In World War II, she operated under the War Shipping Administration[3] with allocation and close association with the US Army, though not officially a US Army Transport,[4] serving as a fast troop carrier, bringing supplies and support forces to distant shores and rescuing persons stranded in foreign countries by the outbreak of war. Mariposa, with a Navy -designated troop capacity of 4,165 and speed of 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h), was one of the very large, fast transports, the largest nicknamed "Monsters", usually sailing without escort.[1]
War voyagesedit
26 December 1941: She left Honolulu, Hawaii, loaded with some military personnel and many military dependents accompanied by a destroyer escort, and arrived in San Francisco 1 January 1942.
12 January 1942: Mariposa left San Francisco in the "Australian — Suva" convoy escorted by two destroyers and the light cruiser USS Phoenix with two other troopships SS President Coolidge and the SS President Monroe (destined for Suva).[5][Note 1] This was the first large convoy to Australia after Pearl Harbor with Mariposa transporting Army personnel, ammunition and, combined with Coolidge, fifty P-40 fighters intended for the Philippines and Java.[6][7] The thirteen officers selected by the War Department to form the core of what was to become MacArthur's headquarters in the Southwest Pacific Area Command being formed in Australia as United States Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), known as the "Remember Pearl Harbor" Group, were embarked in Coolidge and Mariposa. Most troops and equipment were intended to be sent on from Australia to the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) area after the Australian bound ships reached Melbourne on 1 February 1942.[6]35th Pursuit Group commander Clinton D. "Casey" Vincent was aboard.[8][9]Mariposa made a brief stop 2 February 1942 in Melbourne before proceeding on to Perth[10] The ship had been due to continue on with the Army fighter group to India but was withdrawn and the personnel and cargo transshipped into the two Australian transports Duntroon and Katoomba.[11] Also on board was the 'Brownout Strangler', Private Edward Leonski.
19 March 1942: She left San Francisco for Australia in a convoy that included RMS Queen Elizabeth.
18 April 1942: She left Melbourne, Australia, for the US, carrying Dutch military personnel who had evacuated Java after the loss to the Japanese Imperial Army; she arrived 3 May 1942 in San Francisco.
September 1942: She arrived at Karachi.[12]Mariposa arrived in New York City in early September with more than 100 American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) pilots and ground personnel aboard. They had been denied transport back to the United States on half-empty transport planes by the US Ferry Command.[13]
Mid-November 1943: Left Sydney Harbour bound for San Francisco, for a 16-day cruise. Among the passengers was prominent Dutch pilot Ivan Smirnov (Romanized to "Smirnoff"). No convoy was used.
10 December 1943: She departed Los Angeles for Hobart, Tasmania, with 4,500 railroad troops, with no escort. During the voyage, the men were near-mutinous due to bad food.[16]
17 October 1945: Left Le Havre for Boston bringing troops home
24 October 1945: Arrived at Boston
1946 Australia/New Zealand dependent voyages from Australia[21]
20 February 1946 (WSA operation): Departed Brisbane with 882 dependents
11 April 1946 (WSA operation): Departed Brisbane with 769 dependents
31 May 1946 (WSA operation): Departed Brisbane with 802 dependents
11 July 1946 (WSA operation): Departed Sydney with 230 dependents
Career with Home Linesedit
In 1947, the ship was mothballed for six years at Union Iron Works in Alameda, California. Her engines were overhauled by Todd San Francisco Division. Home Lines bought her and renamed her SS Homeric, sailing her to Trieste for reconstruction to allow 1243 passengers: 147 first class and 1,096 tourist class. Her gross register tonnage increased to 18,563, and total length increased to 641 ft (195.5 m). Home Lines operated her beginning 24 January 1955 for liner service between ports in the north Atlantic.
On 18 August 1956, Homeric's bow struck the side of the Greek Line ship Columbia in fog in Quebec. At the time, tugs were towing Homeric and Columbia was moored at a pier. About 20 ft (6 m) of Columbia's starboard side were damaged, and some of her lifeboats were crushed.[22]
In 1964, she replaced SS Italia to steam on the regular run between New York and Nassau, Bahamas, though she, in turn, was shortly replaced by SS Oceanic. SS Homeric was reassigned to intra-Caribbean cruises. In 1973, a major fire destroyed much of her galley and restaurant, and she was scrapped in Taiwan next to Holland America LineSS Nieuw Amsterdam in 1974.[23] During the ship breaking process, her sister ship, the Chandris Lines' Ellinis (ex-Lurline), suffered major engine damage on a cruise to Japan; Chandris was able to purchase one of the Mariposa engines from the ship breakers.
^The SS President Coolidge was allocated to Navy by the War Shipping Administration (WSA) but never commissioned and thus was SS President Coolidge until sunk at Espiritu Santo 26 October 1942. The President Monroe was acquired and bareboat chartered by WSA, but not transferred to the Navy until 18 July 1943 and not commissioned until 20 August 1943 whereupon she became USS President Monroe (AP-104).
^"Steamers & Motorships". Lloyd's Register of Shipping(PDF). Vol. II. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1932. Retrieved 3 April 2021 – via Southampton City Council.
^Wardlow, Chester (1999). The Technical Services—The Transportation Corps: Responsibilities, Organization, And Operations. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. p. 166. LCCN 99490905.
Gill, G Hermon (1957). Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. 1. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. LCCN 58037940.
Masterson, Dr James R (1949). US Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941-1947. Washington, DC: Transportation Unit, Historical Division, Special Staff, US Army.
Matloff, Maurice; Snell, Edwin M. (1953–59). The War Department: Strategic Planning For Coalition Warfare 1941-1942. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. LCCN 53-61477.
Mayo, Lida (1968). The Technical Services—The Ordnance Department: On Beachhead And Battlefront. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. LCCN 79014631.
Navy Department—Headquarters of the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, and Commander, Tenth Fleet (1945). "United States Naval Administration in World War II—History of Convoy and Routing". Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Nimitz, Chester W., Admiral (USN); Steele, James M, Captain (USN) (1942). 'Gray Book' — War Plans and Files of the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet; Running Estimate and Summary maintained by Captain James M. Steele, USN, CINCPAC staff at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, covering the period 7 December 1941–31 August 1942(PDF). Vol. 1 of 8 volumes. Washington DC: Operational Archives, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington Navy Yard.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mariposa (ship, 1932).
Home Lines ocean liner and cruise ship postcards and photographs
Matson Lines 1930s brochure
Photos of twin funnel ships including SS Homeric
January 01, 1970
mariposa, 1931, other, ships, same, name, mariposa, disambiguation, mariposa, ocean, liner, launched, 1931, four, ships, matson, lines, white, fleet, which, included, monterey, malolo, lurline, later, renamed, homeric, aerial, port, view, mariposa, march, 1944. For other ships of the same name see Mariposa disambiguation SS Mariposa was an ocean liner launched in 1931 one of four ships in the Matson Lines White Fleet which included SS Monterey SS Malolo and SS Lurline She was later renamed SS Homeric Aerial port bow view of Mariposa in March 1944History NameMariposa OperatorMatson Lines Home Lines Port of registryLos Angeles BuilderFore River Shipyard Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation Launched18 July 1931 CompletedDecember 1931 Maiden voyage16 January 1932 In service1932 as Mariposa 1953 as Homeric IdentificationUS official number 231312 Code letters MJPN until 1933 Call sign WGEN 1934 onward FateScrapped in 1974 General characteristics TypeOcean liner Tonnage18 017 GRT 10 580 NRT Length632 ft 193 m length overall 604 0 ft 184 1 m registered length Beam79 3 ft 24 2 m Draft28 ft 3 in 8 61 m Depth30 5 ft 9 3 m Decks4 Installed power5 363 NHP Propulsion2 Bethlehem geared steam turbines 28 450 shp 21 215 16 kW Speed22 84 knots 42 30 km h 26 28 mph Capacity704 passengers 475 first class 229 cabin class Troops4 165 1 Crew359 Sensors and processing systemsEcho sounding device Wireless direction finding Gyrocompass Contents 1 Building 2 Career with Matson Lines 3 War service 3 1 War voyages 4 Career with Home Lines 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksBuilding editThe Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation built Mariposa at Quincy Massachusetts completing her in December 1931 Her registered length was 604 0 ft 184 1 m her beam was 79 3 ft 24 2 m and her depth was 30 5 ft 9 3 m As built her tonnages were 18 017 GRT and 10 580 NRT She had twin screws each driven by three steam turbines via single reduction gearing 2 Career with Matson Lines editMariposa was designed for service in the Pacific Ocean including regular stops in ports along the West Coast of the United States Hawaii Samoa Fiji New Zealand and Australia Her maiden voyage began 16 January 1932 in New York City where she sailed to Havana transited the Panama Canal and berthed in the Port of Los Angeles before continuing on to tour 10 more countries in the south and west Pacific War service editIn World War II she operated under the War Shipping Administration 3 with allocation and close association with the US Army though not officially a US Army Transport 4 serving as a fast troop carrier bringing supplies and support forces to distant shores and rescuing persons stranded in foreign countries by the outbreak of war Mariposa with a Navy designated troop capacity of 4 165 and speed of 20 5 knots 38 0 km h was one of the very large fast transports the largest nicknamed Monsters usually sailing without escort 1 War voyages edit 26 December 1941 She left Honolulu Hawaii loaded with some military personnel and many military dependents accompanied by a destroyer escort and arrived in San Francisco 1 January 1942 12 January 1942 Mariposa left San Francisco in the Australian Suva convoy escorted by two destroyers and the light cruiser USS Phoenix with two other troopships SS President Coolidge and the SS President Monroe destined for Suva 5 Note 1 This was the first large convoy to Australia after Pearl Harbor with Mariposa transporting Army personnel ammunition and combined with Coolidge fifty P 40 fighters intended for the Philippines and Java 6 7 The thirteen officers selected by the War Department to form the core of what was to become MacArthur s headquarters in the Southwest Pacific Area Command being formed in Australia as United States Army Forces in Australia USAFIA known as the Remember Pearl Harbor Group were embarked in Coolidge and Mariposa Most troops and equipment were intended to be sent on from Australia to the American British Dutch Australian Command ABDA area after the Australian bound ships reached Melbourne on 1 February 1942 6 35th Pursuit Group commander Clinton D Casey Vincent was aboard 8 9 Mariposa made a brief stop 2 February 1942 in Melbourne before proceeding on to Perth 10 The ship had been due to continue on with the Army fighter group to India but was withdrawn and the personnel and cargo transshipped into the two Australian transports Duntroon and Katoomba 11 Also on board was the Brownout Strangler Private Edward Leonski 19 March 1942 She left San Francisco for Australia in a convoy that included RMS Queen Elizabeth 18 April 1942 She left Melbourne Australia for the US carrying Dutch military personnel who had evacuated Java after the loss to the Japanese Imperial Army she arrived 3 May 1942 in San Francisco 28 May 1942 She left Charleston South Carolina stopping in Freetown for a week and Cape Town for a short stay before heading for Karachi 12 September 1942 She arrived at Karachi 12 Mariposa arrived in New York City in early September with more than 100 American Volunteer Group Flying Tigers pilots and ground personnel aboard They had been denied transport back to the United States on half empty transport planes by the US Ferry Command 13 21 December 1942 left Newport News Virginia unescorted carrying 5 000 military passengers 14 3 January 1943 Overnight refueling at Rio de Janeiro 26 January 1943 Aden for overnight refueling 27 January 1943 She disembarked outside Massawa 27 February 1943 Disembarked at Bombay 10 April 1943 Arrived at New York City 15 15 April 1943 Left Brooklyn Navy Yard for Casablanca carrying military medical units and troops including some Tuskegee Airmen 24 April 1943 Arrived at Casablanca French Morocco Mid November 1943 Left Sydney Harbour bound for San Francisco for a 16 day cruise Among the passengers was prominent Dutch pilot Ivan Smirnov Romanized to Smirnoff No convoy was used 10 December 1943 She departed Los Angeles for Hobart Tasmania with 4 500 railroad troops with no escort During the voyage the men were near mutinous due to bad food 16 26 December 1943 Docked at Hobart early 1944 Docked at Bombay 9 March 1944 Departed Los Angeles 8 April 1944 Arrived Bombay 17 13 April 1944 Left Bombay for Boston 18 23 May 1944 Arrived at Boston Spring 1944 New York to North Africa 19 8 August 1944 Left Boston for Liverpool with no escort 20 14 August 1944 Arrived at Liverpool 30 August 1944 Left Boston for Liverpool sailed alone 7 September 1944 Arrived Liverpool 1 December 1944 Left Boston for Marseilles sailed alone 10 December 1944 Arrived Marseilles 8 January 1945 Left Boston for Marseilles 18 January 1945 Arrived Marseilles 7 May 1945 En route to the US on VE Day 17 October 1945 Left Le Havre for Boston bringing troops home 24 October 1945 Arrived at Boston 1946 Australia New Zealand dependent voyages from Australia 21 20 February 1946 WSA operation Departed Brisbane with 882 dependents 11 April 1946 WSA operation Departed Brisbane with 769 dependents 31 May 1946 WSA operation Departed Brisbane with 802 dependents 11 July 1946 WSA operation Departed Sydney with 230 dependentsCareer with Home Lines editIn 1947 the ship was mothballed for six years at Union Iron Works in Alameda California Her engines were overhauled by Todd San Francisco Division Home Lines bought her and renamed her SS Homeric sailing her to Trieste for reconstruction to allow 1243 passengers 147 first class and 1 096 tourist class Her gross register tonnage increased to 18 563 and total length increased to 641 ft 195 5 m Home Lines operated her beginning 24 January 1955 for liner service between ports in the north Atlantic On 18 August 1956 Homeric s bow struck the side of the Greek Line ship Columbia in fog in Quebec At the time tugs were towing Homeric and Columbia was moored at a pier About 20 ft 6 m of Columbia s starboard side were damaged and some of her lifeboats were crushed 22 In 1964 she replaced SS Italia to steam on the regular run between New York and Nassau Bahamas though she in turn was shortly replaced by SS Oceanic SS Homeric was reassigned to intra Caribbean cruises In 1973 a major fire destroyed much of her galley and restaurant and she was scrapped in Taiwan next to Holland America Line SS Nieuw Amsterdam in 1974 23 During the ship breaking process her sister ship the Chandris Lines Ellinis ex Lurline suffered major engine damage on a cruise to Japan Chandris was able to purchase one of the Mariposa engines from the ship breakers See also editSS Mariposa 1883 SS Manoa 1913 SS Malolo 1926 SS Monterey 1931 SS Lurline 1932 Notes edit The SS President Coolidge was allocated to Navy by the War Shipping Administration WSA but never commissioned and thus was SS President Coolidge until sunk at Espiritu Santo 26 October 1942 The President Monroe was acquired and bareboat chartered by WSA but not transferred to the Navy until 18 July 1943 and not commissioned until 20 August 1943 whereupon she became USS President Monroe AP 104 References edit a b Navy Department Headquarters of the Commander in Chief United States Fleet and Commander Tenth Fleet 1945 p 48 Steamers amp Motorships Lloyd s Register of Shipping PDF Vol II London Lloyd s Register of Shipping 1932 Retrieved 3 April 2021 via Southampton City Council Wardlow Chester 1999 The Technical Services The Transportation Corps Responsibilities Organization And Operations United States Army In World War II Washington DC Center Of Military History United States Army p 166 LCCN 99490905 Grover David 1987 U S Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II Naval Institute Press pp 4 18 amp 20 ISBN 0 87021 766 6 LCCN 87015514 Nimitz amp v 1 7 December 1941 1 September 1942 Entries for 12 amp 26 January 1942 sfn error no target CITEREFNimitzv 1 7 December 1941 1 September 1942 Entries for 12 amp 26 January 1942 help a b Mayo 1968 pp 40 41 Matloff amp Snell 1953 59 p 132 1942 Troop Ship Crossings January to June ww2troopships com McClure Glenn E Fire and Fall Back the World War Two CBI story of Casey Vincent p 18 Universal City Texas Barnes Press 1975 Richard Baker History of the 80th Depot Repair Squadron 80th Air Depot Group Gill 1957 pp 601 602 a b Eleazer Wayne Duncan s Hot Rod Air Classics May 2001 Smith RT 1986 Tale of a Tiger Van Nuys California Tiger Originals pp 355 57 Hatfield Jim Massawa in WWII Kagnew Station Rick Fortney Archived from the original on 2005 02 08 Retrieved 2020 01 02 http search ancestry com iexec htx View amp r an amp dbid 7488 amp iid NYT715 6696 0187 amp st r amp ssrc amp pid 3018001312 amp a 0 dead link Interview of James Louis Watters Transcript Number 226 World War II through the eyes of the Cape Fear University of North Carolina Archived from the original on 2006 09 06 Retrieved 2020 01 02 CBI Unit Lineages and History OTHER UNITS cbi history com 1944 Troop Ship Crossings January to June ww2troopships com Vernon Joseph Baker We never had a chance And yet we did it 1944 Troop Ship Crossings July to December ww2troopships com Masterson 1949 p 306 Homeric sideswipes ship at Quebec pier The New York Times 19 August 1956 p 78 Retrieved 3 April 2021 Detail on the SS Homeric Further reading editGill G Hermon 1957 Royal Australian Navy 1939 1942 Australia in the War of 1939 1945 Series 2 Navy Vol 1 Canberra Australian War Memorial LCCN 58037940 Masterson Dr James R 1949 US Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941 1947 Washington DC Transportation Unit Historical Division Special Staff US Army Matloff Maurice Snell Edwin M 1953 59 The War Department Strategic Planning For Coalition Warfare 1941 1942 United States Army In World War II Washington DC Center Of Military History United States Army LCCN 53 61477 Mayo Lida 1968 The Technical Services The Ordnance Department On Beachhead And Battlefront United States Army In World War II Washington DC Center Of Military History United States Army LCCN 79014631 Navy Department Headquarters of the Commander in Chief United States Fleet and Commander Tenth Fleet 1945 United States Naval Administration in World War II History of Convoy and Routing Naval History amp Heritage Command Retrieved 6 April 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Nimitz Chester W Admiral USN Steele James M Captain USN 1942 Gray Book War Plans and Files of the Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet Running Estimate and Summary maintained by Captain James M Steele USN CINCPAC staff at Pearl Harbor Hawaii covering the period 7 December 1941 31 August 1942 PDF Vol 1 of 8 volumes Washington DC Operational Archives Naval History and Heritage Command Washington Navy Yard a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link MacDonald John Kilpack Captain John H 1981 Nothing Can Go Wrong New York Harper amp Row ISBN 978 0060148911 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mariposa ship 1932 Home Lines ocean liner and cruise ship postcards and photographs Matson Lines 1930s brochure Photos of twin funnel ships including SS Homeric Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SS Mariposa 1931 amp oldid 1217510028, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
