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USS Hermitage (AP-54)
Encyclopedia
USS Hermitage (AP-54) was a troop transport that served with the US Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Prior to her Navy service, she was the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
luxury liner
Luxury liner
Luxury liner may refer to:*Passenger ships with a high standard of accommodation, especially ocean liners*Luxury Liner , a 1977 album by Emmylou Harris*"Luxury Liner" , 1948 motion picture from MGM...
.
Conte Biancamano was launched in 1925 by William Beardmore & Co. Ltd.
William Beardmore and Company
William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active between about 1890 and 1930 and at its peak employed about 40,000 people...
of Glasgow, Scotland; sailed as a luxury liner for Lloyd Triestino
Italia Marittima
Italia Marittima S.p.A. is a shipping company with its head office in Trieste, Italy, and run by Evergreen Marine Corporation.-History:It was founded "Österreichischer Lloyd" in 1836 and became one of the world's biggest shipping companies by managing most oversea trade and passenger travel of...
So. Anon. di Nav. of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, was interned at Balboa, Canal Zone, when Italy declared war on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; converted to a transport by Cramp Shipbuilding of Philadelphia; and commissioned 14 August 1942, Captain Donald F. Patterson in command.
Account of Trip From Nov. 1942 to Mar. 1945
-1-Sailed from New York, N.Y., 2 November 1942
Arrived Casablanca, French Marrocco, 18 November 1942
Left Casablanca, 29 November 1942
Arrived Norfolk, Virginia, 11 December 1942
-2-
Arrived New Port News, VA, 24 December 1942
Sailed 27 December 1942
Arrived Cristobal, C.Z., 2 January 1943
Sailed 6 January 1943
Arrived Noumea, New Caledonia, 27 January 1943
Sailed 28 January 1943
Arrived Brisbane, Australia, 31 January 1943
Sailed 2 February 1943
Arrived Sydney, Australia, 3 February 1943
Sailed 10 February 1943
Arrived Pago Pago, Samoa, 16 February 1943
Sailed 17 February 1943
Arrived Honolula, T.H. 23 February 1943
Sailed 24 February 1943
-3-
Sailed from San Francisco, 26 March 1943
Arrived Los Angeles, Calif., 27 March 1943
Sailed 30 March 1943
Arrived Wellington, N.Z., 17 April 1943
Sailed 19 April 1943
Arrived Melbourne, Australia, 24 April 1943
Sailed 26 April 1943
Arrived Bombay, India, 11 May 1943
Sailed 17 May 1943
Arrived Melbourne, Australia, 1 June 1943
Sailed 4 June 1943
Arrived Wellington, N.Z. 9 June 1943
Arrived Los Angeles, Calif., 25 June 1943
-4-
Sailed from Los Angeles, Calif., 27 July 1943
Arrived Wellington, N.Z., 12 August 1943
Sailed 14 August 1943
Arrived Melbourne, Australia, 19 August 1943
Sailed 21 August 1943
Arrived Fremantle, Australia, 26 August 1943
Sailed 30 August 1943
Arrived Bombay, India, 10 September 1943
Sailed 19 September 1943
Arrived Melbourne, Australia, 4 October 1943
Sailed 6 October 1943
Arrived Bora Bora, S.I., 14 October 1943
Sailed 15 October 1943
Arrived Los Angeles, Calif., 24 October 1943
-5-
Sailed San Pedro, Calif., 10 Nov. 1943
Arrived Bora Bora, S.I., 19 November 1943
Sailed 26 November 1943
Arrived Fermantle, Australia, 11 Dec. 1943
Sailed 14 December 1943
Arrived Bombay, India, 26 December 1943
Sailed 31 December 1943
Arrived Melbourne, Australia, 16 January 1944
Sailed 20 January 1944
Arrived Bora Bora, S.I. 29 January 1944
Sailed 29 January 1944
Arrived San Pedro, Calif., 8 February 1944
-6-
Sailed from San Pedro, Calif., 14 March 1944
Arrived San Francisco, Calif., 15 March 1944
Sailed 20 March 1944
Arrived Noumea, New Caledonia, 5 April 1944
Sailed 7 April 1944
Arrived Milne Bay, New Guinea, 11 April 1944
Sailed 13 April 1944
Arrived Beli Beli, Good Enough Island, 13 April 1944
Sailed 14 April 1944
Arrived Noumea, New Caledonia, 19 April 1944
Sailed 20 April 1944
Arrived San Francisco, Calif., 5 May 1944
-7-
Sailed from San Francisco, 12 May 1944
Arrived Balboa, C.Z., 21 May 1944
Sailed 22 May 1944
Arrived Colon, C.Z., 22 May 1944
Sailed 23 May 1944
Arrived New York, 28 May 1944
-8-
Sailed from New York, 16 June 1944
Arrived Liverpool, 27 June 1944
Sailed 28 June 1944
Arrived Belfast, Northern Ireland, 29 June 1944
Sailed 2 July 1944
Arrived New York, 12 July 1944
-9-
Sailed from New York, 11 August 1944
Arrived Liverpool, England, 22 August 1944
Sailed 16 August 1944
Arrived New York, 5 September 1944
-10-
Sailed from New York, 29 September 1944
Arrived Southampton, England, 9 October 1944
Sailed 13 October 1944
Arrived New York, 25 October 1944
-11-
Sailed from New York, 5 February 1945
Arrived Le Harve, France, 16 February 1945
Sailed 20 February 1945
Arrived Soughampton, England, 21 February 1945
Sailed 22 February 1945
Arrived New York, 5 March 1945
-12-
Sailed from New York, 15 March 1945
Arrived L Havre, France 27 March 1945
Sailed 30 March 1945
Arrived Soughampton, England, 31 March 1945
Sailed 31 March 1945
Arrived New York, 11 April 1945
-13-
Sailed from New York, 24 April 1945
Arrived Le Havre, France, 6 May 1945
Sailed 8 May 1945
Arrived Southampton, 9 May 1945
Anchored out 10,11,12 May 1945
Sailed 13 May 1945
Arrived Boston, Mass., 23 May 1945
-14-
Sailed from Boston, Mass., 30 May 1945
Arrived Le Havre, France, 7 June 1945
Sailed 9 June 1945
Arrived New York, 17 June 1945
-15-
Sailed from New York, 21 June 1945
Arrived in Le Havre, France, 29 June 1945
Sailed from Le Havre, France, 2 July 1945
Arrived New York, 10 July 1945
-16-
Sailed 14 July 1945 from New York
Arrived Le Harve, France, 29 July 1945
Sailed from Le Havre, 25 July 1945
Arrived New York, 2 August 1945
-17-
Sailed from New York, 16 October 1945
Arrived Straights of Gilbralter, 24 October 1945
Arrived Marseille, France, 26 October 1945
Sailed from Marseille, France, 27 October 1945
Sailed through Straights of Gibralter, 29 October 1945
Arrived New York, November 6, 1945
-18-
Sailed from New York, Dec 12 1945
Reached Panama, 17 Dec 1945
Sailed from Panama, 18 Dec 1945
Reached Pearl Harbor, 30 Dec 1945
Sailed from Pearl Harbor, 1 Jan 1946
Reach Nagaya, Japan, 11 Jan 1946
Left Nagaya, Japan 19 Jan 1946
Reached Seattle, Wash., 5 Feb 1946
-19-
Sailed from Seattle, 26 Feb 1946
Reached San Francisco, 28 Feb 1946
Left San Francisco, 2 March 1946
Reached Guam, 19 March 1946
Operation Torch
Embarking 5,600 army troops and sailors, on 2 November 1942 Hermitage departed New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with her skipper acting as convoy commodore. Six days later the North African invasion
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
began, and Hermitage on 10-25 November debarked her passengers at Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
to participate in the momentous campaign. Returning to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
11 December, Hermitage next headed for the Pacific with nearly 6,000 passengers embarked. After embarking and debarking passengers at Balboa, Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Pago Pago, and Honolulu, the former luxury liner put in at San Francisco 2 March 1943.
Pacific operations
Hermitages next swing westward, begun 27 March took her to Wellington, New Zealand; MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
; and Bombay. At Bombay she embarked some 707 Polish refugees, including nearly a hundred children, for a voyage back to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
which ended 25 June. In the next year Hermitage made three similar cruises through the South Pacific, with battle-bound marines, soldiers and sailors, civilians, and Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n refugees among her diversified passengers. Hermitage reached New York 28 May from the South Pacific via Noumea, Goodenough Island
Goodenough Island
Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea is the westernmost of the three large islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies to the east of mainland New Guinea and south west of the Trobriand Islands.It should not be confused with Goodenough's Island...
, and the Panama Canal.
Operation
Overlord Departing New York 16 June 1944 with over 6,000 passengers, most of them bound for the invasion of EuropeOperation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
just begun at Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, Hermitage sailed to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Belfast to debark the troops before returning to New York 12 July. From then until the end of the war she made 10 more such voyages, principally to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, to bring replacements to the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an theater and transport wounded Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
soldiers and prisoners of war back to the States. V-E Day, 8 May 1945, found Hermitage part of the celebration in Le Havre harbor as Allied ships greeted the end of 6 years of war with a cacophony of bells, whistles and sirens screaming through air illuminated by hundreds of signal flares and rockets.
After hostilities
War's end did not mean the end of Hermitages duty as she continued to cross the Atlantic, this time bringing veterans home through December. Departing New York 12 December, the well-traveled transport sailed to Nagoya, Japan to embark some 6,000 homeward bound veterans and return to Seattle 4 February 1946. Assigned to the San Francisco-Marianas run for Operation Magic Carpet, the return of thousands of Pacific troops, she made three further voyages before decommissioning at San Francisco 20 August 1946.Summary of WWII service
While serving with the Navy, the former luxury liner had sailed approximately 230,000 miles and transported 129,695 passengers, including AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
fighting men as well as Chinese, American, Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and British civilians and German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and talian
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
prisoners.