USS William J . Pattison ( APD - 104 ) USS " William J . Pattison " ( APD - 104 ) , ex - DE - 594 , was a United States Navy high - speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946 . Construction and commissioning . " William J . Pattison " was laid down as the " Rudderow " - class destroyer escort USS " William J . Pattison " ( DE - 594 ) on 4 January 1944 by Bethlehem - Hingham Shipyard , Inc . , at Hingham , Massachusetts , and was launched on 15 February 1944 , sponsored by Miss Sally McKillop . The ship was reclassified as a " Crosley " - class high - speed transport and redesignated APD - 104 on 17 July 1944 . After conversion to her new role , she was commissioned on 27 February 1945 with Lieutenant Commander Leslie W . Bennett , USNR , in command . Service history . World War II . Following shakedown training out of Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and amphibious training at Hampton Roads , Virginia , " William J . Pattison " underwent post - shakedown repairs at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery , Maine , between 20 April 1945 and 27 April 1945 . On 27 April 1945 , " William J . Pattison " departed Portsmouth , New Hampshire , bound for New York City . There she rendezvoused with the transport USS " General William Weigel " ( AP - 119 ) , and the two ships got underway on 1 May 1945 and headed for the West Indies . After a stop at San Juan , Puerto Rico , from 4 May 1945 to 8 May 1945 , the two ships continued on to the Panama Canal Zone , where they arrived on 10 May 1945 . " William J . Pattison " transited the Panama Canal on 12 May 1945 and set course for San Diego , California . Diverted en route in order to provide emergency medical treatment to an appendicitis victim on board a Liberty ship , she did not reach San Diego until 22 May 1945 . " William J . Pattison " remained at San Diego only two days before putting to sea on 24 May 1945 in company with high - speed transports USS " Begor " ( APD - 127 ) and USS " Cavallaro " ( APD - 128 ) . After a six - day voyage filled with gunnery drills and tactical exercises , the three high - speed transports arrived in Pearl Harbor , Territory of Hawaii , on 30 May 1945 . " William J , Pattison " spent the next two weeks in amphibious and underwater demolition team training in Hawaiian waters , mostly at Maui . On 13 June 1945 , " William J . Pattison " embarked 10 officers and 50 enlisted men and got underway for the Marshall Islands , in company with " Cavallaro " and SS " Cape Meares " . The three ships entered the lagoon at Eniwetok on 21 June 1945 , but on 23 June 1945 got underway again with a convoy bound for Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands . " William J . Pattison " remained at Ulithi from 26 June 1945 to 1 July 1945 , when she began the two - day voyage to Leyte in the Philippine Islands . After eight days at Leyte , she headed back to Ulithi Atoll on 12 July 1945 . In late July and early August 1945 , " William J . Pattison " made two voyages from Ulithi Atoll to Okinawa . Though both visits were somewhat enlivened by air raid alerts , she saw no action . The surrender of Japan which ended World War II on 15 August 1945 found the ship on her way from Okinawa to the Mariana Islands . Postwar . " William J . Pattison " arrived at Guam in the Marianas on 17 August 1945 and embarked Underwater Demolition Team 18 . On 20 August 1945 , she departed Guam in company with " Begor " and a group of tank landing ships ( LSTs ) to join the United States Third Fleet off Japan . " William J . Pattison " and " Begor " soon parted company with the slower LSTs and made the rendezvous with the Third Fleet on the night of 24 – 25 August 1945 . " William J . Pattison " arrived in Tokyo Bay late in the afternoon of 27 August 1945 to begin her part in the postwar occupation of Japan . On 30 August 1945 , she supported the United States Marines who occupied Yokosuka Naval Base , and her underwater demolition team unit carried out an inspection of the base ' s harbor facilities . Later , she participated in the demilitarization of captured Japanese warship s . For the next month , " William J . Pattison " steamed among various Japanese bases located throughout the Japanese Home Islands , reconnoitering to prepare for their occupation by United States Marine Corps , United States Army , or U . S . Navy men . She also helped with further demilitarization projects . On 30 September , the ship got underway on the first leg of her journey back to the United States . After stops at Guam , Eniwetok , and Pearl Harbor , she arrived back in San Diego on 22 October 1945 . " William J . Pattison " remained active with the Amphibious Force s , United States Pacific Fleet , into early 1946 , when she moved to Green Cove Springs , Florida . Decommissioning and disposal . " William J . Pattison " was decommissioned at Green Cove Springs sometime in March 1946 . She remained in reserve there with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1 June 1960 , when her name was stricken from the Navy List . On 18 January 1962 , " William J . Pattison " was sold to the First Steel and Ship Corporation of New York City for scrapping .