USS Earheart

USS Earheart (APD-113), originally designated as a destroyer escort (DE-603) and later reclassified as a high-speed transport, was in service with the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1946. The ship was named after Private First Class James Edward Earheart Jr., who posthumously received the Silver Star for his heroic actions during Operation Torch in North Africa in 1942. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Earheart enlisted in the Marine Corps and sacrificed his life while attempting to save his comrades during the Allied amphibious landing at Oran, Algeria.

Constructed by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard in Hingham, Massachusetts, USS Earheart was laid down on March 20, 1945. She was launched on May 12, 1945, sponsored by Mrs. James Earheart, the mother of the ship's namesake. Commissioned on July 26, 1945, the vessel underwent shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before World War II ended in August 1945. She then participated in Navy Day celebrations in Providence, Rhode Island, and later moved to Green Cove Springs, Florida, for inactivation.

Decommissioned on April 29, 1946, USS Earheart was placed in reserve at Green Cove Springs until she was stricken from the Navy List on December 12, 1963. Subsequently transferred to Mexico under the designation ARM Papaloapan (H04), the ship served with the Mexican Navy before being discarded and scrapped in 1976 after grounding.