From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Vol. III, 1968, Navy 
Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History 
Division, Washington, D.C.

HUGH L. SCOTT (AP-43)

See GENERAL H. L. SCOTT for biography.

dp. 12,579;
l. 532';
b. 72';
dr. 30' 6";
s. 16 k.;
cl 119

HUGH L. SCOTT (AP-43) was built as HAWKEYE STATE for USSB by Bethlehem 
Shipbuilding Co., Sparrows Point Md., in 1921. Renamed PRESIDENT PIERCE, 
she sailed for the Dollar Steamship Co., and later for the American 
President Lines as a passenger liner. Taken over by the Army 31 July 
1941, she was renamed HUGH L. SCOTT and made four voyages to the Far 
East before sailing to the East Coast in July 1942. The ship was taken 
over by the Navy 14 August 1942, and converted to an attack transport at 
Tietjen and Lang (later Todd Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. ), Hoboken, N.J. 
She commissioned 7 September 1942, Captain Harold J. Wright commanding.

The transport was slated for participation in the North Africa landings, 
the giant amphibious assault mounted across the entire width of the 
Atlantic. HUGH L. SCOTT joined Transport Division 3 for this, our first 
offensive move in the European-African theater. and sailed 24 October 
after intensive amphibious training. She approached the beaches at 
Fedhala, French Morocco, early on the morning of 8 November and after 
bombardment by surface ships, landed her troops. HUGH L. SCOTT then 
cleared the immediate invasion area, and did not return until 11 
November, when she entered the refueling area and then anchored in the 
exposed Fedhala roadstead to unload her supplies.

During the evening of 11 November, German submarine U-173 slipped inside 
the protective screen to torpedo transport JOSEPH HEWES, tanker 
WINOOSKI, and destroyer HAMBERTON. HUGH L. SCOTT and the other 
transports went to battle stations the entire night, and resumed 
unloading the next day. That afternoon, 12 November, another submarine, 
U-130, stalked the transports and torpedoed HUGH L. SCOTT, EDWARD 
RUTLEDGE, and TASKER H. BLISS. HUGH L. SCOTT, hit on the starboard side, 
burst into flame and foundered, but owing to the availability of landing 
craft for rescue, casualties were held to a minimum-8 officers and 51 
men. U-173 was later sunk by destroyers, but U-130 escaped.