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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Fayette (APA-43)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Tango - Hotel
 NJTH
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - 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, date unknown, as SS Sea Hawk, a Maritime Commission type (C3-S-A2) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 391) at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS.
  • Launched, 25 February 1943
  • Assigned to the Navy as a Transport and renamed Fayette (AP-88)
  • Reclassified as Attack Transport (APA-43), 1 February 1943
  • Acquired by the Navy, 30 April 1943 and placed in partial commission for transit to her fitting out yard, LCDR. James H. Budd USNR in command
  • Decommissioned, 13 May 1943 at Maryland Drydock Corp., Baltimore., MD for conversion to an Attack Transport
  • Recommissioned USS Fayette (APA-43), 14 October 1943, CDR. John C. Lester in command
  • During WWII USS Fayette was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Nineteen, COMO C. D. Edgar USN (12);
    TransDiv Fifty-Five and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Marshall Islands operation
    Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 January to 5 February 1944     		Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 13 to 25 October and 14 November 1944
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 21 to 25 July 1944     		Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 13 January 1945
    Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944     		Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 6 March 1945

  • Following World War II USS Fayette was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 16 to 26 October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 6 March 1946, at Mobile AL.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 May 1946
  • USS Fayette earned six battle stars for World War II service
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 15 May 1946, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
  • Merchant Service
    Sold for merchant service in 22 July 1947, to Moore McCormack Lines, renamed SS Robin Gray
    Sold, 7 April 1971, to Verity Marine Corp., renamed SS Gray
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 24 January 1972, to Keun Hwa Iron & Steel Works & Enterprises, Kaohsiung Taiwan
    Specifications:
    Displacement 8,100 t.(lt), 16,100 t.(lim)
    Length 492'
    Beam 69' 6"
    Draft 26' 6" (lim)
    Speed 18.4 kts.
    Complement
    57 Officers
    496 Enlisted
    Flag Accommodation
    43 Officers
    108 Enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    88 Officers
    1,502 Enlisted
    Largest Boom Capacity 30 t.
    Cargo Capacity 4,700DWT
    non-refrigerated 175,000 cu. ft.,
    Boats
    12 LCVP
    4 LCM (Mk-6)
    3 LCP(L) (MK-IV)
    Armament
    two single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    eighteen single 20 mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Oil Capacity
    Navy Standard Fuel Oil 8,510 bbls.
    Diesel 750 bbls.
    Propulsion
    one General Electric geared turbine
    two Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers 465psi 765°
    double General Electric Main Reduction Gears
    three turbo-drive Ship Service Generators, 250kW 240V D.C.
    one propeller, 8,500shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Fayette (APA-43)
    Fayette 448k SS Sea Hawk under way during builders trials near her builders yard, Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS, date unknown.
    ©Ingalls Shipbuilding    		 Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Fayette 85k USS Fayette (APA 43) off the New York Navy Yard on 21 October 1943. This early Ingalls-built unit retained the rig delivered by Ingalls: a goalpost and pair of kingposts forward and a pair of kingposts and a goalpost aft.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo # 19-N-54442 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Green
    Fayette 151k Transports steam in column off Pavuvu, Russell Islands, August 1944, probably during exercises preceding the Palaus operation. Photographed from USS Fayette (APA 43), looking forward, showing her kingposts and LCVPs stowed on deck. USS Pinkney (APH 2) is leading the column, followed by USS Elmore (APA 42) and USS DuPage (APA 41). Photo by Sgt McBride, USMC, 1st Division.
    USMC photo # 94719    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Fayette 29k USS Fayette (APA 43) moored pierside, date and location unknown. Wayne VanDerVoort
    Fayette 35k USS Fayette (APA 43) moored pierside, date and location unknown. This is the same photo as above but with some crew members superimposed in the photo. Wayne VanDerVoort
    Merchant Service Moore McCormack Steamship Co.
    Fayette 251k Ex-USS Fayette (APA 43) in merchant service as Moore McCormack Steamship Co.'s SS Robin Gray, Capetown South Africa, circa 1950s
    ©M. Cassar    		 Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Fayette 168k SS Robin Gray probably off Vietnam, circa 1960s-70s.
    ©B. Rohbrecht    		 Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Fayette 207k In merchant service as the Verity Marine Corp.'s SS Gray at Durban, South Africa, date unknown
    ©Shipfoto International    		 Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    USS Fayette (APA-43)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
     LCDR. Budd, James Horgeson, USNR (Ferry Crew #4)30 April 1943 - 14 May 1943
     Decommissioned14 May 1943 - 14 October 1944
    01CDR. Lester, John Campbell :RADM14 October 1944 - 17 May 1945
    02CDR. Wilson Jr., Balch Beall17 May 1945 - 6 March 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Data Base
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Transport (AP) Photo Index Back To The Attack Transport (APA) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 17 March 2017