USS Earle B . Hall ( APD - 107 ) USS " Earle B . Hall " ( APD - 107 ) , ex - DE - 597 , was a United States Navy high - speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946 , 1950 to 1957 , and 1961 to 1965 . Construction and commissioning . " Earle B . Hall " was laid down as the " Rudderow " - class destroyer escort USS " Earle B . Hall " ( DE - 597 ) by Bethlehem - Hingham Shipyard , Inc . , at Hingham , Massachusetts , and was launched on 1 March 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . William Thomas Hall , the mother of the ship ' s namesake , Aviation Machinist ' s Mate Earle B . Hall . The ship was reclassified as a " Crosley " - class high - speed transport and redesignated APD - 107 on 17 July 1944 . After conversion to her new role , she was commissioned on 15 May 1945 with Lieutenant Commander E . J . Haddon , USNR , in command . First period in commission , 1945 - 1946 . " Earle B . Hall " departed Norfolk , Virginia , and reached San Diego , California , on 17 August 1945 , two days after the end of World War II . She embarked 90 men for passage to Pearl Harbor , Territory of Hawaii , on 12 September 1945 . She arrived at Okinawa on 28 September 1945 . While her boats were being converted for shallow - water minesweeping , she carried passengers and minesweeping gear from Buckner Bay , Okinawa , to Sasebo , Japan , and through the Bungo Strait . In December 1945 , her boats were returned , and with them , she moved to Wakanoura Bay , below Osaka , Japan , arriving there on 14 December 1945 . There she provided logistics support for her boats , sweeping magnetic mine s in the shallow waters of the Inland Sea , particularly the major port of Kobe , Japan . " Earle B . Hall " put to sea on 25 February 1946 , and called at Eniwetok , Pearl Harbor , and San Francisco , California , on her way to Boston , Massachusetts , where she arrived on 9 April 1946 . She was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Mayport , Florida , on 27 September 1946 . Second period in commission , 1950 - 1957 . Recommissioned on 7 December 1950 , " Earle B . Hall " departed Jacksonvile , Florida , on 19 December 1950 , for her home port , Norfolk , Virginia . After refresher training , she departed Norfolk on 29 May 1951 for a three - month northern cruise , supplying such outposts as Grønnedal , Greenland . Returning to Norfolk , she trained United States Marines in amphibious warfare off Onslow Beach , North Carolina , and in the Caribbean . " Earle B . Hall " departed Norfolk on 22 April 1953 for a Mediterranean tour with the United States Sixth Fleet , returning to Norfolk on 26 October 1953 . Local operations off the Virginia Capes alternated with two cruises to Key West , Florida , and Havana , Cuba , and United States Marine Corps amphibious exercises in the Caribbean until 17 June 1955 , when she steamed to the Azores ; Lisbon , Portugal ; and Cádiz , Spain on a midshipman cruise , returning to Norfolk on 15 July 1955 . The remainder of " Earle B . Hall " s service during her second commission was spent on the United States East Coast and training in the Caribbean . She was decommissioned and again placed in reserve on 13 September 1957 . Third period in commission , 1961 - 1965 . " Earle B . Hall " was recommissioned on 29 November 1961 at either the New York Naval Shipyard at Brooklyn , New York , or at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek at Virginia Beach , Virginia . President John F . Kennedy observed " Earle B . Hall " on 13 and 14 April 1962 during his visit to Norfolk . She then departed for Vieques Island , off Puerto Rico , where she participated in a three - week joint U . S . Navy - U . S . Marine Corps exercise maneuver involving 83 United States Atlantic Fleet ships that climaxed with an amphibious assault on Vieques Island . From 10 October to 7 December 1962 , " Earle B . Hall " operated in support of the blockade — or " quarantine " — of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis . During the autumn of 1964 " Earle B . Hall " suffered a major engineering failure that caused her to lose all power while underway , and it was decided that she would be retired from service . To replace her , high - speed transport USS " Kirwin " ( APD - 90 ) , which had been in reserve since decommissioning in 1946 , arrived under tow at Little Creek on 30 November 1964 and was moored alongside " Earle B . Hall " . " Earle B . Hall " s crew then set about preparing " Kirwin " for reactivation . Final decommissioning and disposal . On 15 January 1965 , " Earle B . Hall " was decommissioned for the last time . Simultaneously , USS " Kirwin " was recommissioned , and " Earle B . Hall " s crew transferred to " Kirwin " . " Earle B . Hall " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 February 1965 . She was sold for scrapping on 28 January 1966 .