Harris, APA-2, was an older ship with a long record and the lead ship of her class. Bethlehem Shipbuilding launched her at Sparrows Point on 19 March 1921 as the passenger liner Pine Tree State, an Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029 ship, for the United States Shipping Board. She was renamed President Grant in 1922 and ran to the Orient for American Orient Lines and then American Mail Lines. The 1936 to 1937 strike idled her at Seattle, and the Navy took her over on 17 July 1940. She was converted to a troopship, AP-8, renamed Harris, and commissioned on 19 August 1940. She was redesignated APA-21 and later APA-2.
In 1942 she carried Marines to Wallis Island and landed Army troops in the North African invasion on 8 November, serving as flagship of the transport force. In 1943 she landed troops for the recapture of Attu on 11 May and the Kiska occupation on 15 August. She reached Tarawa on 21 November 1943, the day after the first landings, and lay there caring for casualties until 2 December.
She sailed on 22 January 1944 and arrived off Kwajalein on 31 January. Troops and casualties were re-embarked on 8 February and she reached Pearl Harbor on 15 February. She was off Saipan on 16 June, made a diversionary landing at Babelthuap on 15 September and put troops ashore at Ulithi, landed elements of the 1st Cavalry Division at Leyte on 20 October, took on survivors of the fight off Samar, and was at Lingayen Gulf in January 1945, where her gunners fought off the air attacks on 8 and 9 January. She was off Okinawa on 1 April 1945.
After the war she carried occupation troops to Tokyo Bay, arriving on 8 September 1945, and to Taku Bar, China. She reached Boston on 2 February 1946 and was decommissioned on 16 April 1946. She was sold to American Ship Breakers and scrapped. DANFS-based sources say she was sold on 20 July 1948. NavSource gives a sale on 30 December 1947, withdrawn on 29 July 1948. She earned ten battle stars.