USS Joseph T . Dickman ( APA - 13 ) USS " Joseph T . Dickman " ( APA - 13 ) was a " Harris " - class attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II . Early career . " Joseph T . Dickman " was built as " Peninsula State " for the United States Shipping Board by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden , New Jersey , in 1921 and 1922 . She began transatlantic service for United States Lines in 1922 , and soon afterward in May was renamed " President Pierce " . In August 1922 the ship was renamed " President Roosevelt " , a name she carried during her many years of passenger service . In January 1926 , " President Roosevelt " was involved in the rescue of the crew of the British cargo ship ship that foundered in the Atlantic Ocean in January 1926 . George Fried , the " Roosevelt " s captain , was given a ticker - tape parade in Manhattan in honor of his heroism . In the summer of 1928 , the American Olympic Team sailed on the SS " President Roosevelt " to compete in the Ninth Olympiad in Amsterdam , Holland . Military career . Taken over by the War Department in October 1940 , she was named " Joseph T . Dickman " and converted to a troopship by Atlantic Basin Iron Works of Brooklyn . The ship was subsequently transferred to the Navy 27 May 1941 and further converted to Navy use at New York Navy Yard . She commissioned at the Navy Yard ( as AP - 26 ) on 10 June 1941 , Lt . Comdr . Charles W . Harwood , USCG , in command . The new transport got underway 26 June 1941 for Hampton Roads , and until August she took part in amphibious training exercises off Onslow Beach , N . C . After these important landings , which helped develop the tactics and equipment to be used later with such great success , " Joseph T . Dickman " returned to New York 14 August . She then moved to Boston for further conversion , remaining there until 1 October . Stores were loaded at Norfolk , Virginia in October , after which the transport proceeded to Halifax to load British troops . With five other troop ships she departed 10 November 1941 on the long voyage to India . While the ship carried these British reinforcements , the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the war 7 December 1941 . " Joseph T . Dickman " arrived Bombay via Trinidad and Cape Town 27 December 1941 and debarked troops . Departing 10 January , she retraced her steps to New York , arriving 28 February 1942 for the installation of new boats and lowering equipment . After leaving the yard in April the ship underwent tests in Hampton Roads before departing 11 May for transport duties in the Caribbean . She stopped at San Juan and Bermuda to debark troops before returning to Norfolk 27 May 1942 . " Joseph T . Dickman " carried further reinforcements to Caribbean bases in June , and spent July on amphibious exercises in Chesapeake Bay . Training and additional conversion to increase her boat capacity continued into October , when the ship prepared for Operation Torch , the invasion of North Africa . As part of the Western Naval Task Force , " Joseph T . Dickman " got underway from Norfolk 24 October to take part in the first amphibious invasion ever launched across an entire ocean . Arriving in the transport area of Fedhala early 8 November , she began the debarkation . She remained off shore until German submarine attacks forced her seaward 12 November . As the successful invasion was consolidated , however , " Joseph T . Dickman " entered Casablanca harbor 15 November and completed unloading . Two days later she was underway for Norfolk , arriving 30 November 1942 . After embarking troops and taking on cargo , " Joseph T . Dickman " departed 27 December 1942 for the Pacific via the Panama Canal . She stopped at Nouméa and Brisbane before sailing for Norfolk again , where she arrived 10 March 1943 . During this voyage , on 1 February 1943 , the ship was reclassified APA - 13 . The veteran troopship departed 10 May 1943 for North Africa , in preparation for the invasion of Sicily . She arrived Mers el Kebir 23 May and , after landing rehearsals , got underway with the invasion fleet from Algiers 6 July . As a part of Rear Admiral Hall ' s Gela landing force , she arrived off the beaches 10 July and began the long process of debarkation . Next day she suffered minor damage fighting off German bombing attacks , damaging at least three of the attackers with her accurate gunfire . With the invasion quickly successful , the ship was underway for Algiers 12 July for more exercises . The next major amphibious operation in the campaign to regain Italy was slated for Salerno ; and , after training , " Joseph T . Dickman " arrived off the beaches with Hall ' s Southern Attack Force 9 September . Rockets from an LCS attached to the ship helped clear the way for the first wave of boats , and , after receiving near misses from shore batteries , the transport debarked her troops and returned to Mers el Kebir . As the battle to consolidate the beachhead began , " Joseph T . Dickman " returned with reinforcements to Salerno 6 October . She made two other follow - up voyages from Africa to Italy , the final one with over 1 , 000 French troops . The ship sailed 30 November 1943 for Norfolk by way of Scotland . Upon her arrival 1 January 1944 , the ship underwent battle repairs ; and , after embarking troops , sailed 11 February 1944 for Glasgow . During the next few months the ship was engaged in intensive training for the giant Normandy invasion , scheduled for June . Sailing from England 5 June , she arrived off Utah Beach early the next day and landed her troops without a mishap . On the afternoon of D - Day , she steamed to Portland with casualties , later making a shuttle voyage to the beaches 14 June as troops moved inland to liberate France . Upon arriving Mers el Kebir 10 July 1944 , " Joseph T . Dickman " began preparations for still another landing , this time in southern France . After exacting training operations , she sailed from Sicily 13 August 1944 , arriving off the Delta Force beaches next day to debark her troops . After smooth and skillful unloading , she steamed to Naples , arriving 17 August . In the weeks that followed , " Joseph T . Dickman " made five follow - up voyages to southern France from Mediterranean staging points as the Allies pressed northward . The veteran ship sailed from Mers el Kebir 25 October for the United States , arriving Boston 8 November . " Joseph T . Dickman " , after taking part in every major amphibious operation in the European - African theater . Now turned her attention to the Pacific . Pacific War . She sailed 24 January 1945 with troops for Guadalcanal , arriving via Espiritu Santo 12 February . There she began training operations for the invasion of Okinawa . From 21 – 27 March the transports made final preparations at Ulithi , sailing the latter date for the last and greatest of the Pacific invasions . The troops stormed ashore 1 April , but the transport remained off the beaches helping to ward off air attacks while unloading cargo until 9 April . She then sailed to Saipan , and continued to Pearl Harbor , where she anchored 25 April 1945 . " Joseph T . Dickman " arrived at San Francisco with veterans 30 May . After two troop voyages to Pearl Harbor , the ship remained at the Navy Yard there for conversion to a casualty evacuation ship for the projected invasion of Japan . Emerging 10 August , she was en route to San Francisco when the fighting ended 14 August 1945 . " Joseph T . Dickman " then sailed for the Philippines 24 August ; and , upon arrival in Manila 17 September , took on American and Allied soldiers who had been prisoners of the Japanese for transportation to the United States . Coincidentally , four British enlisted men came on board , who after 3½ years in a prison camp were returning to the United States on the same ship which had carried them from Halifax to Bombay in 1941 . The ship reached San Francisco 16 October . Assigned to Operation Magic Carpet , " Joseph T . Dickman " made a voyage to Pearl Harbor , returning to Seattle 2 December 1945 . She moved south to San Francisco 13 January 1946 . The ship steamed to Suisun Bay in March , decommissioned 7 March , and was returned to the Maritime Commission 22 January 1947 , who transferred her to the National Defense Reserve Fleet , Suisun Bay , Benicia , California . She was sold on 9 January 1948 to the Kaiser Co . for scrapping .