SS President Taylor President Taylor was a cargo — liner , ex " President Polk " , ex " Granite State " , requisitioned for war service in December 1941 and allocated by the War Shipping Administration ( WSA ) to the U . S . Army and operating as a troopship in the Pacific Ocean in World War II when grounded and eventually lost on 14 February 1942 . Civilian career . " Granite State " was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation for the U . S . Shipping Board and launched 7 March 1921 for U . S . Lines North Atlantic service 1921 - 1922 . She burned to the main deck in 1924 . She was transferred 1923 , and renamed " President Polk " of Dollar Lines for worldwide trade , transferred 1938 to American President Lines and renamed " President Taylor " in 1940 accommodating 128 passengers . World War II . " President Taylor " was requisitioned for war service , placed under WSA control and allocated to the United States Army in December 1941 . She was re - fitted for use as a troop carrier in San Francisco in December 1941 . Her initial voyage as a troopship was a round trip from San Francisco to Honolulu and back . The ship left San Francisco for the Philippines on 31 January 1942 , under the command of Captain A . W . Aitken . Wreck on Canton . " President Taylor " , taking part in an effort to reinforce islands considered vital to protect communication lines with Australia , carried two companies of infantry and two battalions of coast artillery , about 1 , 100 men , for the Canton ( Kanton ) Island garrison . During that operation , possibly due to loss of an anchor while landing troops and equipment by means of shallow draft craft from outside the lagoon , the ship was firmly grounded on the coral reef . The ship was eventually a loss despite extensive efforts to re - float and save her . The grounded ship was unloaded under difficult conditions and salvage attempts made with first " Taney " and " Seminole " dispatched later joined by " Navajo " and by " Argonne " on 12 April 1942 with a salvage expert , LCDR Curtiss , being flown to the island . " Argonne " , a large ship of 8 , 400 tons displacement , embarked salvage equipment along with supplies and munitions for the island , sent salvage crews aboard " Taylor " before leaving to return to Pearl Harbor 5 May . As of 22 February neither salvage nor offloading had been effective due to weather and extra barges for offloading were not due for about two weeks . No progress had been made by 24 February and " Robin " was sent towing a large and three small lighters to assist in unloading with arrival noted on 5 March along with an estimate of three weeks to re - float " Taylor " . By 10 March some progress was reported but effort to free the ship were unsuccessful and prospects to do so described as " most unfavorable . " By 22 March the salvage units had been ordered to return awaiting a decision emerging from a meeting with salvage specialists . After the meeting on 1 April an order from CinCPac to COMSERFORPAC 3 April directed an expedition to salvage " Taylor " . On 2 May the effort to salvage " Taylor " was abandoned with the effort seen as good experience and an indication to the vessel owners that the Navy would make the attempt . In 1952 the remains of the ship were sold to North Coast Corporation , and scrapping began in 1954 .