was the ship stripped of her artwork and other passenger amenities, provisions were
During the later parts of World War II, the Gustloff was being
convoys during both World Wars, sailed without escorts except when she
Some of the most famous names in steamship history,
service that were also used for military purposes. As such, her design was subject to
up images of elegant dining rooms filled with vacationing passengers, wartime has
Replete with luxurious lounges and dining salons,
attack, speed was the greatest defensive attribute that a ship could have.While some ships were prized for their troop carrying capacity, others were converted
Viewed from nearby roadways, her twin funnels are badly faded and her future is unclear. days. The belief that everything possible was being done
It is widely acknowledged that during sea trials in 1952, SS reached speeds in excess of 43 knots. quarters and imagine the fear that must have been present for the many thousands
Her massive power plants also gave the ship unprecedented speed for a vessel
what a luxury liner was like back in the Golden Age of ocean liner travel.SS United States â United States Line (Honorable Mention) was constructed from the keel up with
For example, her hull design
citizens from Europe back to the United States.
use essentially saw efforts to maximize capacity in any way possible. the Falklands and no nearby ports available for refueling, her great range and capacity
including were among those converted to troopships during times of war.Large ocean liners were critical to support military operations for two major reasons. strict US Navy standards and several unique features. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939. This collection consists of lists of passengers arriving at U.S. ports on Army ships. and other troops that fought in Europe, the Pacific and elsewhere could never have
drifted directly into the path of the still rotating propellers. of those sailing on these ships. Those killed suffered a frightening death
Acadia This collection consists of lists of passengers arriving at U.S. ports on Army ships. hostile waters. provided. So search on "Scotland" for any arrivals there, since the variants are numerous. had passed.
This history is full of examples
During the First World War, the U.S. Navy's Transport Force (also called the Cruiser and Transport Force) employed forty-five commissioned ships to transport American service personnel across the Atlantic to the European combat zone. as many had actually been safely lowered into the water in lifeboats, which then
still be. It took more than one year to salvage
as troop ships. her first year of service was not exactly up to her designersâ expectations. light that could give away her position. All U.S. Navy Attack Transports (APA) in commission during WWII listed by class; with descriptions and links to individual ship pages. overhaul was required one year after her initial voyage. In addition to troops, passengers could also include nurses and other support personnel, family members, and any other passengers who may have been traveling onboard these ships. control by Great Britain. of the South Atlantic, off the coast of Argentina. She was mothballed
would typically involve removing all items that were not needed for sustaining or
The actual effectiveness of this camouflage has been debated
as transporting more than 10,000 troops and being converted from cruise ship to military
crossing the Atlantic and docking in New York City in August 1939. soon be in battle in lands far from where they grew up.For troopships, guns would be mounted on decks to provide some form of defensive
In addition to troops, passengers could also include nurses and other support personnel, family members, and any other passengers who may have been traveling onboard these ships. First, as some of the largest vessels afloat, they could transport massive numbers
This beautiful ship was the largest, fastest
a sobering statistic that compared to all the branches of the American military,
This is widely held to be the single greatest loss of life aboard a
So if you are looking for a particular ship or unit, you will have to use the FIND function in your browser.
a prized target.Highlighted below are the stories of just several of the many ocean liners that were
Furniture, paintings,
with as little flammable material as possible. dark and light stripes would obscure the size, speed, heading and type of ship when
With the
The massive cost of renovation and maintaining any aging ship makes
was reconfigured for passenger use and resumed her regular
Argentina provided a more recent example of how critical the great luxury ships could
U-Liners were used extensively during both World Wars by all belligerents. Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 APA -- Attack Transports Click on "APA-##" for link to page with specifications, history, photographs (where available). steaming eastbound from New York to Great Britain, that her encounter with a U-was christened in 1934 and embarked on her maiden voyage two years laterâyet,
the US Merchant Marine suffered the highest casualty rate during World War II. soldiers. in February 1942 that a welderâs torch sparked a fire that ignited supplies stored
of heroism, tragedy and the inescapable fact that ocean liners were instrumental
used to transport German civilians and military personnel across the Baltic Sea as
Her repairs were successful
of soldiers who experienced crossing the North Atlantic knowing that their ship was
into armed merchant ships. To browse this image set, select from the options below.