USAT John L. Clem
Encyclopedia
John L. Clem began her service life as the United States Navy
troop transport USS Santa Ana (ID-2869). Between the wars she served as a commercial ocean liner
under various names. In 1941 she was acquired by the U.S. Army
and assigned the name USAT John L. Clem, about which time she was also briefly assigned a US Navy ID, AP-36. She did not serve with the Navy however, and spent most of the war as an Army transport until being converted into a hospital ship, the USAHS John L. Clem.
by William Cramp and Sons
, as a civilian passenger liner.
She was taken over by the Navy upon completion and placed in commission in February 1919. As a unit of the Cruiser and Transport Force
, she made four round-trip voyages to bring World War I
veterans from France
. USS Santa Ana completed this work in July 1919 and, later in that month, was decommissioned and turned over to the U.S. Shipping Board. Between the World Wars she operated commercially under the names Santa Ana, Guatemala, Santa Cecilia and Irwin.
, and operated between the United States
East and Gulf Coasts and ports in the Caribbean
and Central America
from June 1941 to September 1943. She was then sent to Mobile, Alabama
, where she was converted to a hospital ship.
Upon completion of this work in June 1944, John L. Clem steamed across the Atlantic to begin duty in the western Mediterranean. She returned to the U.S. in June 1945 to begin preparations for service in the Pacific. However, Japan surrendered and the plans were cancelled.
and Florida
.
She was turned over to the War Shipping Administration
early in 1946 and later assigned to the U.S. Public Health Service. In December of that year she was laid up in the Maritime Commission's National Defense Reserve Fleet
at Brunswick, Georgia
, under her previous name of Irwin. The ship was sold for scrapping in January 1948.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
troop transport USS Santa Ana (ID-2869). Between the wars she served as a commercial ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
under various names. In 1941 she was acquired by the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and assigned the name USAT John L. Clem, about which time she was also briefly assigned a US Navy ID, AP-36. She did not serve with the Navy however, and spent most of the war as an Army transport until being converted into a hospital ship, the USAHS John L. Clem.
Pre-WWII service
Santa Ana, a 5,000 gross ton (8890 tons displacement) transport, was built in 1918 at Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
by William Cramp and Sons
William Cramp and Sons
thumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...
, as a civilian passenger liner.
She was taken over by the Navy upon completion and placed in commission in February 1919. As a unit of the Cruiser and Transport Force
Cruiser and Transport Force
The Cruiser and Transport Service was a unit of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet during World War I that was responsible for transporting American men and materiel to France.- Composition :...
, she made four round-trip voyages to bring World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans from France
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...
. USS Santa Ana completed this work in July 1919 and, later in that month, was decommissioned and turned over to the U.S. Shipping Board. Between the World Wars she operated commercially under the names Santa Ana, Guatemala, Santa Cecilia and Irwin.
World War II
In March 1941 the U.S. Army purchased the Irwin. Renamed John L. Clem, she was converted to a troopship at New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and operated between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
East and Gulf Coasts and ports in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
from June 1941 to September 1943. She was then sent to Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, where she was converted to a hospital ship.
Upon completion of this work in June 1944, John L. Clem steamed across the Atlantic to begin duty in the western Mediterranean. She returned to the U.S. in June 1945 to begin preparations for service in the Pacific. However, Japan surrendered and the plans were cancelled.
Postwar service
After the Japanese surrender, John L. Clem was reconverted to a transport and used to carry workers between JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
She was turned over to the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
early in 1946 and later assigned to the U.S. Public Health Service. In December of that year she was laid up in the Maritime Commission's National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
at Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick is the major urban and economic center in southeastern Georgia in the United States. The municipality is located on a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles north of Florida and 70 miles south of South Carolina. Brunswick is bordered on the east by the Atlantic...
, under her previous name of Irwin. The ship was sold for scrapping in January 1948.