USS Hanover

USS Hanover (APA-116) was a Bayfield-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946. In 1947, she was sold into commercial service. The ship was scrapped in 1972.

USS Hanover (APA-116), 20 February 1946
History
United States
Name	Hanover
Namesake	Hanover County, Virginia
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	Unknown
Launched	18 August 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Stanley M. Bebler
Commissioned	31 March 1945
Decommissioned	11 May 1946
Renamed	Hawaiian Wholesaler, Ventura.
Fate	Scrapped, 1972.
Notes	MC Hull No. 878. Type C3-S-A2.
General characteristics
Class and type	Bayfield-class attack transport
Displacement	8,100 tons, 16,100 tons fully loaded
Length	492 ft (150 m)
Beam	69 ft 6 in (21.18 m)
Draft	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Propulsion	General Electric geared turbine, 2 x Foster Wheeler D-type boilers, single propeller, designed shaft horsepower 8,500
Speed	18 knots
Boats & landing craft carried	12 x LCVP, 4 x LCM (Mk-6), 3 x LCP(L) (MK-IV)
Capacity	4,500 tons (180,500 cu. ft).
Complement	Crew: 51 officers, 524 enlisted Flag: 43 officers, 108 enlisted. Troops: 80 officers, 1,146 enlisted
Armament	2 × single 5 inch/38 cal. dual purpose gun mounts, one fore and one aft. 2 × twin 40mm AA gun mounts. 2 × single 40mm AA gun mounts. 18 × single 20mm AA gun mounts.

History

Invitation to the Commissioning Ceremony of the U.S.S. Hanover, 31 March 1945

Hanover was launched under Maritime Commission contract by Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi, 18 August 1944, loaned to the Navy and simultaneously commissioned 31 March 1945.

After conducting a brief shakedown cruise off Galveston, Texas, Hanover arrived Gulfport, Mississippi, 3 May 1945 and began loading Marines and SeaBees for transportation to the Pacific. She got underway 6 May and sailed to Pearl Harbor, carrying out training operations en route. After her arrival 24 May, the ship unloaded her troops for further transfer and until 6 June took part in underway training operations in Hawaiian waters. She then sailed for San Francisco in company with other transports, and just before reaching California was diverted to Portland, Oregon, where she arrived 19 June.

Hanover got underway 1 July for Eniwetok Atoll, an important Pacific staging area, expecting to take part in the final assault on Japan. Arriving 14 July, she sailed in convoy 3 days later, bound for Ulithi. The ship remained at this base briefly, using the rest and recreation at Mog Mog island, which is a part of the Ulithi atoll. Troops stayed in bunks that were 6 bunks high. For a few hours a day, a group of troops would exercise on the main deck, then it was back below deck so others could exercise.

She stopped in Manila, Philippines. She was soon bound for Okinawa, where she arrived 12 August 1945. Hanover unloaded replacement troops on that battle-scarred island, and after the close of the war prepared to take part in the occupation. One of the Army officers that had been exercising his troops a few days before, went into the caves on Okinawa and was killed. Some Japanese refused to surrender at the end of the war.

After hostilities

After embarking Army units, Hanover sailed 5 September for Jinsen, Korea, to aid in the occupation, and unloaded her troops three days later. The transport returned to Okinawa 14 September but was soon forced to stand out to sea to ride out the great typhoon of September 1945, see the 1945 Pacific typhoon season. During the typhoon, a ship with electric propulsion had to be towed to keep facing into the winds. The ship propellers would come out of the water at the top of the wave, causing the electric motors to overspeed, which repeatedly tripped the electric circuit breakers. That ship was unable to forward motion and steering and was at risk going boardside to the winds and waves, and of rolling over and sinking. The Hanover was near but did not help with the towing the ship in distress. After the severe weather subsided, Hanover returned to Okinawa and loaded troops for the occupation of China. She arrived Taku 30 September to help stabilize the troubled situation there and aid in the consolidation of the area by Nationalist forces.

USS Hanover APA116 with Chinese Nationalists loading in South China in October or November of 1945

Operation Magic Carpet

Hanover's next assignment was with the Operation Magic Carpet fleet, bringing home American troops from the Pacific.

While traveling alone, a new sailor was assigned to manually adjust the water make up valve to control the water level. However, the valve was overhead, and the handwheel was below an overhead valve. As the water level in the boiler started to go low, the sailor turn the wheel counter-clockwise (intending to open the valve). But instead he shut off the water, and the ship lost all steam power, propulsion, and steerage. It was a completely silent, sunny clear afternoon. It took hour to light off the boiler and develop enough steam to spin the water pumps, fans, and generators to restore operations.

She spent five days and nights in the fog while approaching Seattle, Washington. The radar image did not resemble the charts of the shoreline. The image showed the land at about 60 foot elevation above sea level (the height of the radar transmitter receiver Feed horn). The ship radioed shore for help in verifying its location. The shore-based radio operators said they could not help. The ship's radio operator instructed the shore operators and the ship's location was established. Later she sailed down the coast and up the river to Portland, Oregon.

She arrived San Francisco on her last voyage 6 February 1946, and was ordered to steam via the Panama Canal. One morning about 4 AM, the Officer of the Deck woke the Captain to show him a crystal clear mirage of a beautiful harbor. The ship steamed on to Norfolk, Virginia, where she arrived 9 March.

Before the war, many radio operators on the Hanover had been lawyers. In combat areas there were always 5 radio operators listening on 5 different radio frequencies and translating the Morse code signals to characters. Some of the lawyer radio operators were assigned put some of the radar parts in a wooden crate and to nail a wooden lid; the officer returned 10 minutes later and found the crew was betting on who would be able to drive the first nail; that set of lawyers could not hammer a nail; the officer hammered the nail with every strike of the hammer and the lawyers were amazed.

The ship decommissioned on 11 May 1946 and was returned to the Maritime Commission the next day.

Commercial service

The Hanover was purchased by Oceanic Steamship Company in 1947. In 1965 traded to Matson and renamed Venturea No.3. In 1970, she was sold and renamed Entu. The ship was finally scrapped in Taiwan in 1972.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Navsource Online: USS Hanover (APA-116)