USS President Taylor

Career (USA)
Builder: New York Shipbuilding
Launched: 1921
Commissioned: 1941
Fate: beached on Kanton Island, 14 February 1942
Status: scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type: 522 class cargo liner
Length: 522 feet, 8 inches
Speed: 8 knots

President Taylor was a U.S. troopship in the Pacific Ocean in World War II.

Contents

Civilian career

Originally built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation as the Granite State for the New York to London service, she burned to the main deck in 1924. She was sold, and re-named the President Polk.

World War II

She was re-fitted for use as a troop carrier in San Francisco in December 1941. Her initial voyage as a troopship was a round trip from San Francisco to Honolulu and back.

Wreck on Canton

The ship left San Francisco for the Philippines on January 31, 1942, under the command of Captain A. W. Aitken. She was beached on Kanton Island on February 14, 1942, while attempting to avoid Japanese submarines.[1] In 1952 the remains of the ship were sold to North Coast Corporation, and scrapping began in 1954.[2]

References