US Navy Auxiliary Ships: Sumter (APA-52) Class

USS Sumter (APA-52) on 8 September 1943.
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        SUMTER (APA-52)
Design:        MC C2-S-E1
Displacement (tons):        8,355 light, 12,370 lim.
Dimensions (feet):        468.75' oa, 445.0' pp x 63.0' e x 23.25' lim.
Original Armament:        2-5"/38 1-1.1"Q 18-20mm (1943: APA 52)
Later armaments:
2-5"/38 2-1.1"Q 18<20-20mm (1943-44: APA 52-54);
2-5"/38 2-40mmT 18-20mm (1944-45: APA-53, 94); 2-5"/38 2-40mmT 10-20mmT (all, 1945)
Complement:        523 (1944)
Speed (kts.):        16.5
Propulsion (HP):        6,000
Machinery:        G.E. turbine, 1 screw

Construction:

APA	Name	Acq.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
52	SUMTER	30 Apr 43	Gulf SB	3 Apr 42	4 Oct 42	1 Sep 43
53	WARREN	19 Feb 43	Gulf SB	19 Apr 42	7 Sep 42	2 Aug 43
54	WAYNE	30 Apr 43	Gulf SB	20 Apr 42	6 Dec 42	27 Aug 43
94	BAXTER	30 Nov 43	Gulf SB	18 Mar 43	19 Sep 43	15 May 44

Disposition:

APA	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
52	SUMTER	19 Mar 46	17 Apr 46	1 Aug 46	MC/D	8 Apr 47
53	WARREN	14 Mar 46	17 Apr 46	1 Aug 46	MC/D	10 Feb 47
54	WAYNE	16 Mar 46	17 Apr 46	1 Aug 46	MC/D	24 Feb 47
94	BAXTER	22 Mar 46	12 Apr 46	22 Mar 46	MC/D	24 Mar 47

Class Notes:
FY 1943 (APA 52-54), 1944 (APA-94). The C2-S-E1 was a privately designed variant of the C2 developed by the Waterman Steamship Co. It was somewhat longer than the standard C2 (468.75 vice 459 feet) and having numerous minor differences in appearance. Thirty of these ships were built, all at the Gulf Shipbuilding yard at Chickasaw, Ala., which Waterman had bought and re-opened in 1940. Six of these ships served in the Navy, including four APA's of the APA-52 class and two AF's of the AF-28 class.

On 28 Aug 42 CominCh directed the acquisition of 24 combat loaded transports and 6 combat loaded cargo ships. The Bureau of Ships, forewarned of this program on 20 Aug 42, had been told that the vessels would have to be acquired from the Army and that three quarters of them would probably be of older types. By early September the Navy planned to ask for larger ships of at least 15 knots speed and had gained the support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On 17 Sep 42 the JCS wrote to the Maritime Commission in support of the Navy request, stating that there was a need to increase the number of combat loaded transports and cargo ships, that 30 C2, C3 or equivalent hulls were needed, that these ships would be continually employed for war operations, and that they should be in addition to any ships then building for Army or Navy account. The Auxiliary Vessels Board determined on 19 Sep 42 that the only available source for these ships was the Maritime Commission building program. It identified 30 candidate C2 and C3 hulls (along with three for acquisition as AGC 1-3) and directed acquisition of the ships. On 24 Sep 42 MC confirmed that it would provide the ships. The 24 APAs (APA 33-56) were to be taken from the production lines of five yards: Western Pipe and Ingalls (C3-S-A2 design, APA 33-48), Moore (C2-S-B1 design, APA 49-51), Gulf (C2-S-E1 design, APA 52-54), and Bethlehem Sparrows Point (C3-S-A3 design, APA 55-56).

On 9 Jul 43 CominCh wrote that the known requirements for APAs and AKAs now exceeded the total numbers provided for by existing construction and conversion programs and directed that enough MC hulls be acquired to support the immediate acquisition of 8 APAs and 6 AKAs and the subsequent delivery of one APA every month and one AKA every two months. The Auxiliary Vessels Board on 16 Jul 43 identified 14 MC hulls (soon increased to 15) for conversion to APA 91-105 and 11 to become AKAs and directed their acquisition. APA-94 was the only C2 in this group.

Ship Notes:

APA	Name	MC#	Notes
52	SUMTER	474	Ex merc. IBERVILLE. Ex AP-97 1 Feb 43. Ferry commission 30 Apr-13 May 43. Converted by Maryland DD, Baltimore, Md. Merc. IBERVILLE 1946 (MC), GATEWAY CITY 1947. Converted to "cargo trailership" 1957. Scrapped 1978.
53	WARREN	475	Ex merc. JEAN LAFITTE. Ex AP-98 1 Feb 43. Delivered 97.0% complete. Ferry commission 19 Feb-10 Mar 43. Converted by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md. Merc. JEAN LAFITTE 1946 (MC), ARIZPA 1947. Converted to container ship 1965. Scrapped 1977.
54	WAYNE	476	Ex merc. AFOUNDRIA. Ex AP-99 1 Feb 43. Ferry commission 30 Apr-11 May 43. Converted by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md. Merc. AFOUNDRIA 1946 (MC), BEAUREGARD 1947. Converted to "vanship" 1958. Scrapped 1977.
94	BAXTER	483	Ex merc. ANTINOUS. Delivered incomplete. Ferry commission 30 Nov-14 Dec 43. Converted by Atlantic Basin IW, Brooklyn, N.Y. Merc. RIVAL 1946 (MC), LA SALLE 1947. Sold by MA 6 Mar 68, to buyer 19 Mar 68.