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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Sheridan (APA-51)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Papa - Whiskey
 NKPW
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive)
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (7)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Personnel Awards

Purple Heart (2-KIA, 6-WIA at Saipan - PhM1c Patrick W. Ryan, and S1/c Robert A. Wilder, buried at sea, 18 June, 1944
Ormsby Class Attack Transport:
  • Laid down, 5 August 1942, as SS Messenger, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 290) at Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, CA.
  • Assigned to the Navy, 5 October 1942, as the Naval Transport, Sheridan (AP-96)
  • Launched, 10 October 1942
  • Reclassified Attack Transport (APA-51), 1 February 1943
  • Commissioned USS Sheridan (APA-51), 31 July 1943, CDR. John J. Mockrish, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Sheridan was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
    TransRon Thirteen, COMO. M.O. Carson USN (16);
    TransDiv Thirty-Seven and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Gilbert Islands operation
    Tarawa, 20 to 24 November 1943     		Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945
    Marshall Islands operation
    Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, Roi Island, 31 January to 8 February 1944     		Manila Bay-Bicol operation
    Zambales-Subic Bay, 29 to 30 January 1945
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 to 22 June 1944
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 22 to 28 July 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 5 April 1945
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 20 October and 18 November 1944     		 

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

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    2 September to 7 October 19452 September to 7 October 1945
    8 November to 8 December 19458 November to 8 December 1945

  • Decommissioned, 5 March 1946, at Mobile, AL.
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 7 April 1946, for disposal
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 12 April 1946
  • USS Sheridan earned seven battle stars for her World War II service
  • Sold by the Maritime Commission for commercial service, 24 October 1947, to the United States Lines, renamed SS Pioneer Sun, subsequently renamed SS American Scientist
  • Final Disposition, damaged by explosion and scrapped in 1969
    Specifications:
    Displacement 13,910 t.(fl)
    Length 459' 3"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 24'
    Speed 16.5 kts.
    Complement
    42 Officers
    478 Enlisted
    Troop Capacity
    91 Officers
    1,474 Enlisted
    Boats
    two LCM(3)s
    twenty-two LCVPs
    two LCPUs
    Cargo Capacity 2,700 DWT
    non-refrigerated 150,000 Cu ft.
    Armament
    two single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts
    four twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO 8,900 Bbls
    Diesel 675 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one General Electric geared drive turbine
    two Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers, 450psi 750°
    double General Electric Main Reduction Gears
    three turbo-drive 250Kw, 240V D.C. Ships' Service Generators
    single propeller, 6,000 SHP
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Sheridan
    Sheridan
    19-N-50851    		 70k USS Sheridan (APA-51) off the Mare Island Navy Yard on 1 September 1943.
    US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo Nos. 19-N-50851 and 19-N-50852, US Navy Bureau of Ships photos now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Mike Green
    Sheridan
    19-N-50852    		 69k
    Sheridan 59k Stern view of USS Sheridan (APA-51) off San Francisco, 1 September 1943.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6223-43    		 Darryl Baker
    Sheridan 75k Broadside view of USS Sheridan (APA-51) off San Francisco, 1 September 1943. Notice that her boat davits are empty.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6225-43    		 Darryl Baker
    Sheridan 68k Bow on view of USS Sheridan (APA-51) off San Francisco, 1 September 1943.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6227-43    		 Darryl Baker
    Sheridan 94k Amidships looking forward plan view of USS Sheridan (APA-51) at San Francisco, 3 September 1943.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6286-43    		 Darryl Baker
    Sheridan 74k Aft plan view of USS Sheridan (APA-51) at San Francisco, 3 September 1943.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6288-43    		 Darryl Baker
    William P Biddle 106k USS Rixey (APH-3) in a floating drydock on the Wellington, N.Z., waterfront, 27 October 1943. USS William P. Biddle (APA-8), USS Harris (APA-2) and USS Sheridan (APA-51) are riding at anchor in the harbor and destroyers USS Anderson (DD-411) and USS Russell (DD-414) are nested pierside. All units are in continuing TF53 exercises and drills for the coming assault of Tarawa in November. Both destroyers were part of TF 53 that provided escort screen for the attack transports heading for Tarawa, screened heavier battle units as they shelled Betio Island in support of the landings, and provided additional fire support for the attack transports as they collected Marine casualties.
    Photo from the Museum of Wellington City and Sea, Wellington, New Zealand.     		David C. Hoover
    Sheridan 51k USS Sheridan (APA-51), date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo, US Naval Institute Proceedings, December 2001 issue    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Sheridan 113k USMC casualties from the invasion of Saipan aboard USS Sheridan (APA-51) bound for Hawaii, 4 July 1944. Marine reserve bugler Oscar Ackleson is in the top bunk with PFC John Martin below. Behind PFC Martin is Cpl Jimmy Comedy and below him is PFC Francis Giol. It is believed this is in one of the staterooms at the lower level of the superstructure due to the view through the portholes.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-283795, a US Navy photo now in the custody of the National Archives, College Park, Maryland.    		 Tracy White
    Sheridan 54k USS Sheridan (APA-51) pierside, date and location unknown. Louis R. Perez
    Sheridan
    100305114    		 142k USS Sheridan (APA-51) getting underway in San Francisco Bay, 26 June 1945.
    U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 107717    		 Robert Hurst
    Sheridan
    100305115    		 274k Aerial view of USS Sheridan (APA-51) off the Hunters Point Navy Yard, San Francisco, CA., 6 July 1945.
    U.S. Navy Hunters Point Navy Yard photo 9666-45-S4.    		 Robert Hurst
    Sheridan 175k USS Sheridan (APA-51) anchored at Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone, circa early January 1946.
    Photograph by Robert K. Wilmes.    		 Dan Wilmes for his father Robert K Wilmes MM3
    Merchant Service United States Lines
    Sheridan 161k Ex-USS Sheridan (APA-51) underway as the United States Lines freighter SS American Scientist. (Originally copyrighted by ©Alex Duncan.) Gerhard Muller-Debus
    Sheridan
    100305113    		 367k Stern view of the United States Lines freighter SS American Scientist moored pierside at Boston , MA., July 1963.
    ©Donald Stoltenberg 1963    		 Richard Rabbett
    USS Sheridan (APA-51)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Mockrish, John Joseph, USNR31 July 1943 - 29 August 1944
    02LCDR. Gallagher, John Howard, USNR (XO acting CO)29 August 1944 - 30 August 1944
    03CDR. Guthrie, Allen Herschel (USN Ret.), (USNA 1912)30 August 1944 - 27 October 1944
    04CAPT. Wiedorn, Paul Hollister. USN27 October 1944 - 16 February 1946
    05LT. Conlin, Paul Francis, USN16 February 1946 - 5 March 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
    USS Sheridan APA-51
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    USS Sheridan (APA-51) Action Report - Gilbert Island Operations "Battle of Tarawa", Report On.
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 26 May 2023