The U.S. Army acquired ten ships during World War II as Engineer Port Repair Ships, also sometimes known as Port Rehabilitation ships, for use by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear war damaged harbors. The need was anticipated by 1942 for the post invasion recovery of ports in Europe and the Transportation Corps was assigned the responsibility to acquire and modify the ships that would be military crewed under the Corps of Engineers. Requirement The European Command had formed a request for port repair ships in 1942. Such a ship had never been required previously as ports were largely undamaged in World War I and had no peacetime technical or economic purpose. Experience in North Africa and particularly in Italy, where the port of Naples was almost completely destroyed and 350 to 400 vessels had been systematically sunk by the Germans, convinced the Allied command under Eisenhower that such vessels were a requirement. Eisenhower had followed up an original request on 6 December 1942 after the North African experience with a requirement for five vessels of fourteen foot draft or less and about 275 feet in length. The U.S. Army Services of Supply assigned the task to the Transportation Corps (TC). After consideration the TC recommended a design that was originally a coastal transport and of which fourteen were being built under Navy contract. The Army wanted the diesel version, the Maritime Commission type N3-M-A1, while Navy wanted to give up the steam (N3-S-A1) version. At a meeting of the Navy's Munitions Assignments Committee the Army, Navy and Royal Navy all ruled the steam versions as unsuitable. Eventually a clear European requirement for five port repair ships manned by Army Engineers. After considerable dispute during which Navy proposed N3-M-A1 vessels being built for the British, the British objected and the matter was taken to the Combined Chiefs of Staff vessels were obtained and conversions begun. Design The ships were all modifications of cargo type vessels that were under construction or just launched. The conversions were to specialized vessels with the machine shops, diver support and heavy lift capacity to clear harbors of wreckage. A distinctive feature of the ships after conversion was the forty ton lift bow horn. They were slightly larger and similar in function and ultimate appearance to the Navy's Salvage Lifting Vessel (ARSD). Ships All of the ten ships were cargo type conversions. The N3-M-A1