Time Period: World War II through the Faubus Era (1941 - 1967) - Starting with U

USS Drew (APA-162)

The USS Drew (APA-162) was a 6,873-ton Haskell-class attack transport built in 1944 and named for Drew County, Arkansas. The Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation in Portland, Oregon, laid down the hull for the USS Drew on June 30, 1944. The vessel was launched on September 14, then commissioned on October 22, 1944, under Commander D. H. Swinson. The ship was 455 feet long and sixty-two feet wide and could reach speeds of seventeen knots. It had a crew of fifty-six officers and 490 sailors and could carry up to eighty-six officers and 1,440 enlisted men. The Drew was armed with one five-inch gun, one quad-40mm antiaircraft mount, four twin 40mm guns, and ten single-mount 20-mm AA guns. The Drew left San …

USS Eberle (DD-430)

The USS Eberle was a Gleaves-class destroyer that saw service in World War II and in the Greek navy. It is one of two ships named after Admiral Edward Eberle, a resident of Fort Smith (Sebastian County), that saw service in World War II. The keel of the ship was laid down by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, on April 12, 1939. Launched on September 14, 1940, it was commissioned on December 4 of the same year. The ship was sponsored by Mildred Eberle, the granddaughter of Admiral Eberle. The first commander of the Eberle was Lieutenant Commander Edward Randolph Jr. The Eberle was armed with four single-mount five-inch guns. (Some members of the Gleaves class had five …

USS Franks (DD-554)

The USS Franks (DD-554) was a Fletcher-class U.S. Navy destroyer named for William Joseph Franks, a Civil War sailor who received a Medal of Honor and is buried in Maple Springs (Independence County). North Carolina–born William Joseph Franks joined the U.S. Navy at DeValls Bluff (Prairie County) on September 15, 1863, and was serving as a seaman aboard the USS Marmora when that vessel sailed to the assistance of Union army troops at Yazoo City, Mississippi, on March 5, 1864. Franks and two other sailors disembarked with a cannon and opened fire on Confederate attackers, defending their gun in hand-to-hand fighting. Franks and the others received the Medal of Honor for their actions. After the war, Franks was a farmer …

USS Grant County (LST-1174)

The USS Grant County (LST-1174) was a U.S. Navy tank landing ship constructed in 1956 and named for fifteen U.S. counties, including one in Arkansas. LST-1174 was one of a class of vessels—called Landing Ship, Tank—created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels. They carried pontoons amidships that could be used to create causeways when they had to debark their cargos from deeper water, but they were capable of dropping their forward ramps directly onto a beach. The Grant County could launch 500 tons of vehicles in a dry landing and 1,500 tons if using the …

USS Hoga (YT-146)

aka: City of Oakland [Boat]
The USS Hoga (YT-146) is a Woban-class District Harbor Tug built in 1940. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 in recognition of actions during the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It later served as a fireboat, called the City of Oakland, in California before becoming part of the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock (Pulaski County) in 2015. The keel of the Hoga—named for the Sioux word for fish—was laid down on July 25, 1940, by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Corporation of Morris Heights, New York, and it was launched on December 31, 1940. Designated YT-146 (for Yard Tug), the Hoga was put in service on May …

USS Jefferson County (LST-845)

The USS Jefferson County, originally LST-845, was a tank landing ship that served the U.S. Navy in the Far East after World War II and during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. It was renamed the USS Jefferson County on July 1, 1955, in honor of counties of that name in twenty-five states, including Arkansas. LST-845 was one of a class of vessels created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels, though LST-845 could transport cargos from 1,600 to 1,900 tons. They carried pontoons amidships that could be used to create causeways when they had to debark …

USS John King (DDG-3)

The USS John King was a Charles F. Adams–class guided-missile destroyer launched in 1960 and named after John King, a U.S. sailor who was one of only nineteen men awarded two Medals of Honor for heroism. John King was born in Ireland on February 7, 1862, and joined the U.S. Navy in 1893. He received a Medal of Honor for a May 29, 1901, incident in which he averted disaster with his swift response to a boiler explosion aboard the USS Vicksburg. Eight years later, he received a second Medal of Honor for his actions in another boiler explosion on the USS Salem, in which he saved twelve seamen despite suffering severely scalded arms. King returned to Ireland after his …

USS Johnson County (LST-849)

The USS Johnson County (LST-849) was a tank landing ship constructed in 1944 for the U.S. Navy that saw service in the Pacific during World War II and the occupation of Japan. It was designated the USS Johnson County on July 1, 1955, in honor of counties in twelve states, including Arkansas. LST-849 was one of a class of vessels—called Landing Ship, Tank—created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels; when carrying a 500-ton load, LST 849 drew only three feet eleven inches forward and nine feet ten inches aft. They carried pontoons amidships that could …

USS Lafayette County (LST-859)

The USS Lafayette County (LST-859) was a tank landing ship that saw service in World War II and the Korean War. It was designated the USS Lafayette County on July 1, 1955, in honor of a Louisiana parish and counties in five U.S. states, including Arkansas. LST-859 was one of a class of vessels—called Landing Ship, Tank—created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels; when carrying a 500-ton load, LST-859 drew only three feet eleven inches forward and nine feet ten inches aft. They carried pontoons amidships that could be used to create causeways when they …

USS Lawrence County (LST-887)

The USS Lawrence County (LST-887) was an LST-542 Class tank landing ship built in 1944 that saw service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It was designated the USS Lawrence County on July 1, 1955, in honor of counties in eleven U.S. states, including Arkansas. LST-887 was one of a class of vessels—called Landing Ship, Tank—created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels; when carrying a 500-ton load, LST-887 drew only three feet eleven inches forward and nine feet ten inches aft. They carried pontoons amidships that could be used to …

USS Little Rock (CL-92, CLG-4)

The USS Little Rock (CL-92) was built as a Cleveland-class light cruiser at the end of World War II and later converted into a guided missile cruiser. The Little Rock was in service for more than thirty years until it was donated to the City of Buffalo, New York, where it is now part of the Naval Museum at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. The Little Rock was built by Cramp Shipbuilding of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its keel was laid on March 6, 1943; it was launched on August 27, 1944, and was commissioned as CL-92 on June 17, 1945. The first commanding officer was Captain William E. Miller. Too late to be deployed in the war …

USS Marion County (LST-975)

The USS Marion County (LST-975) was an LST-511 Class tank landing ship built in 1944 that saw service in World War II and the Korean War. It was designated the USS Marion County on July 1, 1955, in honor of counties in seventeen U.S. states, including Arkansas. LST-975 was one of a class of vessels—called Landing Ship, Tank—created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels; when carrying a 500-ton load, LST-975 drew only three feet eleven inches forward and nine feet ten inches aft. They carried pontoons amidships that could be used to create causeways when …

USS Moale (DD-693)

The USS Moale (DD-693) was an Allen M. Sumner–class U.S. Navy destroyer launched in 1944 and named for Edward Moale Jr., a native of Little Rock (Pulaski County). The vessel saw action in World War II and the Korean War during a nearly thirty-year career. Edward Moale Jr., was born in Little Rock on September 10, 1866, one of three sons and a daughter of professional soldier Edward Moale and Jeannie Moale. The family did not stay in Little Rock long, as federal census records show them living at Fort Dodge, Kansas, in 1870. By 1880, they were stationed at Fort Benton, Montana, and it was from that state that the younger Moale was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy …

USS Monroe County (LST-1038)

The USS Monroe County (LST-1038) was an LST-542 Class tank landing ship built in 1944 that saw service in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was designated the USS Monroe County on July 1, 1955, in honor of counties in seventeen U.S. states, including Arkansas. LST-1038 was one of a class of vessels—called Landing Ship, Tank—created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels; when carrying a 500-ton load, LST-1038 drew only three feet eleven inches forward and nine feet ten inches aft. They carried pontoons amidships that could be used to create causeways when …

USS Montgomery County (LST-1041)

The USS Montgomery County (LST-1041) was an LST-542 Class tank landing ship built in 1944 that saw service in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was designated the USS Montgomery County on July 1, 1955, in honor of counties in eighteen U.S. states, including Arkansas. LST-1041 was one of a class of vessels—called Landing Ship, Tank—created to carry tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and supplies during military operations along coastal areas. Called “Large Slow Targets” by their crews, they were designed as shallow-draft vessels; when carrying a 500-ton load, LST-1041 drew only three feet eleven inches forward and nine feet ten inches aft. They carried pontoons amidships that could be used to create causeways when …

USS Ouachita County (LST-1071)

The USS Ouachita County was a Landing Ship, Tank (LST), operated by the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War. Known as LST-1071 for most of its career, it was renamed in honor of Ouachita County, Arkansas, on July 1, 1955. The keel of the ship was laid down on February 13, 1945, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard in Hingham, Massachusetts. Launched on March 14, 1945, the ship was commissioned on April 9 under the command of Lieutenant W. C. Scott. The Ouachita County was an LST-542 class ship, which was a subset of the LST (2) class. The ships were designed to unload tanks and other heavy equipment by landing directly onshore and using large bow doors as …

USS Poinsett (AK-205)

The USS Poinsett was an Alamosa-class cargo ship that served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War. The ship was named for Poinsett County and was part of the same class as the USS Chicot, USS Craighead, and USS Sebastian, all named for Arkansas counties. Construction on the ship began on November 6, 1943, and it was launched on May 22, 1944. Constructed by Leatham D. Smith Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, the Poinsett was acquired by the U.S. Navy on January 22, 1945. It was commissioned on February 7, 1945, in Houston, Texas, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Robert Baughman. The Alamosa class consisted of cargo ships designed to deliver troops, equipment, …