General Edwin D. Patrick

General Edwin D. Patrick

A former name retained. Edwin Daviess Patrick, born 11 January 1894 at Tell City, Inc., entered the Indiana National Guard 11 February 1915 and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Infantry 21 March 1917. After duty in Kansas, California, Oklahoma, and North Carolina, he joined the 14th Machine Gun Battalion in France to participate in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensive. Following his return to the United States in July 1919, he was stationed at various posts until May 1926 when he went to Tientsin, China, to serve with the 15th Infantry. He returned to the United States in July 1929 to remain until after the start of World War II. Assigned to the Southwest Pacific in December 1942. he was promoted to Brigadier General 26 April 1943 and in June was appointed Chief of Staff of the 6th army. Appointed commander of a regimental combat team in May 1944, he participated in the conquest of New Guinea. In September he assumed command of the 6th Infantry and in January 1945 joined in the battle to liberate Luzon. General Patrick was mortally wounded by Japanese machine gun fire near Mountain Mataba, south of Montalban, Luzon, 14 March 1945.

Admiral C. F. Hughes (AP-124) (q.v.) \vas reacquired by the Navy from the Army Transport Service as General Edwin D. Patrick 1 March 1950 and assigned to MSTS. Manned by a civilian crew, she operated in the Pacific out of San Francisco. She carried troops and supplies to American bases in Japan, Korea, Okinawa, the Marianas, and the Philippines to make more than two dozen round trip voyages to the Far East while supporting the effort to repel the Communist aggression in Korea. After the armistice in Korea, she continued transport operations in the Western Pacific; and between 1953 and 1965 she steamed to the Far East some 110 times to provide American bases with men and supplies.

In response to America's determination to protect the integrity and independence of South Vietnam from continuing Communist aggression, General Edwin D. Patrick; departed San Francisco for Southeast Asia 16 August 1965. Steaming via Pearl Harbor and Guam, she touched at Manila Bay 4 September and reached Cam Ranh Bay South Vietnam, 7 September. Proceeding the next day to Vuns Tau, she steamed to Yokohama before returning to San Francisco 27 September. Between 1 October and 18 November she completed and deployment to the Far East that sent her to Okinawa and to Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Cam Ranh Bay, and Vung Tau, South Vietnam. During the first 7 months of 1966 she completed five Far East deployments, operated out of ports in South Vietnam, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, and Formosa while supporting the forces of freedom in the Western Pacific. General Edwin. Patrick continued this vital duty until arriving San Francisco on the last day of 1966. After overhaul early in 1967, the transport was placed in ready reserve status.

General Edwin D. Patrick received three battle stars for Korean war service.