passengers on the same day, the transport shifted to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where, three days later, she commenced a period of repairs and alterations. Among the latter modifications was the removal of all of her guns with the exception of a pair of 20-millimeter guns, forward. The ship herself experienced a 30% cutback in personnel, which called for a reorganization of all shipboard departments.

As on her previous voyages to Le Havre and Marseilles, Admiral W. S. Benson sailed without passengers, bound for Okinawa on 14 December 1945. Spending her second Christmas at sea, the transport reached Buckner Bay on New Year's Day, 1946. Completing embarkation of 4,840 Army officers and enlisted men, including 75 patients, by noon on 8 January, Admiral W. S. Benson got underway for Seattle, taking a modified "great circle route" to avoid storms in the vicinity. Diverted to San Pedro en route, the ship reached her revised destination on the morning of 21 January. Shifting to a berth off Long Beach soon thereafter, the ship underwent voyage repairs at Terminal Island.

Decommissioned on 3 June 1946, and turned over to the Maritime Commission for disposal, Admiral W. S. Benson was struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

 on 3 July 1946. Transferred to the Army Transport Service, the ship was renamed General Daniel I. Sultan in honor of the late General Daniel Isom Sultan

Daniel Isom Sultan

General Daniel Isom Sultan, was an American General during World War II. He fought in the China-Burma-India theater at the last half of the war....

, USA.

After operating with the Army Transport Service as USAT General Daniel I. Sultan, the ship was reacquired by the Navy on 1 March 1950 and reinstated on the Naval Vessel Register on the same day. Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General Daniel I. Sultan (T-AP-120), the transport, operating out of San Francisco, supported United Nations operations in Korea which came as a result of the North Korean invasion in June, 1950. She sailed from Sasebo for Pusan

Busan

Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, arriving on 31 July 1950, on her first run to that new war

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. She then returned to Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, and sailed thence to San Francisco, reaching that port on 12 August.

She commenced her second trip to the Far East during the Korean War on 1 September, and conducted two additional voyages during the fall and into the winter. On one voyage, from Hungnam

Hungnam

Hŭngnam was the third largest city in North Korea.It is a port city on the eastern coast, in South Hamgyong Province, on the Sea of Japan . The city covers an area of 250 square kilometers...

 to Pusan, from 12 to 15 December, General Daniel I. Sultan carried, among her embarked troops, a Navy corpsman, Hospitalman Richard De Wert

Richard De Wert

Richard David De Wert was a hospital corpsman of the United States Navy who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Korean War.-Biography:...

, attached to the 1st Marine Division. On 5 April 1951, Hospitalman DeWert would later win the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

 while serving with Company "D", 2d Battalion, 7th Marines. The Navy would honor his heroism in naming a guided missile frigate, , in his honor three decades later.

During 1951, General Daniel I. Sultan conducted nine voyages between San Francisco, the Hawaiian Islands, Marshalls

Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...

, Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

 and the Philippines; she maintained regular service to Far Eastern and Pacific ports—in Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Formosa and the Philippines—into the mid-1960's. Highlighting this period of service was the ship's coming to the aid of the typhoon-ravaged island of Guam.

While en route from San Francisco to Japan with 1,100 Army troops on board, General Daniel I. Sultan arrived at Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...

 on 13 November 1962, in the wake of Typhoon Karen. The transport had been scheduled to drop off her regularly scheduled passengers and sail for Japan the following day, but the devastation wrought by Karen called for a change-in-plans.

While the troop passengers donned fatigues and boots and pitched in ashore, the ship stood by to provide power and light to the waterfront and ship repair facility. Thirty electricians and diesel engineers labored daily to alleviate the island's power shortage. General Daniel I. Sultan provided tools, lights, and batteries to the Naval Hospital, and spare parts and equipment to the communication station. Engineers, mechanics, burners,and welders proved instrumental in restoring the sewage system in Asan village. Power lines were restrung across the island. The ship's sick bay became a miniature hospital, while one medical team assumed obstetrics duty in the naval hospital on shore, delivering 22 babies during their stay. As part of the Navy's preventative medicine campaign, doctors and medics administered typhoid vaccine. The ship's chief radio operator and his men maintained a 24-hour schedule, handling all communications for the island as well as for the ship. They copied world news, thus enabling the ship's military department to publish a newspaper which carried news of the outside world.

During 1965, with increased American involvement in the war in Vietnam

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, the transport conducted troop lifts from San Francisco to Danang

Da Nang

Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...

, South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

, via Okinawa and Formosa. She departed her first troop lift on 2 August 1965, clearing San Francisco on that date and ultimately arriving at Danang on 28 August. Returning to San Francisco on 11 September, she conducted two more lifts before the year was out: the first to Vung Tau

Vung Tàu

Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...

 and the second to Qui Nhon

Qui Nhon

Qui Nhơn , also Quy Nhơn, is a coastal city in Binh Dinh province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of 286 km². Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2009 its population was 280,900. Historically, the commercial activities of the city...

. Over the first seven months of 1966, General Daniel I. Sultan made cruises to ports in Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Transferred to the custody of the Maritime Administration (MarAd) on 7 November 1968, for lay-up at the Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay

Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...

 reserve facility, General Daniel I. Sultan was transferred to that agency on 31 August 1969, and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

 on 9 October 1969. She was still as Suisun Bay, in the National Defense Reserve Fleet

National Defense Reserve Fleet

The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...

, into August 1987.

General Daniel I. Sultan was awarded two battle stars for her service in the Korean War.