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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Clay (APA-39)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Echo - Alpha
NKEA

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 (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

Bayfield Class Attack Transport:

Laid down, 14 October 1942, as SS Sea Carp, a Maritime Commission type (C3-S-A2) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 274) at Western Pipe and Steel Co., San Francisco, CA.

Assigned to the Navy as Transport (AP-84)

Launched, 23 January 1943

Reclassified Attack Transport (APA-39), 1 February 1943

Acquired by the Navy, 29 June 1943 and placed in partial commission for transit to her fitting out yard at New York, CDR. Hans B. Olsen USNR (Ferry Command) in command

Decommissioned, 2 August 1943, at Todd Shipyard Hoboken, N.J. for conversion to an Attack Transport

Completed as an Attack Transport and recommissioned USS Clay (APA-39), 21 December 1943, CAPT. E. W. Abdill in command

During World War II USS Clay was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
TransRon Twelve, COMO. H.B. Knowles USN (17);
TransDiv Thirty-Five (flagship), CAPT. R.C. Bartman, and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 to 24 June 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 20 and 14 November 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 5 April 1945

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

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
5 to 14 September 1945	8 to 13 November 1945
2 to 6 October 1945

Decommissioned, 29 April 1946, at New York, N.Y.

Struck from the Naval Register, 19 July 1946

USS Clay earned four battle stars for World War II service

Returned to the Maritime Commission for disposal

Merchant Service

Sold 12 September 1946 to American President Lines, renamed SS President Johnson

Sold to Waterman Steamship Corp, 17 July 1968, renamed SS La Salle

Sold to Oceanbridge Steamship Corp., 19 January 1971

Sold to Waterman Steamship Corp., 13 November 1974

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 27 November 1974, to Swie Hong Steel Enterprise Corp., Kaohsiung Taiwan

Specifications:
Displacement 8,100 t.(lt) 16,100 t.(fl)
Length 492'
Beam 69' 6"
Draft 26' 6"
Speed 18.4 kts. (trial)

Complement

Officers - 56

Enlisted - 502

Flag Accommodation

Officers - 43

Enlisted - 108

Troop Accommodation

Officers - 93

Enlisted - 1,533

Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.

Cargo Capacity 4,700 DWT

non-refrigerated 200,000 cu. ft.

Boats

twelve LCVP

four LCM (Mk-6)

three LCP(L) (MK-IV)

Armament

two single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mounts one fore and one aft

two quad 1.1" gun mounts, aft port and starboard, replaced by two single 40mm AA gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacities

NSFO - 8,510 Bbls

Diesel - 750 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric geared turbine

two Combustion Engineering D-type boilers, 465psi 765°

three turbo-drive Ship's Service Generators - 250Kw 240V D.C.

single propeller, 8,500shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS Clay (APA-39)
	34k	*USS Clay* (APA-39)** underway, date and place unknown. US Navy photo.	US Naval Historical Center
Merchant Service American President Lines Waterman Steamship Co.
	90k	Ex-*USS Clay* (APA-39)** underway, location unknown, as the American President Lines vessel SS President Johnson, circa late 1950s early 1960s. Photo originally copyrighted by American President Lines.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
100303905	222k	Waterman Steamship Corporation"s freighter SS La Salle at anchor in South African waters, circa 1960.	Dirk Dijksman
	59k	Ex-Clay (APA-39) underway in the Malacca Strait as the Waterman Steamship Corp. vessel SS La Salle, circa 1970. Photo originally copyrighted by Airfoto Malacca.	Gerhard Mueller-Debus
	128k	SS La Salle arriving at Cape Town, South Africa, just weeks before her delivery to Taiwanese shipbreakers at Kaohsiung in November 1974. Photo from "Merchant Ships of World War II: A Post War Album 1" by Victor Young.	Robert Hurst

USS Clay (APA-39)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Olsen, Hans Hans Bernard, USNR	29 June 1943 - 2 August 1943
	Decommissioned	22 August 1943 - 21 December 1943
02	CAPT. Abdill, Everett Woolman, USN (USNA 1924)	21 December 1943 - 12 August 1944
03	CAPT. Van Bergen, Nicholas Bauer), USN (USNA 1921B)	12 August 1944 - 1 June 1945
04	CAPT. Eller, Ernest McNeill, USN (USNA 1925) :RADM	1 June 1945 - 31 October 1945
05	CDR. Simenstad, Archie Mann, USNR	31 October 1945 - 29 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 Data Base
Navy Yard New York Bayfield Class APA Conversion Model

Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page

Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index

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Back To The Transport (AP) Photo Index

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 20 October 2023