US Navy Auxiliary Ships: Frederick Funston (APA-89) Class

USS James O'Hara (APA-90) on 1 May 1943
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Class:        FREDERICK FUNSTON (APA-89)
Design:        MC C3-S1-A3
Displacement (tons):        10,967 light, 16,150 lim.
Dimensions (feet):        492.0' oa, 465.0' pp x 69.5' e x 26.5' lim
Original Armament:        1-5"/51 3-3"/50 9-20mm (1943: APA-89)
Later armaments:
1-5"/51 3-3"/50 17<18-20mm (1943: both)
1-5"/38 2-3"/50 2-1.1"Q 16-20mm (1944: both); 1-5"/38 2-3"/50 2-40mmT 16-20mm (1945: APA-89);
1-5"/38 1-3"/50 2-40mmT 12-20mm (1945-46: APA-89)
Complement:        462 (1944)
Speed (kts.):        18.6
Propulsion (HP):        8,500
Machinery:        Allis-Chalmers turbine, 1 screw

Construction:

APA	Name	Acq.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
89	FREDERICK FUNSTON	8 Apr 43	Seattle-Tacoma, Tacoma	21 Apr 41	27 Sep 41	24 Apr 43
90	JAMES O'HARA	15 Apr 43	Seattle-Tacoma, Tacoma	16 Jun 41	30 Dec 41	26 Apr 43

Disposition:

APA	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
89	FREDERICK FUNSTON	10 Feb 60	1 Jul 61	1 Nov 60	MA/R	21 May 69
90	JAMES O'HARA	14 Jan 60	1 Jul 61	1 Nov 60	MA/R	12 Jan 68

Class Notes:
No Navy FY (transferred from Army). Built under MC Military Program for Army (laid down 21 Apr 41 and 16 Jun 41, completed 28 Oct 42 and 30 Nov 42). On 26 May 41 the President directed the Maritime Commission to turn over to the Army by 30 Jun 41 seven transports of the C3 passenger type or their equivalents. On 29 Sep 41 the Acting CNO stated that six of them, along with two under construction by the Maritime Commission, were to be eventually taken over by the Navy for manning and asked the Bureau of Ships to assign hull numbers to them. They were eventually designated AP 42-49 respectively. Ultimately the Navy was only able to man AP 42-43, and the manning of AP 44-49 was deferred in Jul 41 and officially cancelled on 30 Mar 42.

On 17 Sep 41 the Joint Board approved a Navy request that the Army convert to combat unit loaded transports ten Army transports, including the future AP 48-49, then under construction. In the case of these two ships, the main alteration was the replacement on each side of the ship of four sets of boat davits each supporting two ordinary lifeboats with three sets of Welin triple-bank gravity davits each supporting three landing boats. At the same time the designed armament of 4-5"/38 DP guns was replaced with 1-5"/51 SP and 3-3"/50 AA guns. The 4-1.1" quads in the original armament were retained. The planned 5"/38 gun director was deleted, although the foundation remained. The armament of AP-48 was listed in Navy records in July 1942 as 1-5"/51. In August the 1.1" were deleted and 8-20mm were ordered located on their foundations.

Confusion over the future of the two ships became evident in May 1942 when the Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Seattle told the Bureau of Ships that a naval crew had been assigned to the ship and some personnel had reported for duty. He added that the plans under which the ship was being built provided only for a small merchant crew in Army service and forwarded a letter from the ship's prospective Executive Officer listing the many ways in which the ships failed to meet the standards for Navy manning. On 16 Jul 42 the Puget Sound Navy Yard reported to Washington that it had heard unofficially that AP 48-49 were to be operated by the Army with civilian crews and requested confirmation. After checking with the Army, the VCNO told Puget Sound on 10 Aug 42 that the Navy would not acquire the ships and that all directives issued from Washington for Navy manning of the two ships and conversion features not already implemented were cancelled. The issue of landing craft to the ships was also cancelled, although life rafts were to be supplied. The two ships were completed for the Army in October and November 1942.

The two ships were eventually transferred from the Army in April 1943 and were re-designated APA 89-90. Since they already had many features of combat loaded transports, they required relatively brief conversions, although because of their origins they did not completely conform to Navy practice for personnel accomodations, etc. They remained the property of the Army and were returned to the Army at the end of the war. The Army converted them back to civilian-manned transports for peacetime service, as had originally been intended when the ships were ordered by the Maritime Commission for the Army on 30 Sep 40. When all the large Army Transportation Service ships passed to the Navy's new Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) on 1 Mar 50, these two ships again became Navy ships with the designations AP 178-179.

Ship Notes:

APA	Name	MC#	Notes
89	FREDERICK FUNSTON	167	Ex USAT FREDERICK FUNSTON, completed and to Army 28 Oct 42. Desig. AP-48 May 41, canc. 30 Mar 42. Converted by Todd Hoboken DD, Hoboken, N.J., in April 1943. Decommissioned and returned to Army 4 Apr 46, stk. 17 Apr 46. Reacq. from Army and reclas. AP-178 1 Mar 50 (on list 28 Apr 50) for service with MSTS. To NDRF 10 Feb 60. To buyer 19 Jun 69, scrapped by 28 Jul 70.
90	JAMES O'HARA	168	Ex USAT JAMES O'HARA, completed and to Army 30 Nov 42. Desig. AP-49 May 41, canc. 30 Mar 42. Converted by Atlantic Basin IW, Brooklyn, N.Y., between 15-29 April 1943. Decommissioned and returned to Army 5 Apr 46, stk. 17 Apr 46. Reacq. from Army and reclas. AP-179 1 Mar 50 (on list 28 Apr 50) for service with MSTS. To NDRF 14 Jan 60. To buyer 6 Feb 68, scrapped by 6 Dec 68.