USS Pierce (APA-50)
Encyclopedia
USS Pierce (APA-50) was an that served with the US Navy
during World War II
.
Pierce (APA-50) was laid down as Northern Light (MC hull 289) by Moore Dry Dock of Oakland, California
22 July 1942; launched 10 October 1942; and commissioned 30 June 1943, Comdr. A. R. Ponto in command.
to join the Fifth Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet. Immediately upon arrival at Pearl Harbor the ship was assigned to a transport division and was given an intensive two weeks of training in amphibious warfare
and gunnery.
, Gilbert Islands
.
Off the western end of Makin 20 November 1943, Pierce made her first assault landing. During the night of the 23rd the Japanese made their final banzai charge
. In the early pre-dawn hours of the next morning there was a terrific explosion and huge pillars of flame shot skyward as the escort carrier Liscome Bay was torpedo
ed.
With Makin secured, Pierces boats and LSTs brought back to the ship the ragged, weary assault troops of the 27th Infantry Division.
, T.H., training some 200 officers and 4000 enlisted men of the Army and Marine Corps in the art of amphibious warfare.
Carrying men of the 7th Infantry Division, Pierce got underway for Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands
22 January 1944. Kwajalein's capture, following the same pattern as that of Makin only on a much larger scale, was achieved within a week. During the night of 3 February Pierce sent five boats to one of the smaller islands to evacuate approximately 150 Army troops trapped by the enemy. Under enemy fire the boats were loaded with troops and returned through the reef
to the lagoon
.
Upon departure from Kwajalein 8 February, Pierce went to the Naval Repair Base, San Diego, California
for overhaul.
and Aliso Canyon
, California
, and consumed the next six weeks.
Once again, 1 May, she sailed for Pearl Harbor, this time to exercise a battalion
landing team of the 4th Marines in preparation for the pending operation. All preparations being completed, the ship stood out of Pearl Harbor 29 May and joined other units of a task force en route to Saipan
, Marianas Islands. Pierce, as a combat loaded assault transport, was a unit of the Northern Attack Group and was assigned the mission of landing assault troops and equipment in the vicinity of Charan-Kanoa, Saipan. Pierce completed the unloading of all assault troops and their equipment 15 June. Enemy activity lessened after two hours and Pierce was ordered to close the reef to receive casualties and discharge cargo.
positions in the hills.
aboard was dispatched ashore. At sunset Pierce underwent the usual two hour air attack. Due to the proximity of the Japanese fleet she retired to the northeast of Saipan leaving an imposing force of U.S. heavy ships between herself and the enemy fleet. She returned to Saipan on Friday of that week and by Saturday had completed unloading and transferring casualties to two hospital ships. That evening she departed for Eniwetok amidst an air attack. After standing by on call for a week she reached Pearl Harbor 20 July.
, which was reached the 24th. After two rehearsals at Guadalcanal she departed for the assault on Angaur
in the Palau Islands.
In the Palau Islands on the morning of 15 September, while the 1st Marine Division landed on the island of Peleliu
, Pierce in company with the Angaur Attack Force made a diversionary feint along the east coast of Babelthuap Island, keeping out of range of shore batteries
. The invasion of Angaur commenced two days later. Upon completion of the unloading Pierce went to Manus
, Admiralty Islands
, which was reached 28 September.
in the Philippines
. She reached Leyte Island on the morning of 20 October after passing through enemy mine fields in Surigao Straits. Movement to the objective was uneventful. Evening found the ship underway standing out through mine fields to the open sea. On 23 October she was anchored in Kossol Passage, Palau Islands with several hundred miles separating her from the Japanese fleets converging on Leyte Gulf
.
On 28 October the ship began a long tour of Pacific outposts, stopping first at Guam
, Marianas
to load personnel and equipment of the 77th Infantry Division and sailing from there to Nouméa, New Caledonia. Orders were changed en route on 11 November and she headed west to Manus.
There followed two weeks of repairs and rest in Hollandia, after which Pierce departed for Sansapor, New Guinea
. At that base she loaded personnel and equipment of the 6th Infantry Division, practiced landing operations and spent Christmas. Early on 30 December Pierce shot down one enemy plane.
, Philippine Islands, at Lingayen Gulf
. The trip was not without excitement as each dawn and dusk brought enemy planes over the disposition, but no hits were scored on Pierce.
Pierce suffers casualties With the exception of one group of enemy planes the approach into Lingayen Gulf on the morning of 9 January 1945 went off without interference. Unloading was progressing nicely when an enemy plane came out of the sun unobserved and attempted to glide bomb Pierce, but he let loose his bomb too soon and it fell abreast the port side of No. 5 hatch, demolishing one of the ship's boats lying nearby and killing two men.
. The whole operation was pleasantly uneventful, and instead of enemy opposition at the beachhead
only friendly natives were present. She returned to Leyte for repairs and spent most of February unloading merchant ships.
crashing into a transport about 800 yards on Pierces starboard beam.
On the following day the ship continued unloading, then retired for the night and completed unloading the next day. On 5 April Pierce was ordered to sail with other unloaded transports to Guam, whence she continued on to California.
for occupation duty. She returned to San Francisco 13 November, only to put to sea again on the 30th bound for Manila
.
At Manila 19–23 December the transport was loaded with home-bound veterans, then crossed the Pacific to make San Francisco 11 January 1946. Pierce departed 21 January, transited the Panama Canal
and arrived at New Orleans 6 February.
, 11 March 1946. She was struck from the Navy List
17 April 1946 and delivered to the Maritime Commission for further disposal 2 May 1946. She was sold to her former owner 28 July 1947.
, which renamed her American Planter. On June 13, 1965, American Planter was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
, James River
, Lee Hall, Virginia
. On 26 August 1965, she was chartered to States Marine for MSTS service. She was returned to MARAD and the Reserve Fleet, this time at Suisun Bay, California, on 17 November 1967.
On 3 March 1969, American Planter was purchased for scrapping by National Metal and Steel Corporation of Terminal Island, California. She was transferred from the Reserve Fleet on 25 March and scrapped at Terminal Island in May.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Pierce (APA-50) was laid down as Northern Light (MC hull 289) by Moore Dry Dock of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
22 July 1942; launched 10 October 1942; and commissioned 30 June 1943, Comdr. A. R. Ponto in command.
World War II
After a brief shakedown period Pierce sailed for HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to join the Fifth Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet. Immediately upon arrival at Pearl Harbor the ship was assigned to a transport division and was given an intensive two weeks of training in amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
and gunnery.
Invasion of Makin
Following a dress rehearsal, Pierce sailed as a unit of the task force assigned to capture, occupy and defend the Japanese held island of MakinMakin (islands)
Makin is the name of a chain of islands located in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati, specifically in the Gilbert Islands.-Geography:...
, Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
.
Off the western end of Makin 20 November 1943, Pierce made her first assault landing. During the night of the 23rd the Japanese made their final banzai charge
Banzai charge
Banzai charge was a term applied during World War II by the Allied forces to human wave attacks mounted by infantry forces of the Imperial Japanese Army...
. In the early pre-dawn hours of the next morning there was a terrific explosion and huge pillars of flame shot skyward as the escort carrier Liscome Bay was torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed.
With Makin secured, Pierces boats and LSTs brought back to the ship the ragged, weary assault troops of the 27th Infantry Division.
Invasion of Kwajalein
Arriving in Pearl Harbor 2 December the transport discharged her troops and spent the next week overhauling equipment and boats. Pierce was occupied for the ensuing five weeks off MauiMaui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, T.H., training some 200 officers and 4000 enlisted men of the Army and Marine Corps in the art of amphibious warfare.
Carrying men of the 7th Infantry Division, Pierce got underway for Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
22 January 1944. Kwajalein's capture, following the same pattern as that of Makin only on a much larger scale, was achieved within a week. During the night of 3 February Pierce sent five boats to one of the smaller islands to evacuate approximately 150 Army troops trapped by the enemy. Under enemy fire the boats were loaded with troops and returned through the reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
to the lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
.
Upon departure from Kwajalein 8 February, Pierce went to the Naval Repair Base, San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
for overhaul.
Invasion of Saipan
On 14 March she commenced the training of three landing teams of the 81st Infantry Division, totaling some 200 officers and 4,000 enlisted men. This training took place at Coronado Strand, San Clemente IslandSan Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
and Aliso Canyon
Aliso Canyon
Aliso Canyon is a canyon cut through the San Joaquin Hills by Aliso Creek. Located in Orange County in the U.S. state of California, the canyon's name derives from the Spanish word for alder....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and consumed the next six weeks.
Once again, 1 May, she sailed for Pearl Harbor, this time to exercise a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
landing team of the 4th Marines in preparation for the pending operation. All preparations being completed, the ship stood out of Pearl Harbor 29 May and joined other units of a task force en route to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Marianas Islands. Pierce, as a combat loaded assault transport, was a unit of the Northern Attack Group and was assigned the mission of landing assault troops and equipment in the vicinity of Charan-Kanoa, Saipan. Pierce completed the unloading of all assault troops and their equipment 15 June. Enemy activity lessened after two hours and Pierce was ordered to close the reef to receive casualties and discharge cargo.
Engagement with enemy ground forces
After retiring for the night the ship returned to Saipan and stood in to the line of departure south of Charan-Kanoa to receive casualties, which were taken on board until the sick bay facilities were taxed to the utmost. Two hundred forty-nine casualties were received aboard in less than three hours. That afternoon Pierce fired forty-eight rounds of 5-inch projectiles, silencing two mortarMortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
positions in the hills.
Air attacks and transfer of casualties
On the next day, 17 June, Army artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
aboard was dispatched ashore. At sunset Pierce underwent the usual two hour air attack. Due to the proximity of the Japanese fleet she retired to the northeast of Saipan leaving an imposing force of U.S. heavy ships between herself and the enemy fleet. She returned to Saipan on Friday of that week and by Saturday had completed unloading and transferring casualties to two hospital ships. That evening she departed for Eniwetok amidst an air attack. After standing by on call for a week she reached Pearl Harbor 20 July.
Invasion of Palaus
For the next three weeks Pierce made repairs, trained troops of the 81st Infantry Division, and enjoyed a brief breather from forward area activities. On 12 August Pierce sailed with a task force to GuadalcanalGuadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, which was reached the 24th. After two rehearsals at Guadalcanal she departed for the assault on Angaur
Angaur
Angaur or Ngeaur is an island in the island nation of Palau. The island, which forms its own state, has an area of 8 km² . Its population is 188 . State capital is the village of Ngeremasch on the western side...
in the Palau Islands.
In the Palau Islands on the morning of 15 September, while the 1st Marine Division landed on the island of Peleliu
Peleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
, Pierce in company with the Angaur Attack Force made a diversionary feint along the east coast of Babelthuap Island, keeping out of range of shore batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
. The invasion of Angaur commenced two days later. Upon completion of the unloading Pierce went to Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, which was reached 28 September.
Invasion of Leyte
By 8 October personnel of the 1st Cavalry Division were embarked and all equipment loaded. After staging a rehearsal landing the task force of which Pierce was a unit sailed 12 October for the initial assault on LeyteLeyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She reached Leyte Island on the morning of 20 October after passing through enemy mine fields in Surigao Straits. Movement to the objective was uneventful. Evening found the ship underway standing out through mine fields to the open sea. On 23 October she was anchored in Kossol Passage, Palau Islands with several hundred miles separating her from the Japanese fleets converging on Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
.
On 28 October the ship began a long tour of Pacific outposts, stopping first at Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
to load personnel and equipment of the 77th Infantry Division and sailing from there to Nouméa, New Caledonia. Orders were changed en route on 11 November and she headed west to Manus.
Enemy aircraft kills
Two days later Pierce set sail for Leyte. She was quietly unloading the ship on 24 November off Taraguna, Leyte when three enemy planes attacked and were shot down. The emptied Pierce sailed that day to Hollandia, New Guinea, which was reach ed 29 November.There followed two weeks of repairs and rest in Hollandia, after which Pierce departed for Sansapor, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. At that base she loaded personnel and equipment of the 6th Infantry Division, practiced landing operations and spent Christmas. Early on 30 December Pierce shot down one enemy plane.
Invasion of Luzon
That afternoon she sailed from Sansapor with a task group bound for the initial assault on LuzonLuzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippine Islands, at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
. The trip was not without excitement as each dawn and dusk brought enemy planes over the disposition, but no hits were scored on Pierce.
Pierce suffers casualties With the exception of one group of enemy planes the approach into Lingayen Gulf on the morning of 9 January 1945 went off without interference. Unloading was progressing nicely when an enemy plane came out of the sun unobserved and attempted to glide bomb Pierce, but he let loose his bomb too soon and it fell abreast the port side of No. 5 hatch, demolishing one of the ship's boats lying nearby and killing two men.
Uneventful landing
Next the ship loaded personnel and equipment of the 38th Army Division, conducted a rehearsal landing and sailed again for Luzon, this time to take part in the initial assault on beaches near the town of LaPaz, north of Subic BaySubic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
. The whole operation was pleasantly uneventful, and instead of enemy opposition at the beachhead
Beachhead
Beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Bridgehead and Lodgement...
only friendly natives were present. She returned to Leyte for repairs and spent most of February unloading merchant ships.
Invasion of Okinawa
Personnel and equipment of the 7th Infantry Division were loaded by 10 March. After the usual rehearsal Pierce departed Leyte with a task group amidst high seas and headed for Okinawa Jima, Nansei Shoto. Except for aircraft which appeared in the vicinity only to be promptly shot down, the trip was uneventful. Pierce stood into the transport area off Okinawa on the morning of 1 April. As the ship was retiring for the night Japanese planes got through the combat air patrol, one kamikazeKamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
crashing into a transport about 800 yards on Pierces starboard beam.
On the following day the ship continued unloading, then retired for the night and completed unloading the next day. On 5 April Pierce was ordered to sail with other unloaded transports to Guam, whence she continued on to California.
After hostilities
During the next ten weeks the ship was overhauled in San Francisco. Pierce then went to San Diego for refresher training. While the ship was again en route to the war zone, with Eniwetok only a few hundred miles away, the electrifying "cease all offensive operations" message was received 15 August 1945. Pausing in the Philippines, Pierce continued on to the Japanese home islands and to KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
for occupation duty. She returned to San Francisco 13 November, only to put to sea again on the 30th bound for Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
At Manila 19–23 December the transport was loaded with home-bound veterans, then crossed the Pacific to make San Francisco 11 January 1946. Pierce departed 21 January, transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and arrived at New Orleans 6 February.
Decommission
Pierce decommissioned at Mobile, AlabamaMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, 11 March 1946. She was struck from the Navy List
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
17 April 1946 and delivered to the Maritime Commission for further disposal 2 May 1946. She was sold to her former owner 28 July 1947.
Commercial service
Pierce was transferred for commercial service on 24 October 1947 to United States LinesUnited States Lines
United States Lines was a transatlantic shipping company that operated cargo services from 1921 to 1989, and ocean liners until 1969—most famously the SS United States.-1920s:...
, which renamed her American Planter. On June 13, 1965, American Planter was returned to the Maritime Administration and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
, James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
, Lee Hall, Virginia
Lee Hall, Virginia
Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town long located in the former Warwick County. Since 1958, Lee Hall has been a suburban community in the extreme western portion of the independent city of Newport News in the Commonwealth of Virginia....
. On 26 August 1965, she was chartered to States Marine for MSTS service. She was returned to MARAD and the Reserve Fleet, this time at Suisun Bay, California, on 17 November 1967.
On 3 March 1969, American Planter was purchased for scrapping by National Metal and Steel Corporation of Terminal Island, California. She was transferred from the Reserve Fleet on 25 March and scrapped at Terminal Island in May.