The U.S.S. President Hayes Association Collection was donated to the Hayes Presidential Center in 1985. Additional material was donated in 1999.

The U.S.S. President Hayes AP-39 was laid down by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. on December 26, 1939 and launched October 4, 1940, Mrs. Cordell Hull sponsoring. The ship was turned over to the American President Lines in February, acquired by the U.S. Navy July 7, 1941, and commissioned December 15, 1941 with Comdr. F. W. Benson in command.

January 6, 1942 President Hayes sailed for San Diego via the Panama Canal. During February and March she evacuated civilians and dependents from Pearl Harbor. On July 1 she embarked for the Tonga Islands loaded with Marines. On the evening of August 7 President Hayes landed units of the 2^nd Marine Regiment on Guadalcanal and spent the next several months shuttling supplies and reinforcements from Tonga, Noumea, and New Zealand. The ship was re-designated APA-20 effective February 1, 1943. President Hayes also participated in the Rendova landings at the end of June, shooting down 7 enemy planes. President Hayes, President Adams, President Jackson, and Crescent City were nicknamed the "Unholy Four."

The rest of the war President Hayes continued to move troops and supplies from island to island in the Pacific. At Manus, November 1944, she witnessed the explosion of the ammunition ship Mount Hood and dispatched fire and rescue parties to the stricken ships. At the end of the war President Hayes served with the "Magic Carpet," returning 1400 discharged soldiers to Los Angeles on each of two round trips. She earned 7 battles stars for World War II service.

President Hayes continued to serve with the Pacific Fleet until decommissioned June 30, 1949. She was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet in 1950 and her name was struck from the Navy List and transferred to the Maritime Commission October 1, 1958.

This collection contains material regarding the U.S.S. President Hayes, her service during World War II, and the veterans’ organization of the men who sailed on the ship. The bulk of the material consists of newsletters regarding veterans’ reunions from 1989 to 2000 and correspondence of these veterans with reminiscences of their service. Other items found in this collection include the ship’s plans, a copy of the ship’s log from 1941 to 1952, memoranda and plans of the day, military guides to identification of ships and planes, and maps of the South Pacific, where President Hayes served. There is also a large quantity of photographs of the ship and the sailors.

Artifacts transferred to the museum collection include a ship’s bell, pieces of a ‘Homeward Bound’ pennant, a piece of a Japanese Zero shot down at Pearl Harbor, a large collection of currency and coins, and other items of daily life aboard ship.

Box 1
Folder 1 Photos - Ships & Harbors
           2 Photos - Sailors & Mascots
           3 Photos - Sailors
           4 Copies of Photos
           5 Crossing the Equator, Crossing the 180^th Meridian Certificates, etc.
           6 Ship History
           7 Ship’s Plan
           8 U.S.S. Mount Hood Newspaper Clippings
           9 Plan of the Day, Memoranda, etc.
           10 Radio Press News
           11 Copy of Ship’s Log July 15, 1941
           12 Maps
           13 Military Guides to the Western Pacific and Philippines
           14 U.S. Naval Auxiliaries - Identification of Ships and Planes
           15 Japanese publication on Burma Shin Seiki Sept. 1943
           16 Carrier War by Lt. Oliver Jensen
           17 Top Secret by James Martin Davis
           18 Theodore Rzempoluch - Service Record, Notebook./Diary
           19 Materials re Lantz’s service on U.S.S. President Hayes
           20 Noumea Diary by Bill Biddy
           21 Reminiscences of W. R. Glasson
           22 Correspondence of Veterans Including Reminiscences of Service
           23 Letters from Frank J. Cuspilich
           24 Letters from John Benedicks
           25 Letters from John Spann
           26 New Zealand
           27 1989 Reunion/Newsletters
           28 1990 Reunion/Newsletters
           29 1991 Reunion/Newsletters
           30 1992 Reunion/Newsletters
           31 1993 Reunion/Newsletters
           32 1994 Reunion/Newsletters
           33 1995 Reunion/Newsletters
           34 1996 Reunion/Newsletters
           35 1997 Reunion/Newsletters
           36 1998 Reunion/Newsletters
           37 1999 Reunion/Newsletters
           38 2000 Reunion/Newsletters
           39 Roster 1991 - 1999
           40 "Unholy Four" Association
           41 U.S.S. President Adams APA-19 History
           42 U.S. Navy Salvage Divers Reunion
           43 Miscellaneous
           44 Video Tape, Audio Tapes of Reunion Business Meetings

Oversize Maps and photographic prints of the crew and the vessel

Artifacts transferred to Museum
Ship’s Bell app. 12" x 10" x 10"
Homeward Bound pennant fragment, donated by Frank M. Cox
Homeward Bound pennant fragment donated by Stanley Rzempoluch
Piece of Japanese Zero shot down at Pearl Harbor, donated by Stanley Rzempoluch
Leather key chain marked "Master Key B"
Leather hand strap with metal insert
Knotted picture frame w/unidentified couple
Metal whistle
Torpedo-shaped pen
Pair of puttees marked "Lantz, W. S."
Commission pennant fragment
Piece of shrapnel
Dog-tag, Wilfred S. Lantz 723-27-38 T/3-44
Naval insignia - black diamond patch with gold circle and gold eagle
Japanese stamp, value 2?
2 cent postcard "Victory" with 8 stamps of U.S.A.
"Victory" the Philippine Islands for 2,4,6,8,12,16, and 20 centavos

Currency:
     (3) five yen notes
     (3) ten yen notes
     five franc note of Indo-China
     one franc note of New Caledonia
     Australia
          ten shilling note
          one pound note
          five pound note
     U.S. Treasury Certificate, one peso note, The Philippines
     Dutch New Guinea
          One cent note
          ten Gulden note
     Japanese Government - the Philippines:
          one centavo note, PU in red ink
          (6) one centavo notes, PK in red ink
          five centavo note, PG in red ink
          (4) five centavo notes, PP in red ink
          (2) fifty centavo notes, PI in red ink
          ten pesos note, PD in red ink
          one peso note
          one hundred pesos note
Coins:
     Canadian, one cent, 1903
     Honolulu, Rapid Transit Token, 1924
     Philippines (U.S.A.)
          one centavo, 1944
          five centavo, 1944
     New Zealand, one penny, 1941
     Australia
          one penny, 1939
          one penny, 1944
          one penny, 1936
          florin, 1943
          ½ penny, 1927
          one shilling, 1943
          one shilling, 1911
          sixpence, 1938
          three pence, 1943
     Great Britain
          three pence, 1937
          one penny, 1936
     Japan, seven coins

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