View source for USS Henry R. Mallory

{{Short description|American transport for the United States Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[Image:USS Henry R. Mallory.jpg|300px|USS ''Henry R. Mallory'' in port, {{circa}}1918–19]]
|Ship caption= USS ''Henry R. Mallory'' in port, {{circa|lk=no|1919}}
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United States|1918}}
|Ship name=SS ''Henry R. Mallory''
|Ship namesake=[[Henry R. Mallory]]
|Ship owner=[[Mallory Lines]]
|Ship builder=
|Ship original cost=
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|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=1916
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship fate=Expropriated by U.S. Army, 24 May 1917
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1918}}
|Ship name=USAT ''Henry R. Mallory''
|Ship acquired=24 May 1917
|Ship out of service=13 April 1918
|Ship fate=transferred to U.S. Navy
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1919}}
|Ship name=USS ''Henry R. Mallory''
|Ship acquired=13 April 1918
|Ship commissioned=17 April 1918
|Ship decommissioned=30 August 1919
|Ship fate=Returned to civilian owners
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1943}}
|Ship name=SS ''Henry R. Mallory''
|Ship acquired=1920
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship fate=Sunk 7 February 1943 by {{GS|U-402||2}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship displacement=10,910 t<ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS | title = Henry R. Mallory | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h5/henry_r_mallory.htm | short = on }}</ref>
|Ship length={{convert|440|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship beam={{convert|54|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship draft={{convert|24|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
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|Ship speed={{convert|15|knots|km/h}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=2,200<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship complement=
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*'''World War I''':
** 4 × [[5"/40 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on}} guns]]
*'''World War II''':<ref name=Uboat.net>Helgason, "Allied Ships".</ref>
** 1 × {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} guns
** 2 × {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on}} guns
** 8 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|AA]] guns
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Henry R. Mallory'' (ID-1280)''' was a transport for the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War I]]. She was also sometimes referred to as '''USS ''H. R. Mallory''''' or as '''USS ''Mallory'''''. Before her Navy service she was '''USAT ''Henry R. Mallory''''' as a [[United States Army]] transport ship. From her 1916 launch, and after her World War I military service, she was known as '''SS ''Henry R. Mallory''''' for the [[Mallory Lines]]. Pressed into service as a troopship in [[World War II]] by the [[War Shipping Administration]], she was torpedoed by the {{GS|U-402}} in the North Atlantic Ocean and sank with the loss of 272 men—over half of those on board.

== World War I ==
SS ''Henry R. Mallory'' was built by the [[Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.]] of [[Newport News, Virginia]] (yard no. 193), and delivered to the Mallory Steamship Line on 21 October 1916.<ref name=Colton>{{cite web | last = Colton | first = Tim | url = http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/1major/active/newportnews.htm | title = Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News VA | publisher = Colton Company | access-date = 5 August 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080829134102/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/1major/active/newportnews.htm | archive-date = 29 August 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> Named for Mallory Lines president [[Henry R. Mallory]], she operated on a [[New Orleans]] – New York route, carrying passengers and freight.<ref name=CW-315-16>Crowell and Wilson, p. 315–16.</ref>

=== U.S. Army service ===
After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, the United States Army, needing transports to get its men and materiel to France, had a select committee of shipping executives pore over registries of American shipping. The committee selected ''Henry R. Mallory'' and thirteen other American-flagged ships that were sufficiently fast, could carry enough fuel in their [[:wikt:bunker|bunker]]s for [[transatlantic crossing]]s, and, most importantly, were in port or not far at sea.<ref>Sharpe, p. 359.</ref><ref>Crowell and Wilson, p. 313–14.</ref> After ''Henry R. Mallory'' discharged her last load of passengers and cargo, she was officially handed over to the Army on 24 May, one of the first three ships acquired.<ref name=CW-315-16 />

Before any troop transportation could be undertaken, all of the ships were hastily refitted. Of the fourteen ships, ten, including ''Henry R. Mallory'', were designated to carry human passengers; the other four were designated as animal ships. The ten ships designated to carry troops had all of their second- and third-class accommodations ripped out and replaced with berths for troops. Cooking and toilet facilities were greatly expanded to handle the large numbers of men aboard. Gun platforms were installed on each ship before docking at the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]] to have the guns themselves installed.<ref>Crowell and Wilson, p. 316.</ref><ref group=Note>The only exception was for {{SS|Finland}}, an [[American Line]] steamer in transatlantic service to [[Liverpool]]. ''Finland'' had already been outfitted for guns in early 1917.</ref> All the ships were manned by merchant officers and crews but carried two U.S. Navy officers, Navy gun crews, [[quartermaster]]s, [[signalman (rank)|signalmen]], and [[radio|wireless]] operators. The senior Navy officer on board would take control if a ship came under attack.<ref>Gleaves, p. 102</ref>

The American convoy carrying the first units of the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] were broken into four groups;<ref>The individual groups of the first convoy were typically counted as separate convoys in post-war sources. See, for example, Crowell and Wilson, Appendix G, p. 603.</ref> ''Henry R. Mallory'' was in the third group with {{USAT|San Jacinto||2}} and {{USAT|Finland||2}}, and escorts consisting of [[cruiser]] {{USS|Charleston|C-22|2}}, armed [[Collier (ship type)|collier]] {{USS|Cyclops|AC-4|2}}, and [[destroyer]]s {{USS|Allen|DD-66|2}}, {{USS|Preston|DD-19|2}}, and {{USS|McCall|DD-28|2}}.<ref>Gleaves, p. 38.</ref> ''Henry R. Mallory'' departed with her group on 14 June for [[Brest, France|Brest]], France, steaming at a {{convert|13|kn|km/h|adj=on}} pace.<ref>Gleaves, p. 42.</ref> A thwarted submarine attack on the first convoy group,<ref>Gleaves, pp. 42–43.</ref> and reports of heavy submarine activity off of Brest resulted in a change in the convoy's destination to [[Saint-Nazaire]].<ref>Gleaves, p. 45.</ref>

After her return from France, ''Henry R. Mallory'' sailed again in the 5th convoy on 31 July,<ref name=CW-603>Crowell and Wilson, p. 603.</ref> the 7th convoy on 8 September,<ref name=CW-603 /> and the 12th convoy on 26 November,<ref>Crowell and Wilson, p. 604.</ref> all of which sailed from the New York embarkation point in [[Hoboken, New Jersey]].<ref name=CW-603 /> In January 1918, ''Henry R. Mallory'' became the first transport to sail from the Newport News embarkation port, when—loaded with eight aero squadrons—she sailed on 17 January.<ref>Crowell and Wilson, p. 297.</ref><ref group=Note>Crowell and Wilson show ''Henry R. Mallory'' sailing from Newport News on 24 January 1918 as part of the 18th convoy. See: Crowell and Wilson, p. 605.</ref> Departing again from Hoboken on 14 March in the 24th convoy, ''Henry R. Mallory'' began her last journey under Army charter. After arriving in France on 26 March and landing her troops, ''Henry R. Mallory'' began her return to the United States with Army transport {{USAT|Tenadores||2}} and Navy transport {{USS|Mercury|ID-3012|2}}. At 11:45 on 4 April, a German submarine fired torpedoes at the group. Through evasive maneuvers, none of the ships were hit, and with timely gunfire targeting the sub, no more was seen of the threat.<ref>Gleaves, p. 168.</ref> Arriving back in the United States on 13 April,<ref>Crowell and Wilson, p. 606.</ref> ''Henry R. Mallory'' was handed over to the U.S. Navy.<ref name=DANFS />

=== U.S. Navy transport duties ===
After problems with crew discipline aboard Army transports {{USAT|Antilles||2}} and ''Finland'' when they were torpedoed,<ref group=Note>{{USAT|Antilles||2}} was sunk. {{USAT|Finland||2}}, carrying some of ''Antilles''<nowiki>'</nowiki> survivors on board, was torpedoed but made it safely back to port for repairs.</ref> the U.S. Navy, led by the recommendations of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Albert Gleaves]], insisted that all troop transports be manned entirely by Navy personnel. This was accomplished soon after so as to avoid the need for what Gleaves called "ignorant and unreliable men" who were "the sweepings of the docks".<ref>Gleaves, p. 108–10.</ref> Accordingly, ''Henry R. Mallory'' was handed over to the Navy on 13 April 1918 and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 17 April.<ref name=DANFS />

Other than the official change command of the vessel, little else change for ''Henry R. Mallory''. She sailed in her first convoy under Navy command on 23 April, and continued carrying troops to France, making five additional trips before the [[Armistice with Germany|Armistice]] in November 1918.<ref>First Navy convoy: Crowell and Wilson, p. 608. Number of Navy trips: Gleaves, p. 248.</ref> In all, ''Henry R. Mallory'' carried 9,756 troops to France.<ref name=Gleaves-248-49>Gleaves, pp. 248–49.</ref>

With the fighting at an end, the task of bringing home American soldiers began almost immediately.<ref name=Gleaves-31>Gleaves, p. 31.</ref> ''Henry R. Mallory'' did her part by carrying home 14,514 healthy and wounded men in seven roundtrips. ''Henry R. Mallory'' returned from her last Navy voyage on 29 August 1919, and was returned to the Mallory Lines the following day.<ref name=Gleaves-248-49 />

== World War II ==
In the early stages of World War II for the United States, the [[War Shipping Administration]] requisitioned ''Henry R. Mallory'' for use as a civilian-manned troopship in July 1942. Remaining under the operation of her owners, [[Agwilines Inc]], she began operation on U.S. Army schedules in July 1942, when she sailed from New York to [[Belfast]]. On 6 July 1942, along with ''SS Cathcart'', she rescued survivors of the British merchantmen ''[[SS Westmoreland]]'', which had been torpedoed by German submarine [[U-566]] 220 nautical miles northward of [[Bermuda]] (unfortunately, [[HMS Sumar]] and [[USS Gannet|USS Gannet (AM-41)]] had left Bermuda after receipt of the Westmoreland's distress signal on 2 June 1942, and, unaware of the rescue of Westmoreland's crew, fell prey to German submarine [[U-653]] which sank ''USS Gannet'' at 0142 Hours on 8 June with the loss of sixteen lives).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ericwiberg.com/2014/11/uss-gannet-sunk-by-u-653feiler-n-of-bermuda-escort-hms-sumar-abandoned-her-62-men-rescued-by-2-planes-and-uss-hamilton-taken-bermuda |title=USS Gannet sunk by U-653/Feiler N of Bermuda, escort HMS Sumar abandoned her, 62 men rescued by 2 planes and USS Hamilton, taken Bermuda |last=Wiberg |first=Eric |date=30 November 2014  |website=ericwiberg.com |publisher=Eric Wiberg |access-date=2021-05-24 |quote=}}</ref> After her return to New York in August, she made way to [[Boston]] from whence she sailed to [[Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John]], [[Wabana, Newfoundland and Labrador|Wabana]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]; [[Sydney, Nova Scotia]]; and [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], before returning to New York in October.<ref name=Charles-193>Charles, p. 193.</ref>

After first sailing to Boston and [[Newport, Rhode Island]],<ref name=Charles-193 /> ''Henry R. Mallory'' departed New York as a part of [[Convoy SC-118]] headed for [[Liverpool]] via Halifax on 24 January 1943.<ref name=SC-118 /> The crew on board ''Henry R. Mallory'' consisted of 9 officers, 68 crewmen, and 34 [[United States Navy Armed Guard]] (who manned the 11 guns on deck). Also on board were 383 passengers, consisting of 2 civilians, 136 from the U.S. Army, 72 from the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]], and 173 from the U.S. Navy.<ref name=Uboat.net /> As the convoy, which consisted of 60 ships and 26 escorts, sailed near Iceland, a "[[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]]" of [[Kriegsmarine]] [[U-boat]]s attacked the convoy repeatedly over a four-day period.<ref name=SC-118>{{cite AHCD | convoytype = SC | convoynumber = 118 | access-date = 4 August 2008 }}</ref><ref name=UB-SC-118>Helgason, "U-boat Operations".</ref> Some 20 U-boats participated, ultimately sinking 12 Allied ships, including ''Henry R. Mallory'';<ref name=Uboat.net /> three U-boats were lost.<ref name=UB-SC-118 />

It was at 06:59 on 7 February 1943 when, traveling in station 33 of the convoy, ''Henry R. Mallory'' was hit by one torpedo launched from {{GS|U-402||2}} around {{convert|600|nmi|km}} south-southwest of Iceland. Hit in the number three [[hold (nautical)|hold]] on the [[starboard]] side, the ship began settling by the stern and listing to [[port (nautical)|port]], and sank at about 07:30. Of ''Henry R. Mallory''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s ten [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]]s, only three were successfully launched, holding 175 men. Many other men jumped overboard for rafts in the water.<ref name=Uboat.net />

None of the other ships in the convoy were aware of the ''Mallory''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s predicament. American [[destroyer]] {{USS|Schenck|DD-159|2}}—searching for survivors from the convoy's sunken [[convoy rescue ship|rescue ship]], [[List of shipwrecks in February 1943#7 February|SS ''Toward'']], sunk three hours earlier, also by ''U-402''—saw lights but was denied permission to investigate. Only when survivors were found by [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] cutter {{USCGC|Bibb|WPG-31|2}} some four hours later was the fate of ''Henry R. Mallory'' made clear. ''Bibb'' rescued 205 men, 3 of whom later died. Another Coast Guard cutter, {{USCGC|Ingham|WHEC-35|2}}, rescued a further 22, of whom 2 later died. Among the 272 dead were the ship's master, 48 crewmen, 15 armed guards, and 208 passengers.<ref name=Uboat.net />

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last = Charles | first = Roland W. | title = Troopships of World War II | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = Army Transportation Association |date=April 1947 | oclc = 1871625 }}
* {{cite book | last = Crowell  | first = Benedict  | author-link = Benedict Crowell |author2=Robert Forrest Wilson | title = The Road to France: The Transportation of Troops and Military Supplies, 1917–1918 | url = https://archive.org/details/roadtofrancetra04wilsgoog  | series = How America Went to War: An Account From Official Sources of the Nation's War Activities, 1917–1920 | location = [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 1921 | oclc = 18696066 }}
* {{Gleaves 1921}}
* {{cite web | last = Helgason | first = Guðmundur | title = Allied Ships hit by U-boats: Henry R. Mallory | url = http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/2634.html | work = The U-boat War 1939–1945 | publisher = uboat.net | access-date = 4 August 2008 }}
* {{cite web | last = Helgason | first = Guðmundur | title = U-boat Operations: Convoy Battles: SC-118 | url = http://uboat.net/ops/convoys/convoys.php?convoy=SC-118 | work = The U-boat War 1939–1945 | publisher = uboat.net | access-date = 4 August 2008 }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | author-link = Naval Historical Center | title = Henry R. Mallory | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h5/henry_r_mallory.htm | access-date = 4 August 2008 }}
* {{cite book | last = Sharpe | first = Henry Granville | author-link = Henry Granville Sharpe | title = The Quartermaster Corps in the Year 1917 in the World War | url = https://archive.org/details/quartermasterco00unkngoog | location = New York | publisher = [[The Century Company|Century Co.]] | year = 1921 | oclc = 7980339 }}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{navsource|12/171280|Henry R. Mallory}}
* [http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cacunithistories/military/HR_Mallory_MM_Stories.htm#:~:text=Joseph%20Grabenstein%20was%20the%20Ship%E2%80%99s%20Doctor%20aboard%20the,on%20April%204%2C%201877%20in%20New%20York%20City. USS Henry R. Mallory personal stories]
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{{February 1943 shipwrecks}}
{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry R. Mallory}}
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:World War I passenger ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War I auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Transports of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Transport ships of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Troop ships of the War Shipping Administration]]
[[Category:Troop ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Iceland]]
[[Category:1916 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1943]]
[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]]