USS William P . Biddle ( APA - 8 ) USS " William P . Biddle " ( APA - 8 ) was a that served with the US Navy during World War II . Initially laid - down for the British government as " War Surf " , the ship that ultimately became known as " William P . Biddle " was completed in 1919 as the single - screw , steel - hulled freighter " Eclipse " . Built by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation , of Alameda , California , under a United States Shipping Board contract , the former " War Surf " was requisitioned by the United States government before she was delivered to the United Kingdom and thus never actually carried her British name . Commercial career . After a period of about 10 years under the ownership of the Shipping Board , " Eclipse " was acquired by the Baltimore Mail Steamship Company , of Baltimore , Maryland , in about 1930 . Reconstructed at the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , Kearny , New Jersey , to the lines drawn up by the noted naval architect firm of Gibbs & Cox , " Eclipse " was lengthened by 46 ' 6 " ; accommodations were installed for 81 tourist - class passengers ; and the ship was re - engined to give her a substantial boost in power and speed . Renamed " City of Hamburg " , the steamship performed passenger , fast freight , and mail service between the terminal ports of Baltimore , Hampton Roads , Le Havre and Hamburg with the Baltimore Mail Steamship Company from 1938 to 1939 , when the United States government refused further subsidies for the firm ' s international operations . " City of Hamburg " was acquired by the Panama - Pacific Line and renamed " City of San Francisco " in 1939 , and she operated between New York and San Francisco until acquired by the Navy on 13 November 1940 . World War II . Simultaneously placed in commission " in ordinary " as " William P . Biddle " ( AP - 15 ) , at Oakland , California , with Capt . Campbell D . Edgar in command , the ship was taken in hand for extensive conversion at the Moore Dry Dock Company , of Oakland . Over the ensuing months , the erstwhile passenger - cargo vessel was transformed to a transport , with the dockyard workers sometimes putting in 24 - hour shifts . " William P . Biddle " - now sporting the peacetime Navy gray - was ultimately placed in full commission on 3 February 1941 . That day , Capt . Frank A . Braisted broke his broad command pennant in the ship as Commander , Troop Transports , Base Force . Shifted to the Mare Island Navy Yard , Vallejo California , soon thereafter , " William P . Biddle " underwent further alterations there through mid - February . She ran her post repair trials in San Francisco Bay on the 21st and , two days later , shifted to San Diego , California , where she embarked marines of the 7th Defense Battalion , USMC . The transport then departed San Diego on 27 February , bound for the Hawaiian Islands . Transport missions . After a two - day layover at Pearl Harbor , " William P . Biddle " got underway at 1040 on 9 March . An hour later , she joined the light cruiser ( with Commander , Cruiser Division 3 embarked ) - her escort for the voyage to Samoa . On the 15th , the two ships arrived at Pago Pago , where " William P . Biddle " disembarked 24 officers and 405 enlisted men of the composite infantry - artillery unit that was the first unit of the Fleet Marine Force to serve in the Southern Hemisphere during World War II . After fueling " Concord " at Pago Pago , " William P . Biddle " and her escort sailed for the Hawaiian Islands on the 20th . The transport then spent three days at Pearl Harbor before pushing on for the west coast arriving at San Diego on 4 April . She subsequently took part in maneuvers off San Clemente Island , conducting landing exercises at Pyramid Cove , into May . Meanwhile that spring , plans to reinforce the Fleet Marine Forces of the Atlantic Fleet for the possible occupation of Martinique were proceeding apace . On 24 May , General Thomas Holcomb , the Commandant of the Marine Corps , drew upon the manpower resources of the 2nd Marine Division , selecting the 6th Marine Regiment ( Col . Leo D . Hermle , USMC , in command ) for " temporary shore duty beyond the seas . " Brought up to strength by drafts from the 2d and 8th Regiments , and joined by reinforcing tank , artillery , and service elements , the 6th Marine Regiment embarked in " William P . Biddle " , as well as transports and , plus high speed transports , , , and . " William P . Biddle " took on board 27 officers and 497 enlisted men from the 6th and 2nd Defense Battalions , USMC , while moored at the Long Pier , Destroyer Base , San Diego . At 1826 on Memorial Day 1941 , the transport , flying Commodore Braisted ' s pennant as ComTransBaseFor , departed San Diego , bound for that duty " beyond the seas . " En route , " William P . Biddle " fueled " Little " and arrived at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal at 2048 on 9 June . Less than an hour later , " Stringham " transferred five officers and 51 enlisted marines from " K " Company to the transport before she began the transit of the canal . " William P . Biddle " passed through the last set of locks - Pedro Miguel - shortly before midnight on the 9th and moored at Cristóbal at 0512 on the 10th to take on fuel . Reinforcements to Iceland . Slipping out to sea at 2211 from Limon Bay , Cristobal , in company with sister ships " Fuller " and " Heywood " and escorted by the venerable " flush - deckers " , destroyers and , " William P . Biddle " sailed for Charleston , South Carolina , the assembly point for an expeditionary force . While the ships were en route , however , changes in the ultimate disposition of the troops had occurred . Late that spring , British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had come to President Franklin D . Roosevelt with a request for assistance . Britain , feeling that her back was to the wall , wanted the United States to send troops to Iceland . In response to this request , the President turned to the Navy and discovered that a reinforced infantry regiment , the 6th Marines earmarked for possible expeditionary duty , was already en route from the west coast - a tailor - made Iceland occupation force . The most probable mission for these marines had been either the seizure of Martinique or the occupation of the Azores . However , intelligence indicated that Germany was about to invade Russia . As a result , President Roosevelt suspended the planning for the Azores operation and instead decided to assume the guardianship over Iceland . Meanwhile , " William P . Biddle " and her consorts continued on their voyage from San Diego . The transports cleared the canal and turned north , then passed the western end of Cuba , and arrived at Charleston on 15 June . The next day , the 1st Marine Brigade ( Provisional ) came into existence , with Brigadier General John Marston in command . Six days later , with the last of the equipment loaded , the convoy sailed for Newfoundland . " William P . Biddle " - as part of the convoy now escorted by a strong contingent of escorts ranging from battleship s to destroyer s - anchored in Placentia Bay , Argentia , on 28 June . On 1 July , the government of Iceland issued an invitation for the United States to land troops ; and , by dawn on the 2nd , the convoy was en route to conduct the landing on the strategic island in the North Atlantic . " William P . Biddle " arrived at Reykjavík on 7 July and commenced disembarking the 3rd Battalion , 6th Marines . Hitler had ordered his U - boat s to spare American shipping ; but the Americans - unaware of this German policy - hurried to unload the four transports and two accompanying cargo ships . Since there was little local labor , the marines furnished the working parties . Round - the - clock effort was immeasurably aided by the nearly 24 hours of daylight prevalent at that time of year . The landing was completed by 11 July , and " William P . Biddle " and her consorts soon sailed for home leaving the 1st Marine Brigade ( Provisional ) to establish the base that would be their home on the bleak , treeless island for the next eight months . " William P . Biddle " arrived at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 22 July for post - voyage repairs and upkeep . She then made one more voyage to Iceland , departing Norfolk on 14 August and arriving at Staten Island , New York , the next day . There , she embarked Army troops at the beginning of September and got underway on 5 September , arriving at Reykjavík on the 16th . US enters the war . Departing Iceland on the 25th , " William P . Biddle " arrived at the New York Navy Yard on 6 October . After repairs there , the transport headed south and arrived at Hampton Roads on 23 October . She operated in Lynnhaven Roads and Hampton Roads , training in amphibious warfare tactics and techniques until 17 January 1942 . During that time , tensions in the Pacific had reached their peak when a Japanese carrier force attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and pushed the United States over the brink of a rapidly eroding neutrality into war . The transport departed Norfolk on 17 January 1942 , arrived at the Army docks at New York the next day , and remained in the New York area until shifting back to Norfolk at the end of the month . For the rest of that winter , the ship carried troops - taking marines to San Juan , Puerto Rico , and Army troops to Guantanamo Bay - before entering the Norfolk Navy Yard on 1 March for reconversion . " William P . Biddle " received an augmented antiaircraft battery and new davits to accommodate more up - to - date landing craft before she departed the yard on 15 April . Operation Torch . She trained in the Chesapeake Bay area from 16 April to 13 October before getting underway for North Africa on 24 October as part of Operation Torch , the first major American combat landing in the European - African - Middle Eastern Area . The transport sailed as part of Task Group ( TG ) 34 . 9 , the " Center Attack Group " - commanded by Capt . Robert Emmett - which consisted of a dozen troop transport s and three cargo ships . Embarked in the transports were the Army ' s 3rd Infantry Division , the 1st Battalion of the 67th Armored Regiment , and assorted special units . There were 19 , 810 men riding in those ships , along with 79 light M3 Stuart tank s . The task assigned TG 34 . 9 was a pivotal one , since it was to be launched against the key port of Fedhala , to the northeast of the seaport of Casablanca , on the coast of French Morocco . " William P . Biddle " arrived off the Casablanca - Fedhala sector at 0011 on 8 November , heaving - to in the transport area and hoisting out her boats and tank lighters . At 0445 , the first troops began storming ashore . By 1513 , men in " William P . Biddle " noted that the American flag had been raised over the beachhead . " Landing craft sunk " . The transport continued her unloading evolutions into the following day , a slow process due to lack of boats and lighters , many of which had become stranded on the beaches by the low tide . While the ship herself saw little action , four of her landing boats did . Carrying 113 officers and men of a Headquarters Military Police ( MP ) company , those four craft set out for Beach " Yellow " at about 0400 on the 11th . Two blundered into French waters off Casablanca where a French patrol craft raked the boats with machine gunfire , killing the MP company commander in the fusillade . Both American craft sank , and the survivors were taken prisoner . The other two boats returned to the ship in the forenoon and reported the fate of their less fortunate sisters . The lost landing craft had carried three officers and 84 men . " Sinking of transport ship USS Joseph Hewes " . When planes of unknown nationality appeared later that day , the transport group - taking no chances - fired at them and " William P . Biddle " contributed her share of fire . Unloading operations proceeded over the ensuing days , until French resistance ceased . On the 11th , German u - boat torpedo es struck the transport , the oiler , and the destroyer . " Joseph Hewes " sank at 2050 , and boats from " William P . Biddle " rescued one officer and 12 men , brought them aboard the transport , and berthed and clothed them . " Three more transport ships sunk " . The next day , when the transports , and were torpedoed , " William P . Biddle " ' s boats again participated in rescue efforts and later landed survivors at Fedhala . After shifting to the secured port of Casablanca to unload more cargo on the 16th , the transport set course for the United States the next day . Her performance during Operation " Torch " had been impressive , eliciting praise from Commander , Transport Division 1 and Commander TG 34 . 9 . The latter , Capt . R . E . M . Emmet remarked simply : " The " Biddle " has developed into a smart ship . " Reclassified and upgraded to an attack transport . " William P . Biddle " reached Hampton Roads on 30 November and received repairs and alterations at the Norfolk Navy Yard between 6 and 17 December ; fueled at Craney Island , and shifted to local Army embarkation piers on the 18th to embark the men and gear of Construction Battalion 40 ( Seabees ) . Standing out of Hampton Roads two days after Christmas of 1942 as part of TF 39 , " William P . Biddle " headed south ; transited the Panama Canal on 3 January 1943 ; and made port at Nouméa , New Caledonia , on 27 January . Pushing on two days later , the ship then called at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides from 3 to 5 February before she headed for home . During that period , on 1 February , " William P . Biddle " was reclassified an attack transport , APA - 8 . " William P . Biddle " soon headed home . She retransited the Panama Canal on 24 February , steamed north via Norfolk , and arrived back at New York on 11 March . In keeping with her new designation , the ship entered the Todd - Erie Basin Yard , Brooklyn , New York , to be overhauled and outfitted as an attack transport . Alterations were made from 12 March to 21 April to the ship ' s armament and to her boat equipment to enable her to function better in her new role . Departing New York on 24 April , " William P . Biddle " stood into Norfolk harbor the following day , where , in the ensuing days , she embarked Army troops at the Army port of embarkation . Departing Norfolk on 8 June , the attack transport headed once more for the Mediterranean . Invasion of Sicily . " William P . Biddle " arrived at Oran on 22 June and trained off that port in amphibious exercises on the 24th and 25th . Soon thereafter , she joined the veritable Allied armada bound for Sicily , that strategic island on the " toe " of the Italian " boot . " " William P . Biddle " , as part of Task Force ( TF ) 85 under the overall direction of Rear Admiral Alan G . Kirk , formed part of TG 85 . 2 , Attack Group 2 , attached to Transport Division 5 . Together with attack transports and , transport , attack cargo ship s ) and , and five LST ' s , " William P . Biddle " landed troops at landing area " Cent " , the easternmost beachhead established on 10 July , and then troops , supported by naval gunfire , pushed inland . By 17 August , when Allied forces entered the city of Messina , Sicily was secured . " William P . Biddle " , however , did not see the end of the campaign ; she sailed from Scoglitti on 12 July and reached Oran on the 15th . There , she took on board German and Italian prisoners of war for transportation to the United States , departing Oran on the 22nd bound for Newport News , Virginia . Making port on 3 August , the attack transport remained in the Tidewater area only briefly before getting underway for the west coast . Gilbert Islands campaign . Embarking Marine Corps units at Guantanamo Bay on 28 August , en route , " William P . Biddle " shifted to Panama on the 30th to pick up Army troops , transited the canal , and arrived at San Diego on 9 September . Then , after taking on stores and provisions at San Francisco between 12 and 20 September , the attack transport headed for the Hawaiian Islands . After a brief respite in Hawaiian waters , " William P . Biddle " departed Honolulu on 1 October and arrived at Samoa on the 8th . Three days later , the attack transport sailed for New Zealand and arrived at Wellington on the 18th . She conducted landing exercises with marines at Hawkes Bay , New Zealand , between 20 and 22 October - to prepare for the upcoming landings at Tarawa - before returning to Wellington . The attack transport departed that port on 1 November , transporting units of the 2nd Marines , bound for Efate , the staging area for the assault on the Gilbert Islands . After staying at Efate from 8 to 13 November , the ship sortied for Tarawa on the 13th as part of TF - 53 . " William P . Biddle " and her sister transports closed the target atoll while the ships that would provide gunfire support for the landings blasted Japanese positions ashore from 16 to 19 November , " softening up " the island for the landings . On 20 November , the first troops began heading ashore with the 2nd Marine Division landing on Betio Island in the face of stiff resistance . During the early phase of the landings , at 0550 on the 20th , Japanese shore batteries had opened fire on the transports ; five shells had fallen near " William P . Biddle " , shrapnel wounding one man . At 0558 , the transports then moved out of range of the guns . After bitter fighting , the marines had established a small beachhead by sundown . By 1130 on the 23d , Betio was secured ; five days later , Major General Julian C . Smith announced that the remaining enemy forces on Tarawa had been wiped out . The assault , however , had cost 990 marines killed and 2 , 296 wounded . The Japanese fought , literally , to the last man : 4 , 690 men drew their last breath for their emperor on Tarawa . Soon thereafter , having delivered her mottle - garbed marines to the beaches of Tarawa , " William P . Biddle " departed the Gilberts and paused briefly at Pearl Harbor on 2 December on her way to the west coast . Invasion of the Marshalls . Arriving at San Diego on the 13th , the attack transport remained in the vicinity of the southern California coast for the remainder of 1943 and into mid - January 1944 , embarking elements of the 4th Marine Regiment and dividing her time between a dry - docking at San Diego and amphibious exercises off San Clemente Island . " William P . Biddle " subsequently embarked marines at San Diego and departed that port on 13 January 1944 bound for Hawaii . She refueled at Lahaina Roads , off the island of Maui , before she proceeded on to the Marshall Islands . On " D day " , 31 January , the attack transport arrived off the beachheads to see the glowing fires set by the shore bombardment of the supporting heavy ships off shore . During the initial stage of Operation Flintlock , " William P . Biddle " was the first transport to be 100 percent unloaded . After departing the Marshalls on 4 February , the attack transport went to Funafuti in the Ellice Islands and remained there from 9 to 13 February . Solomon Islands campaign . Following a rest at anchor off Nouméa from 19 February to 8 March , " William P . Biddle " commenced an extended series of movements that ultimately took her to Guadalcanal on 11 March , Tulagi on 12 March , Kwajalein on 4 April ; back to Guadalcanal with the marines of the 22nd Division embarked on 13 April ; to Cape Gloucester , New Britain , on 28 April with Army troops of the 40th Infantry Division ; to the Russells with the 1st Marine Division on 3 May ; to Tulagi on 4 May ; and to Guadalcanal on the 10th . From 10 May to 3 June , " William P . Biddle " conducted exercises in the Solomons , preparing for the upcoming push against Guam . With the 1st Battalion , 22nd Marines , embarked , " William P . Biddle " departed the Solomons on 4 June and arrived at Kwajalein four days later . From that island , the transport sortied on the 12th to serve as a floating reserve for the Saipan operation . When it became evident that her services would not be required in that operation , " William P . Biddle " was released from those duties on 3 July and retired to Eniwetok in the Marshalls . Departing Eniwetok on 17 July , " William P . Biddle " turned her bow toward the island of Guam . She arrived in the transport area off the town of Agat , Guam , at 0615 on 21 July . She took part in the initial assault landings there , putting ashore a major part of Combat Landing Team 1 , 22d Regiment , 1st Provisional Marine Brigade , with their equipment , on Beach " Yellow One " , immediately south of Agat , on the west coast of Guam . She took on board casualties from the fighting ashore on 21 July , later transferring patients to attack transports and before she departed the transport area on the 25th , bound for Eniwetok where she arrived four days later . Invasion of Leyte . After periods at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard and at Honolulu , " William P . Biddle " returned again to Eniwetok on 25 September before she ultimately shifted to Manus , in the Admiralties , to prepare for the ship ' s sixth major combat operation - the return to the Philippines and the invasion of the island of Leyte . Attached to transport group " Baker " ( TG 79 . 4 ) of the Southern Attack Force , " William P . Biddle " transported and landed elements and equipment of the Army ' s XXIV Corps on Beach " Blue One " on the east coast of Leyte . She arrived in her assigned anchorage in the transport area at 0840 on 20 October and soon hoisted out her boats and lowered them . By 0855 , all of her boats were waterborne . The ship then assisted other amphibious assault ships in the vicinity - attack transports and , transport , and attack cargo ship , lending her boats to assist those ships in unloading . Although two enemy planes had been sighted near the transport area during the frequent air raid alerts , they were out of range and neither the ships nor her boat ' s guns were fired . The only casualties suffered by the ship were three men wounded by shrapnel and one by wounds suffered when a mortar projectile hit the LCVP in which he was serving . Leaving Leyte behind on 24 October , " William P . Biddle " shifted to Hollandia , Dutch New Guinea , arriving there four days later . After embarking elements of the 346th Harbor Craft Company and the Army ' s 673d Machine Gun Battery at Hollandia , the transport shifted to Morotai , where she spent five days , from 5 to 10 November , loading 304 tons of cargo - rations , organizational gear , and vehicles - and elements of the 310th Bomb Wing , USAAF . " William P . Biddle " departed Morotai on the 10th , arrived at Leyte three days later , and anchored off the east coast of the island . A solitary " Jill " had attacked her formation east of Leyte Gulf , but gunfire from landing ship vehicle splashed the intruder before he could do any damage . After landing those resupply units in the San Jose , Leyte , area , " William P . Biddle " shifted , in succession , to Manus from 20 to 27 November , Cape Gloucester , New Britain , from 28 November to 10 December , and back to Manus from 11 to 16 December , before she conducted training operations at Lae , New Guinea , from 16 to 21 December . " William P . Biddle " subsequently returned to Manus where she spent the last 10 days of the year . Invasion of Luzon . With troops from the 1st Battalion , 185th Infantry , 40th Division ( Reinforced ) , USA , embarked , " William P . Biddle " sailed from the Admiralties on 31 December 1944 , bound once more for the Philippines . This operation would be the last combat operation in which the ship would participate in World War II , the landings at Lingayen Gulf , Luzon . Arriving in the transport area at 0712 on 9 January 1945 , " William P . Biddle " commenced debarkation of her troops at 0745 ; but , two minutes later , an enemy plane attacked the formation of transports . " William P . Biddle " ' s after 40 - millimeter Bofors mount flung out 72 rounds ; during that time , the surrounding ships opened fire as well . During the attack , two of the ship ' s crew , in exposed gun stations , were wounded by shrapnel , probably from " friendly " gunfire thrown up at the attacking plane . " William P . Biddle " completed debarking her assault waves by 0905 and finished unloading the cargo and troop working parties at 1740 . At 1815 , the attack transport got underway and retired from the area , bound for Leyte . " William P . Biddle " called at Leyte from 6 to 7 February , Mindoro from 9 to 10 February , and Leyte from 12 to 15 February , before she arrived at Pearl Harbor on 18 March . Her Hawaiian stop was only a brief one for , after 14 months continuous duty outside the continental United States , " William P . Biddle " was San Francisco bound on 21 March . Training and transport missions . After a yard availability at the Moore Dry Dock Company , Oakland , from 29 March to 1 June , " William P . Biddle " conducted refresher training out of San Diego before she returned via San Francisco to Pearl Harbor on 5 July . Shifting to Honolulu on the 6th , the attack transport subsequently got underway within a week , on 12 July , for the Marshalls . After a brief stop at Eniwetok on the 21st , the ship pushed on for Ulithi , arriving there on the 25th , for a one - day layover on her voyage to the Philippines . Arriving at Leyte on the 28th , " William P . Biddle " departed that island on 4 August , with casualties and patients - both Army and Navy - embarked . Arriving back at Ulithi on 8 August , " William P . Biddle " was at sea when news of the Japanese capitulation came through . She subsequently arrived at San Pedro on 26 August . After hostilities . " William P . Biddle " operated between the Philippines and the west coast of the United States into the autumn , transporting Army and Navy replacements , casualties , and separatees , as part of the Operation Magic Carpet fleet . Putting into San Pedro on 13 December 1945 , " William P . Biddle " brought her active transport career to a close . Decommission . On 3 January 1946 , after several moves between west coast ports , the veteran attack transport got underway from San Pedro and headed for the east coast . After transiting the Panama Canal soon thereafter , " William P . Biddle " arrived at Norfolk on 9 February and was placed out of commission there on 9 April 1946 . Struck from the Navy List on 5 June 1946 , " William P . Biddle " was turned over to the Maritime Commission at Lee Hall , Virginia , on 19 July 1946 . Placed in the reserve fleet in the James River , " William P . Biddle " remained there until she was towed away and scrapped in 1957 . Awards . " William P . Biddle " earned seven battle star s for her World War II service .