USS William Ward Burrows ( AP - 6 ) USS " William Ward Burrows " ( AP - 6 ) was a transport ship that saw service with the United States Navy in World War II . " Santa Rita " - a twin - screw , steel - hulled , passenger and cargo motorship launched in May 1929 at Copenhagen , Denmark , by Burmeister and Wain - was built for the Grace Steamship Company , Inc . , and operated between New York and ports in South America and on the west coast of the United States , carrying passengers and freight . She was acquired by the Navy on 6 February 1940 and was commissioned " in ordinary " as transport " William Ward Burrows " ( AP - 6 ) on 9 February at Pier 5 of the Norfolk Navy Yard , Portsmouth , Virginia . Converted to a troop transport at the Norfolk Navy Yard , " William Ward Burrows " was placed in full commission on 15 May 1940 , Comdr . Ross A . Dierdorff in command . Operational service . After fitting - out , " William Ward Burrows " sailed from Norfolk on her maiden voyage on 6 July and proceeded to Weehawken , New Jersey , to take on a cargo of structural steel . Departing that port on the 15th , the transport embarked a company of marines as well as a group of women and children - naval dependents - for transportation to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . After delivering her passengers , she touched at San Juan , Puerto Rico ; Cristóbal , Canal Zone ; transited the Panama Canal ; visited Balboa , Canal Zone and the California ports of San Diego , San Pedro , Vallejo ( the Mare Island Navy Yard ) ; and the Naval Air Station at Alameda , before she proceeded on to her ultimate destination of Midway Island , where she dropped anchor on 2 October . " William Ward Burrows " began , consequently , what would become a series of voyages that formed part of the belated American attempt to fortify her outposts in the Pacific - islands such as Wake , Midway , and Johnston . " William Ward Burrows " carried the pioneer construction unit - 80 men and 2 , 000 tons of equipment - to Wake Island in January 1941 , departing Honolulu the day before Christmas of 1940 and arriving at destination late in the afternoon of 9 January 1941 . " William Ward Burrows " would conduct eight more voyages prior to the outbreak of war in the Pacific , carrying construction employees , sailors , and marines , and the miscellaneous cargo necessary to sustain the outposts of the American defense system in the Pacific . On what proved to be her last pre - war voyage to Wake , the transport took westward a cargo of dynamite , as well as employees of civilian contractors and a sprinkling of Navy and Marine Corps personnel . In addition she towed " Pan American Airways Barge " No . 4 , laden with general cargo . She arrived at Wake on 11 November , disembarked her passengers , discharged her cargo , and delivered her tow before she headed back to Hawaii on the 13th . Soon after arriving , she shifted to Honolulu and embarked 33 marines , 60 sailors , and 55 civilian contractor ' s employees for transport to Wake on the 28th . Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . She got underway at 0825 on 29 November , towing PAB - 7 . The ship , herself , carried 1 , 819 tons of cargo - general supplies , lumber , " reefer boxes " ( refrigerators ) , a boat , 10 trailers , and 20 tons of gasoline in tins . Heavy seas and stormy winds prevailed for the entire passage . " William Ward Burrows " , nevertheless , plowed along at five knots with PAB - 7 in tow ; she rendezvoused with on 5 December and took on board an appendicitis patient from the Hawaii bound tug for medical attention . As the transport continued on toward Wake Island , the weather - as Commander Dierdorff observed - was " uniformly abominable " , but all hands took the rough weather well . The ship crossed the international date line on 6 December and accordingly set her calendars ahead to compensate . Unbeknownst to the solitary transport , a Japanese carrier task force was proceeding toward Pearl Harbor . On the morning of 7 December 1941 ( 8 December on the transport ' s side of the date line ) , that task force struck Pearl Harbor a devastating blow and plunged the United States into a war in both oceans . At 0705 on 8 December , " William Ward Burrows " received word of the attack . The crew was called to general quarters , the captain set air and submarine watches ; lookouts were alerted , as were the gun crews . Civilian workmen embarked on board immediately volunteered their services " in any capacity . " The next day , 9 December , " William Ward Burrows " received orders to return to Honolulu with her loaded cargo and PAB - 7 . The war news she received was grim . Pearl Harbor had been attacked and Midway shelled ( by the Japanese destroyer s " Ushio " and " Akebono " ) . False sightings of Japanese task forces here and there proliferated . Comdr . Dierdorff later recalled : " As reports came in , the general impression we gained was that most of the Nippon ese fleet was between us and Hawaii . " He was not far from the truth . Close shave at Johnston Island . On 13 December , the transport received word to take PAB - 7 to Johnston Island . Accordingly , the ship altered course and on 15 December delivered the barge — with her cargo load of " general cargo " and lumber — and embarked passengers for transportation to Hawaii . That day , at 1340 , " William Ward Burrows " ' rudder touched a 3 - fathom ( 5 m ) coral head — in an area believed to have been dredged to a safe depth of 30 feet ( 5 fm ; 9 m ) . Fortunately , the transport cleared the navigational hazard with only minor damage to the tip of the rudder . That evening , " William Ward Burrows " remained at anchor to the south of Johnston Island in an anchorage deemed safe from submarine attack . Comdr . Dierdorff posted full submarine lookouts , fully manned the bridge , and put the engine room on five minutes ' notice to get underway . Squally weather prevented his using a 40 - foot motor launch as picket . At 1810 , Ens . J . A . Peterson , USNR - the officer of the deck - sounded the general alarm ; when Comdr . Dierdorff reached the bridge , he saw that enemy ships were shelling Johnston Island from the northward , setting fire to oil storage tanks near the center of the island . One large shell struck 30 yards astern of " William Ward Burrows " , and another passed over the forecastle . Other splashes erupted from the waters between the ship and the island . Fortunately for " William Ward Burrows " and her 227 passengers - 132 of them civilians - the enemy did not see her . Knowing that his 3 - inch guns were inadequate for a surface gunfire duel with ships of unknown size , Comdr . Dierdorff wisely decided not to open fire . Favored by darkness and rain squalls , " William Ward Burrows " got underway at 1830 and escaped to the southward . By that time , the bombardment had ceased . At about 2330 , Johnston Island reported no casualties and advised " William Ward Burrows " not to return ; thus , early the next morning , the transport set course for Honolulu and home . Repairs and transport missions . " William Ward Burrows " entered drydock on New Year ' s Day 1942 for repairs to her rudder and nine days later emerged and began loading cargo destined for Midway . After embarking a draft of marines for transportation to that key atoll , the transport got underway on 18 January . She arrived five days later and began working her cargo . Two days later , a Japanese submarine boldly surfaced a mere mile away and began shelling the island . However , about three minutes later , fire from Marine Corps guns ashore drove the submarine away . The ship soon headed back to Pearl Harbor and arrived there on 3 February . Between early February and mid - March , she made two more round - trip voyages to Midway before she conducted an inter - island trip among the islands of the Hawaiian group carrying general cargo and transporting Army troops to Hilo and Maui . She next voyaged to Midway , carrying general cargo , lumber , provisions , " reefer boxes " , cable reels , and a two - ton truck while transporting naval and Marine Corps personnel . In mid - May , she returned to the west coast of the United States . Following an overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard , Vallejo , California , " William Ward Burrows " loaded to within 90 percent of her capacity , taking on board 1 , 437 tons of cargo - which included ammunition and lumber - and departed San Francisco at 1053 on 23 July . The transport arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 31st and unloaded . After taking on a different cargo , the ship sailed for the New Hebrides at 1849 on 4 August . After picking up her escort , destroyer , later that day , " William Ward Burrows " made Fila Harbor , Efate Island , on 17 August . Underway again from Efate on 26 August , this time escorted by destroyer seaplane tender , " William Ward Burrows " headed for the Solomons . Destroyer minelayer s and , and high speed transports , and , as well as SS " Kapara " joined them the next day . Aircraft kill . While passing through Indispensable Strait on the 29th , the ships received word from " Cactus " - the codename for Henderson Field , Guadalcanal - at 1105 that an enemy air raid was imminent . While the APD ' s and DM ' s deployed to provide an antiaircraft screen around " William Ward Burrows " and " Kapara " , the transport prepared for action . At 1205 - exactly an hour after the alert was broadcast from " Cactus " - a formation of Japanese planes droned overhead at 25 , 000 feet . Two minutes later , " William Ward Burrows " opened fire with her 3 - inch battery and expended 50 rounds . Seven minutes later , lookouts observed two enemy bomber s falling in flames , due to the fire from the task group . The surviving enemy aircraft soon fled , having caused no damage . Run aground at Guadalcanal . Shortly thereafter , " William Ward Burrows " proceeded to Lunga Roads , off Kukum Point , Guadalcanal , and dropped anchor . She got underway for Tulagi Harbor that afternoon but ran hard aground on the southeast end of Sylvia Reef at 1750 , only five minutes after entering the harbor channel . In an effort to get out of the predicament , " William Ward Burrows " rang down full speed astern at 1752 and attempted to use her stern anchor as a kedge ; but the ship refused to budge . " Little " passed a towline to the transport at 1904 , but darkness intervened and kept " William Ward Burrows " aground for the night . The next day , the transport passed a line to " Tracy " . The minecraft began pulling , backing with " William Ward Burrows " ' engines running full astern , but the towline parted . Meanwhile , the transport ' s crew had begun unloading equipment into lighters , in an effort to lighten the ship . Another close shave . At 1458 , lookouts spotted 18 Japanese bombers - Mitsubishi G4M " Betties " - at 22 , 000 feet . Helplessly aground , " William Ward Burrows " was in a bad situation ; but , fortunately for her , the Japanese had business elsewhere . They attacked " Colhoun " at 1512 - after she had unloaded 17 tons of stores consigned to the Marine Corps garrison on Guadalcanal - and , in two minutes , succeeded in scoring four direct hits . The luckless fast transport sank by the stern at about 1515 . At 2035 , 20 wounded men from " Colhoun " were brought on board the transport for medical attention . Reflecting later upon the incident , " William Ward Burrows " ' commanding officer , Lt . Comdr . E . I . McQuiston , concluded that , had she not run aground , his ship , too , would have been at Kukum Point and probably would have been the object of the Japanese attack . In that light , perhaps the grounding had been a blessing for the transport . On the morning of the 31st , " William Ward Burrows " once more ran up her engines at full speed astern in another attempt to free the ship . At 1100 , she went to general quarters when she received word of approaching Japanese planes - unable to maneuver and hard aground , the ship was still in a vulnerable position . Again , however , good fortune was with the ship , for the air raid never materialized . Finally , on 2 September , with the aid of patrol craft YP - 346 ( on the port quarter ) , YP - 239 ( on the starboard ) , and " Gamble " , " William Ward Burrows " at last floated free . She remained anchored off Sylvia Reef to take stock of the damage and found it light . Run aground a second time . " Gamble " , however , soon reported a submarine in the immediate vicinity , and the transport got underway to seek safety in the inner harbor at Tulagi . Unfortunately , the ship developed too much way to clear a patch of shoals , and she again grounded - this time on Southern Cross Reef . Again , " William Ward Burrows " backed engines , but to no avail . Higgins boats pulling on the port quarter and pushing on the starboard side failed to budge her . Fortunately , that time aground was shorter than the first . On the afternoon of 3 September , aided by the trusty " Gamble " and YP - 239 , " William Ward Burrows " pulled free . After being refloated from Southern Cross Reef , the transport again got underway for Kukum Point to discharge part of her cargo . She then proceeded back to Tulagi to unload the remainder . Rescue of survivors . Upon completing that task , she again headed for Kukum Point at 0545 on the 5th ; she hove to at 0756 finding all available boats engaged in picking up the survivors from " Little " and " Gregory " , APD ' s that had tangled with a detachment of the " Tokyo Express " and been sunk by the gunfire of Japanese destroyers Yudachi , Hatsuyuki , and Murakumo on the night of 4 and 5 September . As those boats passed his ship , Comdr . McQuiston invited them to come alongside and transfer the wounded to the transport . " William Ward Burrows " picked up 27 that morning and an additional 214 later , all for passage to Espiritu Santo . Various transport missions . Her task completed at Guadalcanal , " William Ward Burrows " , escorted by " Gamble " , got underway at 1858 . At 0715 on 8 September , the transport dropped anchor at Segond Channel , Espiritu Santo , and later refueled from oiler . After disembarking the APD survivors and discharging more of her cargo , " William Ward Burrows " took on passengers and light freight and pushed on independently for New Caledonia on the 12th . Reaching Noumea on the 14th , she continued her voyage through the Pacific war zone to Suva , in the Fiji Islands , in company with US Army Transport " Ernest R . Hinds " and escorted by destroyer . There , she brought on board more cargo and mail for delivery to Pearl Harbor . Again sailing in company with " Ernest R . Hinds " and escorted by light cruiser , " William Ward Burrows " made port at Pearl Harbor on 28 September . She remained at that point until 4 October loading cargo at both the Hickam Field dock and at the Navy Yard . She sailed for the Fiji Islands at 1400 that day , in company with seaplane tender and escorted by destroyer . Upon arrival at Suva on the 15th , the transport worked her cargo and , on the 18th , pushed on for Espiritu Santo where she arrived three days later . Underway for New Caledona on the 27th , " William Ward Burrows " arrived at Nouméa the following day and unloaded her passengers and mail . She tarried there until 14 November , when she pushed on for Samoa . Upon arrival , she discharged passengers and mail , picked up other passengers ; and then proceeded back to the Hawaiian Islands , arriving at Pearl Harbor on 27 November . The transport made one round - trip voyage to Midway and back before she shifted to the west coast of the United States for her second " stateside " visit since the war began . Arriving at San Francisco , California , on 2 February 1943 , she spent the next few weeks exchanging cargoes and embarking passengers . Heavy weather . She sailed for the Hawaiian Islands on 21 February , in company with transport and escorted by destroyers and . The convoy , designated Task Group 15 . 6 , ran into heavy weather on 25 February and for four days fought through mountainous seas . " William Ward Burrows " occasionally shipped water over both bow and stern and rolled very heavily in the rough seas and heavy swells , but arrived safely at Pearl Harbor on 2 March . Submarine contact . The ship devoted most of 1943 to making inter - island transport runs , traveling among the islands of the Central Pacific , especially those of the Hawaiian chain . The most dramatic incident during this period of her service occurred on 6 November as she was approaching Midway toward the end of a run from Pearl Harbor . The ship ' s steering gear failed , and she was forced to lie to off the channel entrance until repairs could be made . Meanwhile , sub chaser PC - 598 stood out of Midway to help protect the transport and joined PC - 586 at 1418 . At 2034 , PC - 598 reported picking up a submarine contact . A minute later , the transport went to general quarters . At 2040 , PC - 598 fired a floating flare to illuminate the area , and she commenced dropping depth charges a minute later . " William Ward Burrows " - underway off the coast , with PC - 586 patrolling ahead - later lost contact with PC - 598 as that vessel went off to the hunt . The next morning , with the danger passed and the steering casualty repaired , the transport entered the lagoon and began discharging her cargo . The ship remained at Midway from 8 to 10 November and soon set sail for Pearl Harbor , with PC - 586 again as ocean escort . She made one more inter - island cargo - carrying voyage before she began her third run to the South Pacific . More transport missions . Three days before Christmas 1943 , " William Ward Burrows " , escorted by PC - 549 and PC - 596 , departed Pearl Harbor with a cargo of ammunition . She traveled via Palmyra and American Samoa - transferring mail to PC - 596 on 30 December to deliver it to the port of Tutuila . The transport ultimately arrived at Havannah Harbor , Efate , at 0847 on 5 January 1944 and moored alongside the battleship . After working cargo on board the battleship between 6 and 11 January , she proceeded to Espiritu Santo , where she discharged cargo between the 13th and 15th . Made a flagship . Proceeding thence to Funafuti , in the Ellice Islands , the ship remained at that port for two days before she set her course toward Pearl Harbor and arrived there on 28 January . After repairs , the transport made two more voyages to Midway Island - completing the second on 29 April - before she became the flagship of Service Squadron ( ServRon ) 12 . ServRon 12 - dubbed " the harbor stretchers " - was a harbor development and salvage unit whose job was to clear harbors in the forward areas , making it possible to berth ships and bring supplies to the front - line areas at the earliest possible moment . Commanded by Capt . ( later Commodore ) Leon S . Fiske , ServRon 12 would play a part in the stepping - stone advance that eventually carried American forces to the Japanese home islands themselves . Underway on 16 May - in company with store ship , unclassified vessel , and minesweeper s , and - " William Ward Burrows " dropped anchor at Majuro lagoon in the Marshalls , on the 25th . Two days later , she shifted to Kwajalein , where she served into mid - July . The flagship of ServRon 12 departed Kwajalein on 15 July , bound for Eniwetok . She sailed in company with her former running - mate and sister ship , survey ship " Bowditch " ( the erstwhile Grace Liner , and escorted by destroyer , their courses set for the Marianas . On the 21st , lookouts in the ship sighted starshell and heard the sound of heavy gunfire from Saipan - probably the mopping - up operations by the American forces ashore , since organized Japanese resistance on Saipan had ceased on the 9th . " William Ward Burrows " passed near Tinian on the 22d , observing from close - hand the preparatory bombardments paving the way for the landing of Major General Harry Schmidt ' s marines that would follow two days later . Late on the 23d , " William Ward Burrows " dropped anchor in Tanapag Harbor , Saipan , where she became a base of operations for the harbor development unit and immediately began salvage and harbor development operations , providing water and stores to the various ships assigned to ServRon 12 as well as small craft from other units . Sabotage at Saipan . Her stay at Saipan was not without incident . On 30 July , shortly after midnight , a tremendous explosion rocked the area ; the concussion from the blast blew in the plywood light shields at the " William Ward Burrows " ' hatches facing the island . Japanese infiltrators had detonated a cache of 84 tons of dynamite . Boats from the ship put out to investigate , but could only ascertain that damage to the dump had been done and the guards had disappeared , probably killed in the blast . The following morning , " William Ward Burrows " disembarked a detachment of four officers and 180 enlisted men of Naval Construction Battalion ( NCB ) ( " Seabees " ) 301 to continue harbor development work at Saipan and stood out of Tanapag Harbor , bound for newly conquered Guam in company with cargo ship , landing craft repair ship , LST - 431 , and escorted by the destroyer and destroyer escort . After a one - day passage , " William Ward Burrows " dropped anchor at Apra Harbor and began unloading salvage equipment . Soon , various barges and other salvage craft were operating from alongside the transport which supplied them with water and stores as they worked on local harbor development tasks . Base ship duties . Commodore William M . Quigley , the new Deputy Commander , Forward Area , and his staff reported aboard on 18 August . The ship ' s force immediately began constructing a wooden addition to the communication office on the promenade deck , port side . In addition , a voice radio and operations office was built on the port side of the gun deck . These alterations were made to help the ship fill her new role as the ship in which the Senior Officer Present , Afloat , ( SOPA ) was embarked . " William Ward Burrows " soon resumed her work as base ship for harbor operations at Apra Harbor . She again supplied various ships and small craft with stores and water , until she detected a leak in one of her fresh water tanks . After patient searching , the ship ' s force found the affected area and soon repaired it . Shortly thereafter , Commodore Quigley and his staff disembarked and set up shop in the internal combustion engine repair ship . " William Ward Burrows " next embarked seabees and their equipment and took on board a cargo of dynamite that partially filled one of her holds . She continued the loading evolution until 2 October when she got underway in company with her escort , minesweeper . Minor damage from typhoon . Soon after they cleared the harbor , the barometer began dropping steadily - a sign of an impending typhoon . The storm developed throughout the night and struck with full force the next morning . " William Ward Burrows " plunged through the tempest , " like a sailboat between two mountains of water " , as the ships ' historian later recounted . During the morning , hands in the transport estimated that the wind velocity was at least 85 knots . Fortunately , " William Ward Burrows " suffered little damage - one life raft lost over the side - and she and " Caravan " continued their voyage . On 4 October , they joined survey ship , floating dry dock ARD - 16 , and fleet ocean tug . Altering course toward Ulithi Atoll , " William Ward Burrows " effected the necessary minor repairs to the storm damage suffered in the typhoon before she again got underway on 9 October , bound for her original destination , the Palaus . Operations at Peleliu . She hove to off Peleliu and unloaded her cargo into amphibious trucks ( DUKW ' s ) and her dynamite cargo into an LCT . Five days after her arrival , " William Ward Burrows " shifted to a position between the islands of Bairakaseru and Garakayo , where she lay to , while a survey boat from NCB - 301 took soundings of a nearby inlet in preparation for anchoring ARD - 16 . The transport eventually moved to a spot between Angaur and Peleliu and hove to for the night . During her stay in the Palaus , several air alerts occurred , giving all hands some anxious hours ; but the transport never sighted any enemy aircraft and continued her support duties , transferring navigational gear and buoys to Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender . Departing Peleliu on 23 October , " William Ward Burrows " headed back to the Marianas to resume her flagship duties for ServRon 12 . En route , " Caravan " - again her ocean escort - made a contact on what she believed was an enemy submarine and made one attack . However , she lost the contact and eventually rejoined her charge and shepherded the transport safely back to Guam . " William Ward Burrows " operated at Guam into the spring of 1945 . Invasion of Okinawa . Getting underway for the Ryukyus on 30 May , in the wake of the invasion of Okinawa , " William Ward Burrows " - escorted by minesweeper - reached that island on 3 June and entered Buckner Bay . As she steamed to her assigned anchorage , the transport came under attack from a solitary " Jill " that roared down out of the clouds . Immediately , the ships in the anchorage blanketed the sky with antiaircraft fire and sent the " Jill " crashing about 1 , 000 yards from " Burrows " ' anchorage . This proved to be only the first of almost continuous air raid " flash " alerts that would characterize the ship ' s sojourn in Okinawan waters . Five days later , she observed a kamikaze crash the destroyer minelayer , four miles away . At 1908 on 11 June , the transport - at general quarters and " on the lookout for low - flying bogies " - sighted a " Jill " or " Sonia " off her port side at 1 , 500 feet . The transport and all of the other ships in the area immediately opened fire , " engulfing the plane and vicinity with tracer fire and shell bursts . " The plane roared past " William Ward Burrows " , " Bowditch " , an LSD , and a Liberty ship , making a banking turn over the nearby Katsuren Hanto peninsula , and crashed at 1911 , about 700 yards astern of " Burrows " . The following day , the transport moved to the Yonabaru anchorage and began unloading equipment for the Seabee unit that had begun to establish camps on the beach . Air alerts continued almost ceaselessly , day or night , but unloading operations proceeded regardless . After that period of work offshore , " William Ward Burrows " got underway and proceeded to Chimu Wan , an anchorage on the northward side of Buckner Bay , and dropped anchor there on 2 July . However , twice after the ship reached that body of water , typhoons nearby forced her to get underway to seek maneuvering room in the open sea . On 19 July , for example , she sortied with LST group 35 - 16 LST ' s and two LCM ' s - and remained at sea until the morning of the 21st . Air alerts , too , continued to make life hectic almost until the end , but Japan - worn down by ceaseless Allied pressure , particularly from American seapower - indicated a willingness to surrender and accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration on 15 August . After hostilities . But for " William Ward Burrows " , however , the cessation of hostilities did not mean an end to the ship ' s work . The veteran transport participated in the occupation of the erstwhile enemy ' s homeland , continuing her vital support role between 2 September 1945 and 26 January 1946 . During that time , she successfully weathered another major typhoon in September 1945 without suffering major damage . Her task completed in the Far East , " William Ward Burrows " sailed for the United States in the spring of 1946 . Decommissioning . She reported to Commandant , 13th Naval District , for disposition on 17 March 1946 and was decommissioned on 16 May of the same year . Struck from the Navy list on 15 August 1946 , " William Ward Burrows " was delivered to the War Shipping Administration , Maritime Commission , and simultaneously delivered to the Commission ' s reserve fleet for lay up . She remained in reserve until she was sold in 1957 and scrapped . Awards . " William Ward Burrows " received four battle star s for her World War II service .