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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Adair (APA-91)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Zulu - Uniform - Golf
 NZUG
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)
Windsor Class Attack Transport:
  • Laid down, 28 July 1943, as SS Exchester a Maritime Commission type (C3-S-A3) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 594) at Bethlehem-Sparrow Point Shipyard, Sparrow Point, MD.
  • Launched in 1944
  • Commissioned USS Adair (APA-91), 15 July 1944, CAPT. Samuel Pancoast Comly Jr. in command
  • During World War II USS Adair was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Fifteen, CAPT. W.S. Popham USN (14);
    TransDiv Forty-Four, CAPT. J. H. Seyfried USN and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 11 to 12 January 1945     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 5 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS Adair was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    16 to 26 October 194516 to 30 December 1945

  • Decommissioned, 30 April 1946, at Norfolk, VA.
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 3 May 1946, for disposal
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 8 May 1946
  • USS Adair earned two battle stars for her World War II service
  • Merchant Service
    Sold, 23 May1947, to American Export Lines, Inc., New York, N.Y. renamed SS Express
    American Export Isbrandtsen Lines, Inc., renamed SS Express, 8 June 1964
    Sold to Mutual Steamship Operating Co., 6 February 1970, renamed SS Press
    Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 22 May 1970 to Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp., Taiwan
    Specifications:
    Displacement 7,950 t.(lt), 13,143 t.(fl)
    Length 473' 1"
    Beam 66'
    Draft 25'
    Speed 18.6 kts.
    Complement
    53 Officers
    502 Enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    91 Officers
    1,423 Enlisted
    Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.
    Cargo Capacity 1,600 DWT
    non-refrigerated 150,000 Cu. ft.
    Armament
    two single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    two twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO 12,330 Bbls
    Diesel 675 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one Bethlehem geared turbine
    two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 450psi 750°
    double Falk Main Reduction Gears
    three turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    single shaft, design shaft horsepower 8,000
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Adair
    100309105    		 58k USS Adair (APA-91) in Chesapeake Bay, off Norfolk, VA., 17 July 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 3D.
    U.S. Navy photo # 19-LCM-APA91-1    		 Robert Hurst
    Adair 95k USS Adair (APA-91) near the Norfolk Navy Yard, 15 August 1944. In this and later ships of this class, the pair of Welin davits located near the bow in the first two ships of the class was omitted.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo No. 19-N-71987, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Green
    Adair 101k USS Adair (APA-91) underway, circa 1944, location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Hurst
    Adair
    100309107    		 105k S1/c D.R. Nobles, with acute appendicitis being transferred from USS Canfield (DE-262) to an LCVP from USS Adair (APA-91) for surgery, date and location unknown.
    Photo from Flickr via U.S. National Archives    		 John Spivey
    Adair
    100309108    		 79k Captain Comly inspects the crew of the USS Adair (APA-91) while underway, 14 April 1945.
    Photo from Flickr.com via scomly    		 John Spivey
    Adair 119k USS Adair (APA-91) at anchor, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from the 1946 cruise book.    		 Bill Gonyo
    Adair
    100309106    		 142k USS Adair (APA-91) anchored off San Francisco, CA., circa late 1945. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 21.
    U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 78165    		 Robert Hurst
    Adair 114k Sketch of USS Adair (APA-91) by Chief Quartermaster Russell Gibbs USN USS Adair (APA-91) Joseph S. Cooper with the permission of Russell Gibbs
    USS Adair (APA-91)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Comly Jr., Samuel Pancoast15 July 1944 - 23 July 1945
    02CAPT. Lee, Clarence Vaille23 July 1945 - 1946
    02CDR. Daix, John R.1946 - 30 April 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 10 January 2025