P. H. Burnett (IX-104)
1943-1946
The Navy retained a modified version of the name carried by this Liberty Ship at the time of her acquisition.
(IX-104: displacement 14,230 (limiting); length 441'6"; beam 56'11"; draft 27'7"; speed 11 knots; complement 182; armament 1 5-inch, 1 3-inch, 4 20-millimeter; type EC2-S-C1)
Peter H. Burnett was laid down on 29 June 1942 under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C.E. Hull 300) at Wilmington, Calif., by the California Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 10 August 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Clyde Weed; and delivered to her operator, American President Lines, Ltd., under a general agency agreement, at 11:30 a.m. on 29 August 1942.
Peter H. Burnett carried cargo in the Pacific until 15 June 1943 when she was acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission under a bareboat charter. Renamed P. H. Burnett and designated as an unclassified vessel, IX-104, on 18 June, she was accepted by Commander Service Force, Seventh Fleet, at 8:00 a.m. on 2 July 1943 at Sydney, Australia, and placed in service as a freighter on 30 August 1943, Lt. D. Ruos, officer-in-charge.
As a dry cargo provisions ship, P. H. Burnett served at staging areas in the Pacific during the remainder of the war. With a cargo capacity in excess of 130,000 cubic feet, she hauled and discharged thousands of tons of supplies, joining Service Squadron 8 on 1 February 1944 and continuing her vital logistical operations as the westward advance of the Allies progressed.
Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, P. H. Burnett remained in the Pacific theater until ordered to return to the United States early in 1946. Under tow, she proceeded from the Western Pacific, via Midway, to Seattle, Wash., where she arrived that summer. Placed out of service on 7 August 1946, P. H. Burnett was transferred to the Reserve Fleet Division of the War Shipping Administration the following day [8 August 1946] at Olympia, Wash., at 3:00 p.m.
Stricken from the List of Naval Vessels on 8 October 1946, P. H. Burnett remained in custody of the Maritime Administration (formerly Maritime Commission) until purchased by the National Metal & Steel Corp., on 20 October 1958. Removed from the Reserve Fleet at 1000 hours on 17 November 1958, she was broken up for scrap subsequently.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
9 September 2020
