U.S.S. Henry R. Mallory

The U.S.S. Henry R. Mallory was a United States naval transport ship during World War I. The S.S. Henry R. Mallory was built in 1916 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company for the Mallory Steamship Line. Named for the The Mallory Lines president Henry R. Mallory. She began operating along the New Orleans - New York route carrying passengers and cargo. 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. After S.S. 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. Before any troop transportation could be undertaken, all of the ships were hastily refitted. The ship 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. In January 1918, U.S.S. 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. Departing again from Hoboken, New Jersey on the 14 th March in the 24th convoy, Henry R. Mallory began her last journey under Army charter. Arriving back in the United States on the 13th of April U.S.S.Henry R. Mallory was handed over to the U.S. Navy.

Other than the official change command of the vessel, little else change for U.S.S. Henry R. Mallory. She sailed in her first convoy under Navy command on the 23rd of April, and continued carrying troops to France, making five additional trips before the Armistice in November 1918. In all, the U.S.S. Henry R. Mallory carried 9,756 troops to France. With the fighting at an end, the task of bringing home American soldiers began almost immediately. The U.S.S. Henry R. Mallory did her part by carrying home 14,514 healthy and wounded men in seven roundtrips. The U.S.S. Henry R. Mallory returned from her last Navy voyage on the 29th of August 1919, and was returned to the Mallory Lines the following day.

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 Incorporated, she began operation on U.S. Army schedules in July 1942, when she sailed from New York to Belfast. In January 1943, a convoy of 60 ships were sailing near iceland when a wolfpack of Nazi U-boats attacked the convoy repeatedly over a four-day period. Some 20 U-boats participated, ultimately sinking 12 Allied ships, including Henry R. Mallory. Among the 272 dead were the ship's master, 48 crewmen, 15 armed guards, and 208 passengers.

• Length: 134.16 m (440 ft 2 in)
• Beam: 16.61 m (54 ft 6 in)
• Draft: 7.3 m (24 ft)
• Propulsion: One 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engine, single screw
• Speed: 15 knots (17-18 Mph)
• Capacity: 10,910 tons
• Occupancy: 2,200 Troops/Passengers
• Armament: 4) 150mm guns, 2) 1-pounder guns, 2) .Colt Lewis .30-cal machine guns, 10) Depth charges

Alfredo "Fred" Moscardelli (Born: 1900) left the United States on this ship in 1918 headed overseas during World War I during his military enlistment.