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USS Admiral R. E. Coontz (AP-122)
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Namesake
Robert Edward Coontz —born in Hannibal, Mo., on 11 June 1864—graduated in the Naval Academy Class of 1885, and served in the screw sloops-of-war Mohican and Juniata, the screw steamer Galena, and the protected cruiser Atlanta before he received his ensign's commission in 1887. He assisted in the development of the first modern signal code used by the Navy, and served in Alaskan waters and on the Great Lakes.
Duty in the Bureau of Navigation, correcting and updating officer records, followed. During this time, he worked toward the formulation of legislation favorably affecting junior officers. Coontz later served with the Coast and Geodetic Survey; and, in the cruiser Charleston, took part in the seizure of Guam and the bombardment of Manila during the Spanish-American War.
After returning home he began almost a decade of sea duty, interrupted only by a brief tour with the Bureau of Equipment. As executive officer of Nebraska (Battleship No. 14), he took part in the cruise of the "Great White Fleet" from 1907 to 1909.
Duty at the Naval Academy led to the office of Commandant of Midshipmen. Following service in the Bureau of Inspection and Survey he became Governor of Guam in April 1912. After exercising "efficient and enlightened" leadership in that island possession, Coontz assumed command of Georgia (Battleship No. 15), and saw expeditionary service in Mexican and Haitian waters during 1914.
As commandant of the Puget Sound Navy Yard and the 13th Naval District from 1915 to 1918, Coontz won the Distinguished Service Medal. Becoming acting Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in December 1918 while Admiral William S. Benson was on special duty in London, Coontz assisted the General Board in preparing a plan for a possible international navy under the League of Nations to maintain world peace. Given command of a battleship division in January 1919, Coontz supported the July 1919 flight of the NC flying boats across the Atlantic. After serving as Commander, Battleship Division 6, Pacific Fleet in September and October, Coontz became Chief of Naval Operations on 1 November 1919. During his tour as CNO from 1919 to 1925, Coontz achieved much despite the rapid demobilization of the Navy in the postwar years. He improved the organization and management of the Navy Department, and he strengthened the position of CNO in relation to the bureau chiefs. He realized the importance of aviation and submarines to the fleet, and advocated establishment of the Naval Research Laboratory in 1921. Under his direction a combined United States Fleet was formed. In the words of one biographer, Coontz "effectively encouraged experimentation and supported change, despite the constraints of the budget, politics, and the national mood." Following his term as CNO, Coontz became Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet. Maneuvers in Hawaiian waters in 1925 were the largest ever conducted by the assembled fleet. In the fall of 1925, Coontz became Commandant of the 5th Naval District and commanding officer of the Naval Operating Base, Norfolk. Following his retirement in 1928, Coontz was recalled briefly to active duty in 1930 to investigate Alaskan railroads. He became national commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1932 and, that same year, represented Alaska at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Coontz died on 26 January 1935 in the naval hospital at Bremerton, Wash.
US Navy photo # 364 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command. |
Bill Gonyo |
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Admiral R. E. Coontz (AP-122) launching, 22 April 1944 at Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard Inc., Alameda, CA. |
Russ Padden
Mike Smolinski |
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USAT General Alexander M. Patch
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Namesake
Alexander McCarrell Patch, Jr., born 23 November 1889 at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., graduated from the U.S. Military Academy 12 June 1913 and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. Prior to World War I, he served in Texas and Arizona; and from June 1917 until May 1919 he joined the 18th Infantry in France participating in the Aisne-Marne, St. Mihel, and Meuse-Argonne Offensives. During the next 20 years he was stationed at various posts in the United States. Assigned to the 47th Infantry at Fort Bragg, N.C., in August 1940, he was promoted to Brigadier General 4 August 1941. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he assumed command of Allied forces in New Caledonia 12 March 1942, and on 8 December he relieved General Vandegrift, USMC, on Guadalcanal and took command of composite American forces operating against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands. He returned to the United States in April 1943 and assumed command of the IV Corps. In March 1944 he was designated Commanding General of the 7th Army in Sicily. Promoted to Lieutenant General 7 August 1944, he served with the 7th Army in France. He then took command of the 4th Army in July 1945 and died 21 November while on duty at Fort Sam Houston, Tex.
U.S. Army Photo |
Bill Gonyo |
USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122)
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) berthed at Bremerhaven, Germany, circa 1950. Note; she is still wearing her US Army Transportation Service colors. |
Gerhard Mueller-Debus |
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) entering New York harbor, 14 June 1950. Note; she is still wearing her US Army Transportation Service colors.
US Navy photo # 80-G-476456 |
Robert Hurst |
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Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division
from Fort Benning, GA. march to pier at embarkation pier at New York, 5 May 1951, to board USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) for duty with
Atlantic in Europe. General Alexander M. Patch was one of two transports used to transport the Division to Europe.
AP Wirephoto |
Tommy Trampp |
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The first units of the 4th Infantry Division
to disembark from USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) (background), 27 May 1951, stand on the dock at Bremerhaven, Germany. |
Tommy Trampp |
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) slides past the piers at Brooklyn Army Base headquarters of the Military Sea
Transportation Service, Atlantic Area, on her way to Europe with troops and military dependents, 3 September 1952. |
Tommy Trampp |
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) under way, date and location unknown.
U.S. Navy photo |
Nicholas Tiberio and
Ramon Jackson |
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) under way, date and location unknown.
US Navy photo |
Robert Hurst |
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) under way, date and location unknown. |
William Zarkas, Retired MSC Boatswain
President, MSC Retiree Association |
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) under way, date and location unknown. |
Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret. |
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USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) entering the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, circa 1965.
U.S. Navy photo |
Nicholas Tiberio and
Ron Titus,196th Light Infantry Brigade |
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Four MSTS Atlantic Fleet transports in Ready Reserve at Caven Point Army Depot, New York, circa early 1967. The ship in the right foreground is USNS General Simon B. Buckner (T-AP-123), with USN General William O. Darby (T-AP-127) on the far side of the pier. Ahead of them respectively are USNS General Alexander M. Patch (T-AP-122) and USNS General Maurice Rose (T-AP-126).
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US Navy photo # NH 104181 from the Military Sealift Command collection at the US Naval Historical Center. |
US Naval Historical Center |
