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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS West Point (AP-23)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Whiskey - Golf - Bravo NWGB

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Defense Service Medal (with "A" device) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal

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Final Disposition, while under tow grounded and destroyed, January 1994 at Garcey Beach Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

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Specifications:
Displacement 26,455 t.(lt) 35,400 t.(fl)
Length 723'
Beam 93' 3"
Draft 32' 9"
Speed 24 kts.

Complement

Officers 57

Enlisted 912

Troop Accommodations

Officers 587

Enlisted 7,091

Largest Boom Capacity 20 t.

Cargo Capacity 400 DWT

non-refrigerated 110,243 Cu ft

Armament

four single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mounts

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eight .50 cal machine guns

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 32,100 Bbls

Diesel 525 Bbls

Propulsion

two Newport News Shipbuilding turbines

six Babcock and Wilcox "A"-type boilers, 430psi 725°

double De Laval Main Reduction Gears

four turbo-drive 600Kw 100/240 D.C. Ship's Service Generators

twin propellers, 34,000shp

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Source
Pre-War Merchant Service
092202374	61k	Newport News Shipbuilding draftsmen take off shell plate sizes from a model of the ocean liner SS America circa 1937. The measurements were necessary to order the materials for building the ship, which was delivered in July 1940. Courtesy of Newport News Shipbuilding		Tommy Trampp
	268k	SS America under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA. Photoprint by US Maritime Commission. No. 946. This record contains unverified data from caption card. Caption card tracings: WWII; Shipbuilding; Ships--AMERICA. REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA DIGITAL ID: (b&w film copy neg.) cph 3b33534 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b33534 CARD #: 2002715694		Robert Hurst
	377k	SS America launching at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA., 31 August 1939. US National Archives Identifier: 68150847 (RG-18-AA-129-22-ac)		Mike Mohl
09061046	113k	SS Stag Hound fitting out at Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA. during her conversion for naval service, 2 October 1939. In the foreground is the soon to be commissioned destroyer Russell (DD-414) fitting out and at the far pier is SS America under construction.		John Chiquoine and Rick Davis
	179k	Cover of SS America souvenir launching program		Dale Hargrave
	191k	SS America on the builders ways a few days before launching on 31 August 1939.		Dale Hargrave
	218k	SS America ready for launching on 31 August 1939 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA. Photo © Life Magazine.		Dale Hargrave
	114k	Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt Christens SS America during the launching of the ship on 31 August 1939 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.		Dale Hargrave
	262k	SS America sliding down the builders ways, 31 August 1939, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.		Dale Hargrave
	109k	SS America soon after launching, Newport News Shipbuilding, 31 August 1939		Charley Rago
	37k	SS America underway in Hampton Roads enroute to the open sea for builders trials in 1940. US Maritime Commission photo.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	130k	SS America first voyage postal cover, postmarked 14 August 1940.		Tommy Trampp
092202370	144k	SS America maiden voyage post card. 10 August 1940.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
092202371	419k	SS America breakfast menu.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
092202369	99k	SS America poster stamp published by Fred H. Dietz, New York, N.Y. Mentioned in Poster Stamp Bulletin for October 1940		Tommy Trampp
	892k	SS America underway during her maiden voyage New York to the West Indies, 14 August 1940. Photo © US Lines.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	193k	SS America arriving at New York, date unknown. Photo from "Passenger Liners of the World Since 1893" (1979) by Nicholas T. Cairis.		Tommy Trampp
	244k	SS America departing New York in 1940. Photo by John Bloke from the collection of Richard I.Weiss ©1992.		Tommy Trampp
USS West Point (AP-23)
	127k	SS America, 2 June 1941, one day after being acquired by the US Navy. Renamed West Point (AP-23), she was converted for naval service at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Newport News, VA. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo # 19-N-24561, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo, courtesy Shipscribe.com.		Mike Green
	91k	USS West Point (AP-23) underway near the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., 15 June 1941, her commissioning date. External conversion work accomplished between 2 and 15 June included repainting the ship and hanging life rafts over the promenade deck. The armament has not yet been installed. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo # 19-N-24557, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo.		Mike Green
	59k	USS West Point (AP-23) probably underway near the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.in June 1941. US Navy photo.		Jim Kurrasch Battleship Iowa Pacific Battleship Center
	61k	USS West Point (AP-23) arriving, New York from Lisbon in August 1941.		Paul Morrell
	140k	Wire Photo of Egyptian Ship SS Zam Zam survivors arriving at New York aboard USS West Point (AP-23), 1 August 1941.		Tommy Trampp
092202379	32k	Aerial starboard side view of USS West Point (AP-23) underway, 23 August 1942. Note the paravane wires trailing from the bows. Australian War Memorial ID Number: 302771		Robert Hurst
	160k	USS West Point (AP-23) arriving Pier 88 New York, circa 1941-1946. New York City photo.		Tommy Trampp
092202368	264k	USS West Point (AP-23) arriving Pier 5 New York, circa 1943, with nearly 3,000 Italian prisoners and 204 wounded Americans from Tunisia. US National Archives Identifier 138925926, a US Army Signal Corps, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News VA. photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.		David Upton
	115k	USS West Point (AP-23) underway, circa 1941-1946, location unknown.		Charley Rago
	55k	USS West Point (AP-23) sailing from Port Melbourne, Australia in February, 1943 with Royal Australian and RAAF personnel on board. Australian War Memorial, Photo No. 029707.		Mike Green
	77k	USS West Point (AP-23) photographed from USS Saratoga (CV-3), 3 March 1943. West Point called at Melbourne, Australia, on 4-6 March during a voyage from San Francisco to Bombay, India, with over 7,900 passengers on board. U.S. National Archives, RG-80-G, Photo # 80-G-36633, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.		Mike Green
	100k	USS West Point (AP-23) at anchor in San Francisco Bay, 22 April 1944. U.S. National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo # 19-N-77620, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.		Mike Green
	36k	USS West Point (AP-23) under way, 7 June 1943, location unknown.		Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
	36k	USS West Point (AP-23) under way, circa 1943, location unknown. US National Archives photo # 80-G-71251, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.		Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	51k	USS West Point (AP-23) under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo		Robert Hurst
	76k	USS West Point (AP-23) under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	113k	USS West Point (AP-23) in the harbor at Le Havre, France while loading troops from a barge, 7 April 1945.		Paul Morrell
80-G-K-5783-A	66k	USS West Point (AP-23) steams into New York harbor bound for the New York City docks, while transporting troops home from Europe, 11 July 1945. Banners hanging from her superstructure identify the following U.S. Army units (from left to right): Fifth Corps; 347th Infantry Regiment; and 87th Infantry Division. Note West Point's pattern camouflage. US National Archives photo #'s 80-G-K-5783-A, 80-G-K-5780 and 80-G-K-5778		Robert Hurst
80-G-K-5780	58k
80-G-K-5778	75k
092202380	176k	USS West Point (AP-23) docking at New York crowded with returning GIs, after a Magic Carpet - trip from Europe, circa summer 1945. Note tugs - welcome home - sign on piper in right center distance. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # 80-G-K-14554		Robert Hurst
Post-War Merchant Service
	355k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) re-entering passenger service for the United States Steamship Line as SS America departing New York on her "second" maiden voyage in November 1946.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
092202373	363k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) after re-entering passenger service for the United States Steamship Line as SS America blowing both her horns as she departed New York, circa 1946-1947. In the background is ex-USAT Virginian		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	73k	SS America departing Bremerhaven, Germany in the mid-1950s. Note the three tugs pushing the vessel - these are US-built harbor tugs, which had been sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen, after World War II and operated in and out of Bremerhaven for many years, before they were sold in the late 1960s to then Yugoslavia. As late as September 2004 one of the tugs was still in service as a crane utility vessel, in the port of Durres, Albania.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	104k	SS America underway, date and location unknown.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	114k	SS America arriving at Southampton, England, early 1960s. Photo from the Alex Wood collection.		Chris Howell, SOUTHLAND SHIP STORES LIMITED, Port of BLUFF, NEW ZEALAND
	166k	Post Card image of SS America underway.		Tommy Trampp
	622k	SS America berthed at the famous Columbus Pier at Bremerhaven, Germany in 1953. SS America shuttled regularly between New York and Bremerhaven from 1946 through 1964.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	877k	SS America berthed at the legendary Columbus Pier at Bremerhaven, Germany in 1954.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	240k	SS America moored pierside at New York, late-1950s.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	98k	SS America moored pierside at Bremerhaven, West Germany, 1 January 1958. Photo courtesy of Wusel007 (real name unknown)		Robert Hurst
	95k	SS America, New York, April 1959		© Richard Leonhardt
	222k	SS America arriving at Southampton, England, date unknown. Photo courtesy of America4094 (real name unknown)		Robert Hurst
	89k	SS America moored pierside at Bremerhaven, (Germany), circa 1960.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	259k	Post card image of SS America under way entering New York harbor, date unknown.		Tommy Trampp
	1416k	SS America cocktail bar coaster, 1960.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
092202376	140k	SS Australis moored pierside, date and location unknown.		Tommy Trampp
092202320	77k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) in the service of the Greek-owned, Chandris Shipping Line, renamed SS Australis, and Panama-flagged at anchor in August 1965.		Tommy Trampp
	154k	Chandris Shipping Lines, SS Australis docked at Piraeus, Greece the main port for Athens, in 1967. Photo by Becca-lu.		Robert Hurst
	24k	SS Australis underway, date and location unknown.		Robert Hurst
	197k	Post Card image of Chandris Shipping Line's SS Australis underway.		Tommy Trampp
	82k	Post Card image of Chandris Shipping Line's SS Australis underway.		Tommy Trampp
	182k	SS Australis arriving in the Port of Melbourne, Australia with emigrants from Europe in 1972.		Tommy Trampp
	281k	SS Australis arriving at Auckland, New Zealand in 1973. Photo by Mike Cornwall.		Chris Howell, SOUTHLAND SHIP STORES LIMITED, Port of BLUFF, NEW ZEALAND
	143k	SS Australis at Sydney, Australia in 1978. Photos by Peter Davey.		Chris Howell, SOUTHLAND SHIP STORES LIMITED, Port of BLUFF, NEW ZEALAND
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	144k
092202372	163k	SS Australis, moored pierside, date and location unknown. Photo by foundin_a_attic (real name unknown)		Robert Hurst
092202375	88k	SS Australis and SS Queen Elizabeth II, moored pierside at Cherbourg, France. Larry Driscoll collection		Tommy Trampp
	183k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) in the service of Venture Cruise Lines as SS America, 1978.		Charley Rago
	181k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) as Chandris Shipping Lines SS Italis at Genoa Italy in late 1979.		Robert Hurst
	143k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) as the Inter Commerce Corp., idled passenger liner SS Noga, laid up at anchor in the harbor at Piraeus, Greece, October 1981. She is alongside the SS Illinois (The Matson Lines ex-SS Lurline) Photo by Peter Davey.		Chris Howell
	175k	The idled passenger liner SS Noga, laid up at Eleusis, Greece, 16 July 1986. Photo by Peter J. Fitzpatrick.		Chris Howell
	61k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) as the Inter Commerce Corp., idled passenger liner SS Noga, laid probably at Piraeus, Greece, early 1980s.		Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	188k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) as Silver Moon Ferries Ltd., idled liner SS Alfredoss at anchor in Eleusis Bay, Greece in 1986. Photo source America 4094		Robert Hurst
	93k	Ex-USS West Point (AP-23) in the service of Chaophraya Development Transport Co. SS American Star, circa 1992		Charley Rago
	149k	Ex-SS American Star after running aground on Garcey Beach Fuerteventura Canary Islands in 1994. Photo taken America4094 (real name unknown).		Robert Hurst
	133k	Ex-SS American Star in March 1995, 14 months after stranding, her back is broken as she is breaking up. Photo taken Alcanizero (real name unknown).		Robert Hurst
	1354k	The forward half of the hulk of ex-SS American Star on the rocks at Fuerteventura Canary Islands. Photo taken 2 July 2004 by Wollex.		Robert Hurst
	25k	The forward half of the hulk aground at Fuerteventura Canary Islands. Photo courtesy Darren Byrne.		Robert Hurst
092202377	11k	In April, 2007 the starboard side of ex-SS American Star finally collapsed, causing the wreck to break in half and fall into the sea		Tommy Trampp
	582k	The last remains of ex-SS American Star on the rocks at Fuerteventura Canary Islands, 6 March 2010.. Photo by Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden.		Robert Hurst
092202378	180k	A propeller hub from SS America is on display in El Médano, Tenerife, Canary Islands, 2020.		Tommy Trampp

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USS West Point (AP-23)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Kelley, Jr., Frank H USN	16 June 1941 - 8 May 1943
02	CAPT. Dyer Jr., Robert A. USN	8 May 1943 - 8 April 1944
03	CAPT. Hayes, Webb C. USNR	8 April 1944 - 28 February 1946

Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
S.S. America
World War II Troopships - Record of Cruises
MARAD Vessel History Database

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Last Updated 27 October 2023