GUAM BEAR – Container

The General R. L. Howze was built at Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, California, laid down in July 1942 and launched in May 1943. The ship had a displacement of 9,950 tons light and 17,250 tons full. It was 522 feet 10 inches long with a beam of 71 feet 6 inches. Propulsion was provided by a single-screw steam turbine producing 9,900 shaft horsepower, allowing for a speed of 17 knots. The vessel could carry 3,530 troops. During World War II, its armament included 5-inch/38 caliber guns, 1.1-inch/75 AA guns, and 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns. 

Commissioned into the Navy in February 1944 with a U.S. Coast Guard crew. The ship completed 11 voyages in the Pacific theater, transporting troops and supplies to various locations including New Guinea, Guadalcanal, and Eniwetok. After the war, it was used for repatriation efforts, carrying German prisoners of war and returning American troops from Europe. 

Decommissioned by the Navy in 1946, the ship was re-commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1948. Between 1949 and 1950, it transported European displaced persons to Melbourne, Australia. In 1950, it transferred to the MSTS as USNS General R. L. Howze (T-AP-134) with a civilian crew. For a year, it transported displaced Eastern Europeans to the United States for the International Refugee Organization. During the Korean War from 1951, the vessel served in the Pacific, transporting troop replacements and earning six battle stars for its service. In 1954, it participated in Operation “Passage to Freedom,” transporting refugees from North to South Vietnam, reportedly experiencing a record 38 births on board. 

After further voyages to the Far East, the ship was placed in the reserve fleet in 1957 and sold for commercial service in 1965. It was rebuilt as a container ship and renamed multiple times: SS Guam Bear (1965), SS New Zealand Bear (1974), SS Austral Glen (1975), and SS Pacific Endeavor (1979). The vessel was laid up in 1978 and scrapped in 1980.