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Photo # NH 104664:  USNS General M. C. Meigs passes under the Golden Gate Bridge, bound for to the Far East, circa 1950-1953.

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS General M. C. Meigs (AP-116), 1944-1972.
Later USNS General M. C. Meigs (T-AP-116)

USS General M. C. Meigs, a 11,828-ton (light displacement) General John Pope class troop transport, was built at Kearny, New Jersey, by the Maritime Commission to its P2-S2-R2 design. Commissioned in June 1944, through the end of the Second World War she played an important role in moving the Brazilian Expeditionary Force to Europe, making a series of voyages between the United States, Brazil, North Africa, and Italy. In October 1945 the transport joined the "Magic Carpet" fleet and during the next four months brought combat veterans back to the United States from France, India and Japan. Arriving in San Francisco in late January 1946, General M. C. Meigs was decommissioned there in early March and transferred to the War Shipping Administration.

General M. C. Meigs became one of two ships of her class to see postwar commercial service, the other being General W. H. Gordon (AP-117). Delivered to a San Francisco shipyard in April 1946 for an austere conversion for peacetime use, she was chartered to American President Lines in June 1946. A design designated P2-S2-R10 was prepared, probably for the full conversion of these two ships to passenger liners, but the project was not carried out. In June 1949 American President Lines returned General M. C. Meigs to the Maritime Commission reserve fleet. The outbreak of the Korean War caused the Navy's new Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) to acquire General M. C. Meigs in July 1950.

Quickly refitted and placed in service with a civilian crew as USNS General M. C. Meigs (T-AP-116), she arrived in the Far East from San Francisco in late August 1950 on the first of many voyages between the U. S. West coast and the Far East. Between September 1953 and February 1954 the ship was modernized at Portland, Oregon. Her World War II vintage lifeboats and davits were replaced with a new boat arrangement, and new empty gun positions were fitted on the centerline fore and aft, probably to allow her rearmament for regular Navy service if required. But the need for large troop transports continued to decline, and General M. C. Meigs completed her last trans-Pacific voyage in May 1955. After ten months of inactivity, she was moved to Everett, Washington in April 1956 and placed in MSTS Ready Reserve. In October 1958 the ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, transferred to the Maritime Administration and moved to its Olympia, Washington reserve fleet.

With the closure of the Olympia reserve fleet, General M. C. Meigs left Bremerton, Washington in January 1972 with supplies and equipment, including a small tug, loaded on board. Under tow by the MSTS salvage ship Gear (T-ARS-34), she was bound for the reserve fleet in Suisun Bay, California. When the ships encountered a gale off Cape Flattery, Washington, the tow lines parted. General M. C. Meigs blew ashore just south of Portage Head and broke in half around a large rock pinnacle. Portions of her wreck were still visible in 2006.

This page features, and provides links to, all the views we have concerning USS General M. C. Meigs (AP-116) and USNS General M. C. Meigs (T-AP-116).

For additional images related to this ship, see:

  • USNS General M. C. Meigs (T-AP-116) -- Part II.


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

    Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

    Photo #: 80-G-235158

    USS General M. C. Meigs
    (AP-116)

    Underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia on 4 July 1944, soon after completion.
    Photographed by an aircraft from Naval Air Station, Hampton Roads.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

    Online Image: 80KB; 740 x 610 pixels

    Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

     
    Photo #: 80-G-235159

    USS General M. C. Meigs
    (AP-116)

    Underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia on 4 July 1944, soon after completion.
    Photographed by an aircraft from Naval Air Station, Hampton Roads.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

    Online Image: 65KB; 740 x 605 pixels

    Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

    Note:
    The original image has a number of thin scratches running vertically through its middle.

     
    Photo #: NH 104632

    USS General M. C. Meigs
    (AP-116)

    Underway in Hampton Roads on 4 July 1944, soon after completion.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 83KB; 590 x 765 pixels

     
    Photo #: 80-G-239229

    USS General M. C. Meigs
    (AP-116)

    Underway in the Atlantic Ocean east of Norfolk, Virginia (position 36 56'N, 74 54'W), on 10 July 1944, while outbound on her first troop-carrying voyage.
    Photographed by an aircraft from Blimp Squadon 24 (ZP-24), based at Naval Air Station Weeksville, North Carolina.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

    Online Image: 46KB; 740 x 585 pixels

    Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

     
    Photo #: NH 104634

    USS General M.C. Meigs
    (AP-116)

    Halftone reproduction of a photograph of the ship in port, circa 1944-1946.

    Copied from the book "Troopships of World War II", by Roland W. Charles.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 65KB; 740 x 395 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104631

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    Photographed on 21 November 1950, probably at Seattle, Washington. She is being assisted by three Army harbor tugs.
    Except for the removal of armament, her appearance is little changed from World War II. She retains her wartime outfit of lifeboats served by Welin davits.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 61KB; 740 x 620 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104661

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    Photographed after she joined Military Sea Transportation Service in July 1950 and before she received a modernization beginning in September 1953.
    Her appearance is little changed from World War II except for the removal of her armament.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 67KB; 740 x 615 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104664

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    "Cracks along under the Golden Gate Bridge, outward bound for the Far East," (quoted from the original caption rleased by Military Sea Transportation Service, Pacific).
    The photograph was taken between July 1950 and September 1953 from the south tower of the bridge.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 62KB; 740 x 555 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104662

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    Conducting an abandon ship drill while pierside at Seattle, Washington, on 1 November 1950.
    Note the metal life boat in the foreground.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 81KB; 740 x 615 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104663

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    Photographed pierside between July 1950 and September 1953, probably at Seattle, Washington, where she was based.
    Photographed by Balint.
    The original contemporary photo caption reads: "First M.S.T.S. North Pacific ship on which Naval Reserve of the 13th Naval District inaugurated training program enabling Volunteer Reservists to hold regularly scheduled drills was the U.S. Naval Ship (General M.C.) Meigs. Reservists earn points for promotion and retirement."

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 61KB; 740 x 615 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104665

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    In San Francisco Bay, California on 26 January 1953, with a harbor tug standing by to assist.
    Photographed by JO2 Troutt of Military Sea Transportation Service, Pacific.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 64KB; 740 x 520 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104629

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    Photographed between completion of her modernization in February 1954 and the conclusion of her last major voyage in May 1955.
    Photographed by Chris Minerich of the Fort Lawton Photo Shop.
    Note the large empty gun position forward and the rearranged lifeboats amidships.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 70KB; 740 x 525 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 104630

    USNS General M. C. Meigs
    (T-AP-116)

    Photographed between completion of her modernization in February 1954 and the conclusion of her last major voyage in May 1955.
    Note the four large empty gun positions on the centerline forward and aft and the modified lifeboat stowage amidships.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Military Sealift Command collection at the Naval Historical Center.

    Online Image: 52KB; 740 x 605 pixels

     


    In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold other views of USS General M. C. Meigs (AP-116). The following list features some of these images:

    The images listed below are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections.
    DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".



  • Photo #: 80-G-235160
    USS General M. C. Meigs underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia, 4 July 1944. Photographed from an aircraft based at Naval Air Station, Hampton Roads.
    Port quarter high aerial view.

  • Photo #: 80-G-311183
    USS General M. C. Meigs underway at sea off the U.S. East Coast, 25 March 1945. Photographed from a blimp based at Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, N. J.
    Port bow aerial view. General M. C. Meigs is painted Camouflage Measure 32, Design 10T (see Photo #s 80-G-173499 and 80-G-173498 for port and starboard side drawings of this camouflage design).

    Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center.

    The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".


  • For additional images related to this ship, see:

  • USNS General M. C. Meigs (T-AP-116) -- Part II.


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


    Return to Naval Historical Center home page.

    Page made 28 February 2007
    Link added 12 August 2007