USS Samuel Chase

USS Samuel Chase (APA-26)
History
United States
Name	African Meteor Samuel Chase
Yard number	266
Laid down	31 August 1940
Launched	23 August 1941
Acquired	5 February 1942
Commissioned	13 June 1942
Decommissioned	26 February 1947
Fate	Sold for scrap 9 May 1973
General characteristics
Displacement	9,000 to 16,725 tons full load
Length	491 ft (150 m)
Beam	69 ft 6 in (21.18 m)
Draft	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Propulsion	Steam turbine, single shaft, 8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Speed	18.4 knots (34.1 km/h; 21.2 mph)
Capacity	33 Higgins Boats
Complement	578 troops Accommodations:1,304
Armament	One 5 in (130 mm) dual purpose gun mount Four 3 in (76 mm) dual purpose gun mounts Eight 20 mm guns Four .50 cal (12.7 mm) AA machine guns

USS Samuel Chase (APA-26), launched as SS African Meteor, was an Arthur Middleton-class attack transport manned by the United States Coast Guard during World War II. She was named after Founding Father Samuel Chase, a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.

Samuel Chase participated in all five of the major U.S. amphibious invasions in the European Theater of Operations during World War II, starting at Algiers in late 1942 and following with the invasions of Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, and Southern France before going to the Pacific in 1945. There she stood duty at Okinawa, under frequent air attack in the aftermath of its invasion, before participating in delivering occupation troops to Japan and repatriating U.S. troops through the middle of 1946.

She was decommissioned in February 1947, laid up in the James River near Fort Eustis, Virginia, struck from the Navy register in October 1958, and transferred to Maritime Administration in February 1959. She remained in the James River Reserve Fleet until sold for scrap in May 1973.