Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Army Ship Photo Archive

USAT Ludington

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
cargo ship :
  • Laid down, 14 January 1920, as the cargo ship SS James Otis for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) at Pusey & Jones, Gloucester, N.J.
  • Launched, 24 July 1920
  • Completed and delivered to the United States Shipping Board in August 1920
  • Transferred, 1 May 1931, from the United State Shipping Board to the U.S. Army Transport Service
  • Renamed USAT Ludington in honor of Maj. Gen. Marshall I. Ludington, 21st Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army 1898-1903 and founder of the U.S. Army Transport Service
  • Commissioned, 1 August 1931
  • Assigned to the A.T.S. Atlantic Fleet with homeport at the Army Supply Base, Brooklyn, N.Y., initially servicing the New York—Canal Zone—San Francisco route
  • Ludington served as a supply ship transporting ammunition, equipment, vehicles, and rations to support U.S. Army garrisons overseas. The ship also had accommodations for horses and as such, served as an animal transport in a secondary role
  • Transferred to the A.T.S. Pacific Fleet in November 1932 with homeport at Seattle, WA., servicing the San Francisco—Honolulu—Manila route with occasional stops in the Canal Zone
  • Transferred to the A.T.S. Atlantic Fleet in August 1934 with homeport at the Army Supply Base, Brooklyn, N,Y., servicing the New York—Canal Zone—San Francisco route
  • Laid up for extensive repairs, 12 June 1936 to 4 February 1937
  • Caught fire in June 1937 in the Gulf of Mexico while carrying ammunition between New York and Cristobal, C.Z.; the crew successfully extinguished the blaze and averted disaster
  • 7 December 1941, Ludington was en route to the Philippines as part of the “Pensacola Convoy” resupply mission until ordered to sail to Australia
  • Assigned to the Navy in 1941, hull number AK-37, never commissioned or placed in service by the Navy
  • Assignment cancelled, 30 May 1942
  • Laid up, 18 February 1947, in the US National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, OR.
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 22 July 1947, to Franklin Ship Wrecking Co., Hillside, N.J. (PD-X-352 dated 7 May 1937) for $22,389.00. Delivered, 30 July 1947 to Foss Launch & Tug, agent for Franklin Ship Wrecking Co.
    Specifications:
    Displacement 8,266 gross tons
    Length 455'
    Beam 60.2'
    Draft 28.5'
    Speed unknown
    Armament two 4"/50 guns (1942)
    Complement 94
    Troopship Passenger Capacity unknown
    Cargo Capacity unknown
    Cruise Radius unknown
    Propulsion
    one steam tribune engine
    single shaft, 3,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Ludington 119k USAT Ludington moored pierside while loading cargo, circa 1930s, probably at San Francisco. Courtesy Shipscribe. com
    Ludington 103k USAT Ludington moored pierside at US Army Port of Embarkation, Fort Mason, San Francisco, 8 January 1942 Note the addition of a goalpost mast aft of the superstructure.
    US National Archives Record Group RG-111, US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 190724    		 Courtesy Shipscribe. com
    Ludington 71k USAT Ludington under way during World War II, date and location unknown.
    US National Archives Record Group RG-111, US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 238518    		 Courtesy Shipscribe. com
    Ludington 84k USAT Ludington under way with the assistance of an Army tug, date and location unknown.
    US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941 Vol.4, courtesy US Army Heritage and Education Center    		 US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941, Vol.4.
    The history for USAT Ludington is from th US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941, Vol.4
    Army Transportation Service Ship's Masters
    01CAPT. Capt. Syverson, J. A., A.T.S.14 September 1933 - 30 September 1933
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The US Army Ship Index Back To The US Army Cargo Ships Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 26 April 2019