General M. M. Patrick

General M. M. Patrick

Mason Mathews Patrick, born in Lewisburg, W. VA., 13 December 1863, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1886 and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. During the next three decades he served in a variety of positions. Twice he taught practical military engineering at the Military Academy. He assisted in river and harbor improvements in the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and in Norfolk Harbor. He commanded the 2d Battalion of Engineers in Cuba during operations prior to the raising of battleship Maine. In 1914 he assisted in building Davis Lock, Sault Sainte Marie Canals, Mich. After commanding the 1st Regiment of Engineers on the Mexican border, he joined the A.E.F. during World War I in France, where he took active charge of all construction work and forestry operations. Promoted to Major General in 1918, he was appointed Chief of Air Service. After the Armistice, he represented the A.E.F. at the Paris Peace Conference. In 1921 he became Chief of the Army Air Service, the position he held until his retirement in 1927. Major General Patrick died in Washington, D.C., 20 January 1942.

(AP-160: dp. 9,960 (It.) ,1. 522'10", b. 71'6", dr. 26'6"; s. 16.6 k., cpl. 426 , trp. 3,343, a. 4 6", 8 1.1", 16 20mm.; cl. General G. O. Squier; T. C4-S-A1)

General M. M. Patrick (AP-150) was launched under Maritime Commission contract 21 June 1944 by Kaiser Co. Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. William E. Lynd; acquired by the Navy 4 September 1944; and commissioned at San Francisco the same day, Captain George W. Stott in command.

After shakedown, General M. M. Patrick departed San Francisco 14 October and transported nearly 3,000 troops to Pearl Harbor and Guam before returning to San Francisco 18 January 1945 with military passengers. Between 19 February and 6 March she carried more troops from Seatle to Hawaii and returned sailors to San Francisco. With a full load of troops embarked, she then sailed 16 March for the ,Southwest Pacific, where she arrived San Pedro Bay, Philippines, 18 April. After shuttling troops from Allied bases along the northern coast of New Guinea to Luzon, she departed Manila 16 May and brought home returning veterans, arriving San Francisco 12 June. Once again departing San Francisco 28 June, she transported 3,000 troops and passengers to Fremantle, Australia; steamed to Calcutta, India, to embark passengers then sailed via the Suez Canal to New York, where she arrived 3 September.

On the 22d General M. ll. Patrick departed on another "Magic-Carpet" voyage to Calcutta and back to New York, arriving 16 November. Departing New York 9 days later she embarked still more troops at Calcutta, Karachi, and Tuticorin, India; steamed via Ceylon and Singapore for the West Coast, and arrived San Pedro 28 January 1946. She decommissioned 8 March and was returned to WSA 11 March for use as an Army transport under the Army Transportation Service.

General M. M. Patrick was reacquired by the Navy 1 March 1950 and assigned to duty as an overseas transport under MSTS. Manned by a civilian crew, during the Korean war she operated between Seattle and the Far East and carried tens of thousands of combat troops in support of the effort to repel Communist aggression in Korea. After the armistice, she continued steaming from Seattle to Yokohama, Japan, and back, returning veterans of the Korean fighting to the United States and deploying troops to the Far East. She was returned to the Maritime Administration 17 October 1958 and entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Olympia, Wash., where she remains.

General M. H. Patrick received two battle stars for Korean conflict service.