Scope and Contents

Hardbound log books, bridge and engine room bell books, materials from bulletin boards, deck log books, Naval Ships Technical Manuals, departmental custody cards, inventory lists, maps and posters and other publications relevant to maritime service have all been recovered from the General John Pope, which is mothballed in the San Francisco Bay. In addition, over 400 canvas bunk bottoms were recovered; these have been digitized and can be viewed online as part of the Vietnam Graffiti Project.

Biographical / Historical

John Pope was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on 18 March 1822. From Illinois he entered the Military Academy at West Point in 1838, graduating in 1842. Pope served in the United States Army during the Mexican War and the Civil War, earning several brevets. During the Mexican War, Pope fought at Monterrey and Buena Vista. During the Civil War, his campaigns included New Madrid, Island #10 in the Mississippi River, and Second Manassas. After the war, Pope continued to serve in the Army, where he took part in campaigns against Native Americans in the West until he retired in 1886. Pope died at the Old Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Sandusky, Ohio, on 23 September 1892.

On 21 March 1943, the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company launched the General John Pope (AP-110) at Kearney, New Jersey. The United States Navy acquired the ship on 2 July 1943 and sent it to Baltimore for conversion into a troop ship. The General John Pope received full commission on 5 August 1943, with Captain George D. Lyon commanding.

After a shakedown cruise, the General John Pope steamed for Scotland with 6,000 civilians and troops. Upon her return from Europe, the General John Pope steamed for Brisbane, Australia in October and November with more troops. She returned to San Francisco where she embarked 5,000 more troops bound for the Pacific. The General John Pope returned to San Francisco in January 1944 with 2,500 Pacific veterans. The General John Pope continued to ferry troops back and forth across the Pacific for the remainder of 1944, and participated extensively in the campaign along the northern coast of New Guinea. In addition to American fighting men, the General John Pope also hauled international troops, including Filipinos and New Zealanders. As World War II came to a close, the General John Pope remained active, bringing veterans home to West Coast ports from stations in the Pacific. She was decommissioned in New York on 12 June 1946.

Reinstated in July 1950, and assigned to Military Sea Transport Service (MSTS), the General John Pope again transported troops across the Pacific, this time for the Korean War. Throughout the conflict, the General John Pope sailed from the West Coast of the United States to Japan with troops bound for Korea. After the war, she continued to sail between Japan and Korea on troop rotation duties. In May 1955, the General John Pope was placed on reduced operational status at Seattle. The Maritime Administration placed the General John Pope in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in 1958, where she remained until recalled to duty for the Vietnam War. The General John Pope became reactivated again in August 1965. As a civilian-manned MSTS ship based in San Francisco, the General John Pope carried thousands of soldiers to destinations throughout Asia and the Far East. She participated in the deployment of the US Army's 9th Infantry Division to Vietnam in late 1965 and early 1966. The General John Pope continued ferrying troops to Vietnam until 1970, when she was placed out of service. In October 1990, the General John Pope was struck from the Naval Register. Later, the Maritime Administration transferred her to Suisun Bay, in Benicia, California, where she is in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

Specifications:
Displacement 11,450 t. (lt) 20,175 t. (fl)
Length 622' 7'
Beam 75' 6'
Draft 25' 6'
Speed 20.6 kts.
Complement 465
Troop Accommodations 5,142
Armament four single 5'/38 dual purpose gun mounts, sixteen 1.1' AA guns, twenty 20mm AA guns
Propulsion steam turbines, twin shafts, 17,000hp

Series

• Series - Radio Room Material
• Sub-Series - Instruction Books and Technical Manuals
• Sub-Series - Rules and Regulations
• Sub-Series - Other Books / Publications
• Sub-Series - Files
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Series - Chief Steward's Office
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Series - Crypto Room
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Sub-Series - Assorted materials
• Series - Third Assistant Engineer Room
• Sub-Series - Naval Ships Technical Manuals
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Sub-Series - Assorted Papers
• Sub-Series - Material from the Bulletin Board
• Series - First Officer's Office
• Sub-Series - Assorted Papers
• Series - Engine Maintenance Office
• Sub-Series - Official Publications
• Series - Engine Log Books - USNS General John Pope
• Sub-Series - Official Publications
• Sub-Series - Files
• Sub-Series - Safety
• Sub-Series - Hardbound Log Books
• Sub-Series - Assorted Papers
• Series - Captain's Office
• Sub-Series - Damage Control
• Sub-Series - Standard Operating Procedures
• Sub-Series - Maintenance and Repair
• Sub-Series - American Bureau of Shipping
• Series - Deck Log Books
• Sub-Series - Inventory Lists
• Sub-Series - Specifications
• Sub-Series - Safety
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Series - Yeoman's Office
• Sub-Series - Bridge - Gangway Log Books (USNS General John Pope)
• Sub-Series - Booklets
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Sub-Series - Folders
• Series - Chief Engineer's Office
• Sub-Series - Engine Room Log Books
• Sub-Series - Bridge and Engine Bell Books
• Sub-Series - Evaporation, Reefer, Oilers, Air Conditioner Logs
• Sub-Series - Engine Room Log Books
• Sub-Series - Maintenance and Operations Instructions
• Sub-Series - Naval Ships Technical Manuals
• Sub-Series - Naval Ship Systems Command Technical News
• Sub-Series - Night Orders Hard Bound Logbooks
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Sub-Series - Booklets, Publications and Pamphlets
• Sub-Series - Evaporation, Reefer, Air Conditioner, and Oiler Log Books
• Sub-Series - Material retrieved from billboards in the troop quarters
• Sub-Series - Pope Pourri (newsletters)
• Sub-Series - Engine Room Log Books
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Series - Maintenance Office
• Sub-Series - Blank Forms
• Sub-Series - Duties and Responsibilities
• Sub-Series - Ship's Equipment Technical Manuals
• Series - Below Deck
• Sub-Series - Certificates and Blank Forms
• Sub-Series - Posters