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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS APc-15

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - India - Mike
NCIM

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 27 December 1943)
Bottom Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Personal Awards

Navy Cross - LTjg. Kemper Goffigon III USNR, Silver Star- SM2/c Borneman, Purple Heart - 2 KIA, MoMM2/c Siek, SK2/c Anderson, WIA 10

APc-1 Class Small Coastal Transport:

Originally planned as Coastal Minesweeper AMc-155

Laid down, 29 April 1942, at Camden Ship Building and Marineway, Camden, ME.

Launched, 8 July 1942

Commissioned USS APc-15, 27 October 1942, LTjg. Kemper Goffigon III USNR in command

During World War II USS APc-15 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Bismarck Archipelago operation Arawe, New Britain, 17 to 18 and 25 to 26 December 1943

Decommissioned, 19 March 1946 at Seattle, WA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 28 March 1946

USS APc-15 earned one battle star for World War II service

Commercial Service

Sold, 13 January 1947, to Harold A. Jones principal of Vancouver Tug Boat Co., Vancouver BC., reflagged Canada, named Gulf Trader

In 1947-1948 owned by Vancouver Freighting Co. Ltd, Vancouver BC.

Renamed La Belle II in 1948

In 1961 she was owned by Ronald Greene (Capital Iron & Metals Co.), Victoria BC.

In 1961 she was owned by Westin Harold Parry, Burnaby BC., renamed Black Trader

In 1961-1963 she was owned by William Smith (MO), Victoria BC.

In 1963-1967 she was owned by Cyril Gardner (MO), Vancouver BC.

In 1966-1973 she was owned by Francis Millerd & Co., West Vancouver BC.

In 1974-1998 she was owned by Ronald Y. McMilian (MO) Richmond BC.

Black Trader she was seen in use as a live aboard in the Fraser River delta area up until the mid 1990s

Final Disposition, reported to have sank in a Fraser River Slough in 1998 after capsizing (no record of this source of this is presently available)
*Spirce: The Nauticapedia

Specifications:
Displacement 100 t.(lt) 258 t.(fl)
Length 103' 3"
Beam 21' 3"
Draft 9' 3"
Speed 10kts.

Complement

Officers 3

Enlisted 22

Troop Capacity 66

Largest Boom Capacity 3 t.

Armament

four single 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacity

Diesel 145 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Motors 8-268A Diesel engine

two Diesel-drive 30Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

one propeller, 400shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS APc-15
	120k	USS APc-15 underway during builder's trials off Camden, ME. 6 October 1942. She is carrying only two 20mm guns on the bridge, part of the original design for the class. Two additional 20mm AA single gun mounts were added, one on a platform on the bow and one on the after end of the superstructure. US Navy photo # 19-N-38017 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives RG-19-LCM.	Tom De Mott Jr. and Shipscribe web site
	96k	USS APc-15 under way wearing an early green camouflage scheme that would date this photo to be about mid 1943. NARA Photo 80-G-52340, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Tracy White
Commercial Service
092301503	26k	*La Belle* (ex-USS APC-15) underway, date and location unknown. The Nauticapedia - La Belle, City of Vancouver Archives, AM782-6, Neg #514;	John Spivey
092301504	51k	Hulk of sunken ex-*La Belle* (ex-USS APC-15) in Deas Slough, British Columbia., date unknown	Photos by Robert Daggitt
092301505	78k
092301506	53k

There is no DANFS history available for USS APc-15 at Navsource

Commanding Officers
01	LTjg. Goffigon III, Kemper, USNR	27 October 1942 - December 1944
02	LT. Weiner, Matthew, USNR	December 1944 - 5 March 1945
03	LTjg. Minteer, William Bruce, USNR	5 March 1945 - December 1945
04	LTjg. Butler, Charles M., USNR	December 1945 - 19 March 1946


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 15 September 2023