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| Haskell-class | |
|---|---|
| Class name | Haskell-class |
| Builder | Kaiser Shipyards |
| Built | 117 |
| In service | 1944–1958 |
| Fate | many scrapped, some preserved |
Haskell-class
The Haskell-class comprised a group of Victory ship-derived United States Navy attack transports built during World War II to carry United States Marine Corps and United States Army assault forces for amphibious operations such as Battle of Iwo Jima, Battle of Okinawa, and the Invasion of Normandy (training and planning links). Designed under Maritime Commission contracts, the class bridged merchant construction practices of World War II shipbuilding with Amphibious warfare requirements to support the Pacific Theater and European Theater campaigns.
The Haskell-class evolved from the Victory ship hull form and the VC2-S-AP5 design produced by United States Maritime Commission. Development involved coordination between United States Navy Bureau of Ships, Maritime Commission, and private yards such as Kaiser Shipyards and Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. Influences included earlier Bayfield-class, Gilliam-class, and Catawba-class concepts; planners incorporated lessons from the Guadalcanal Campaign, Tarawa, and Saipan landings to improve troop accommodation, landing craft stowage, and cargo handling. Naval architects from Todd Shipyards and Western Pipe and Steel Company contributed to hull modifications, while logistic input came from Fleet Marine Force, Pacific and Commander Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet staff. Speed, reliability, and rapid production were emphasized to meet strategic demands set by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and operational planners under Admiral Ernest J. King.
Standard characteristics matched the VC2-S-AP5 design: approximately 455 feet overall length, 62-foot beam, and a draft suitable for near-shore operations as required by amphibious commanders including Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. Propulsion typically consisted of a single shaft steam turbine or reciprocating engine derived from Sun Shipbuilding and Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard components, enabling a service speed of about 17 knots—a compromise between USS Enterprise (CV-6) carrier tasking speeds and logistic convoy timelines associated with Convoy PQ operations. Displacement and cargo capacity allowed transport of a reinforced battalion and embarked equipment; the outfitting included multiple davits for LCP(L), LVT and LCVP landing craft, troop berthing for several hundred Marines or Soldiers, and armament such as dual-purpose 5"/38 caliber guns and 40 mm/20 mm anti-aircraft batteries to counter Kamikaze and air threats encountered in operations like Leyte Gulf. Communications suites integrated radios and cryptographic gear from Signal Corps and OP-20-G directives, while damage control followed standards promulgated by Chief of Naval Operations offices.
Built rapidly under emergency shipbuilding programs at yards including Kaiser Shipyards (Richmond) and North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, about 117 ships of this type entered the fleet between 1944 and 1945. Commissioning ceremonies involved naval officers and civic leaders from ports such as San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and Philadelphia. Several units performed training with Training Command, Amphibious Forces and took part in rehearsals for operations planned by Admiral Halsey and Admiral King. After hostilities, many ships performed Operation Magic Carpet repatriation runs under orders coordinated with War Shipping Administration and later served in peacetime transport, troop rotation, or reserve status under United States Maritime Administration (MARAD).
Haskell-class transports embarked assault waves for major Pacific operations, supporting landings planned by commanders such as Admiral Nimitz, General Douglas MacArthur, and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's staff. Participating in Iwo Jima and Okinawa, ships faced kamikaze attacks coordinated by Imperial Japanese Navy aviation units and screened by United States Pacific Fleet escorts including destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 23. Amphibious doctrine derived from Operation Cartwheel and Island hopping campaigns shaped employment of these transports during Leyte and Lingayen Gulf operations. Their troop deployments complemented LST and APA assets during combined operations with United States Seventh Fleet and United States Third Fleet task groups.
Some ships received postwar conversions to specialized roles by Bethlehem Steel and other yards: variants included hospital ships under Medical Corps direction, dependent transports for Naval Transportation Service, and radar picket conversions influenced by Cold War needs overseen by Naval Sea Systems Command. During the Korean War many hulls were recommissioned or reactivated from National Defense Reserve Fleet sites at James River Reserve Fleet and Hudson River Reserve Fleet for service under commanders such as Admiral Arthur D. Struble and logistical control by Military Sea Transportation Service.
A few examples entered preservation initiatives led by maritime museums like National Museum of the United States Navy, USS Midway Museum, and regional heritage organizations tied to San Diego Maritime Museum and Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Most hulls were scrapped by companies including Global Steel and yards in Brownsville, Texas during the 1960s–1970s reduction of surplus tonnage overseen by MARAD. Remaining artifacts—shipboard plaques, anchors, boats—are held by institutions such as Smithsonian Institution and local museums in ports like Portsmouth, Virginia and Seattle.
Category:United States Navy attack transport classes