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USS George Clymer (AP-57/APA-27)

Please see below for item level images and donated collections containing photographs of USS George Clymer (AP-57/APA-27)

USS George Clymer (AP-57) was laid down as African Planet under Maritime Commission contract 28 October 1940 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Co., Pascagoula, Miss.; launched 27 September 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Kathryn Stapleton; renamed George Clymer 9 January 1942; acquired by the Navy 15 June 1942; and commissioned the same day, Captain Arthur T. Moen in command.

USS George Clymer (AP-57) sailed 21 June via Charleston to Norfolk where she arrived 30 July for training in Chesapeake Bay. She embarked 1,400 men of the 9th Infantry Division and departed 23 October for the amphibious invasion of French Morocco. USS George Clymer (AP-57) debarked troops, unloaded cargo, and treated casualties until 15 November when she sailed to Casablanca to complete off-loading cargo. She departed for the United States the 17th, arriving Norfolk 30 November.

After embarking more than 1,300 Seabees, USS George Clymer (AP-57) sailed 17 December for the Pacific. One of the first transports to serve in both the Atlantic and Pacific, she reached Noumea, New Caledonia, 18 January 1943; sailed 23 January for the Fiji Islands; and arrived Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 30 January. Redesignated (APA-27) on 1 February, she sailed in convoy 5 February for Guadalcanal, Solomons. USS George Clymer (AP-57) continued troop-carrying and supply runs in the Southwest Pacific until 4 June when she departed Guadalcanal for the invasion of the Marianas.

Prior to the outbreak of Communist aggression in Korea, USS George Clymer (AP-57) supported various naval operations in the Pacific. From 1 June to 20 August she served at Bikini Atoll as flagship for Transport Division 11 during atomic bomb tests in the Marshall Islands. USS George Clymer (AP-57) returned to San Diego 4 October, and during the next 19 months she operated off the coast of Alaska, the West Coast, and in Hawaiian waters. USS George Clymer (AP-57) returned to Inchon 8 October to embark Marines, and on 17 October she sailed for Wonsan, where she landed troops the 25th. Departing Wonsan 30 October, she steamed via Yokosuka to the United States and arrived San Diego 24 November.

Since the termination of hostilities in Korea, USS George Clymer (AP-57) has deployed to the Far East on numerous occasions as an important unit of the always-ready force for peace, the 7th Fleet. Capable of carrying combat-ready troops to any beach in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, she had provided vital support during the continuing struggle to meet and repel Communist aggression. During the summer of 1965 USS George Clymer (AP-57) deployed to South Vietnam, where she participated in amphibious landings at Da Nang and Ohu Lai. At present she continues to bolster the American effort to thwart Communist aggression in South Vietnam.

For a complete history of USS George Clymer (AP-57) please see its DANFS page.