SS Marine Robin (1943)

Marine Robin was constructed for the Maritime Commission by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania as USMC hull 737, yard hull 342. The keel was laid 22 January 1943 with launch on 6 August 1943 and delivery to the War Shipping Administration on 29 April 1944 at Chester for wartime operation.[4][5]

The ship was registered with U.S. Official Number 245496, signal KWTQ, port of Philadelphia, 11,757 GRT, 8,182 NRT, 496.2 ft (151.2 m) registry length, 71.7 ft (21.9 m) beam and depth of 25.6 ft (7.8 m) and crew of 105.[6] Characteristics beyond registry figures are 15,300 DWT,[note 2] 520 ft (158.5 m) length overall, draft of 30 ft (9.1 m), troop capacity of 2,439, cargo capacity 106,170 cu ft (3,006.4 m³) (bale) and a cruise radius of 14,000 nmi (16,000 mi; 26,000 km).[1][5][7] Propulsion was by steam turbine with 9,900 shp driving a single screw for a speed of 17 kn (20 mph; 31 km/h) to 17.5 kn (20.1 mph; 32.4 km/h).[1][4][5][8]

The ship was operated by Grace Lines, Inc. as the WSA operating agent under a General Agency Agreement effective the day of delivery and throughout the ship's wartime operations until lay up 10 March 1947.[5]

Though recent local sources state the ship was present at the Invasion of Normandy[8][9][10] the ship does not appear in the exhaustive list of ships in the invasion's Operation Plan or in the list of ships compiled by the American Merchant Marine at War.[11][12] Instead, after delivery 29 April, the ship is seen making at least one non troop voyage in which Marine Robin departed Kingston, Jamaica, B.W.I. on May 31 and arrives in New York on 5 June 1944. On that trip agricultural workers from Jamaica were entered as aliens by immigration authorities.[13]

Marine Robin later departed Norfolk, Virginia on her maiden troop carrying voyage arriving at Naples to spend the next two months operating in the Mediterranean.[7] During that time the ship was assigned to the Task Force 85.3.2, Transport Group, Section II for Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France.[14][15][note 3]

The ship embarked troops for those landings at Naples on 8–9 August 1944, including elements of the 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) not assigned to the assault force on 8 August.[16] Regimental headquarters and medical detachment of 343rd Engineers boarded in the afternoon of 9 August.[17][note 4] The convoy put to sea on 13 August and after transiting between Corsica and Sardinia was in position just over the horizon from the beaches by 0400 of 15 August. Following the assault troops those aboard Marine Robin landed at Yellow Beach near Sainte-Maxime about three hours after the assault began.[16] The ship's Navy Armed Guard, naval gunners manning the guns of merchant vessels, was awarded a Navy "Battle Star" for the Invasion of Southern France 15 Aug 44-25 Sept-44.[18]

The ship returned to New York via Gibraltar then departing 14 October 1944 in convoy CU 43 of 23 ships arriving Liverpool 25 October.[7][19] After three more Atlantic voyages transporting troops to the United Kingdom the ship in January 1945 began including ports in France as well as the U.K. including Le Havre and Marseilles.[7]

On 2 June 1945 freed prisoners of war boarded the ship at Le Havre for return home. The were addressed by General Eisenhower before departure who explained he would like them to have "first class" accommodations home but there were so many freed POWs the ship could not take them all without double loading, meaning two men shared a bunk alternately in 24 hour periods. The men were given a choice to travel without double loading, leaving many behind, or the hardship. They voted to double bunk and leave no one behind. Marine Robin transited to New York unescorted arriving 8 June 1945 for a brief period of quarantine before debarking in Manhattan to board trains for Camp Shanks.[20]

The Atlantic voyages ended when, on 8 October 1945, Marine Robin voyaged through Suez for Calcutta and Colombo with a final destination of Seattle arriving 1 December 1945.[7]

On that voyage from Atlantic operations to Seattle the ship transported troops from the India-Burma area. On 5 November 2,572 troops were loaded at Calcutta but the ship did not start moving down the Hooghly River until the next day. After a brief stop at Singapore the Marine Robin began the great circle voyage to Seattle passing within sight of Okinawa and glimpsing Mount Fuji before skirting the Aleutians and encountering heavy seas.[21] By late December Marine Robin and Marine Fox were assigned to the India-Burma area for transport of troops home.[22]

Subsequent operations were in the Pacific with Shanghai, Singapore, Calcutta as ports. In February 1946 after arrival in Portland, Oregon Marine Robin made a trip to Yokohama, Japan returning to San Francisco 4 April 1946 and being released from troop transport duty.[7]

With the end of troop transport duty the ship assumed other duties. On 7 July 1946 Marine Robin departed Shanghai making her eighteenth voyage, this time with 1,122 German nationals, men, women and children, repatriated from China to Germany. Many had lived in China for decades and some a lifetime. They were apprehensive, in part because officially they were Prisoners of War. The voyage had begun 23 June with 301 passengers boarding at Taku Bar, China, then on 25 June another 133 at Tsingtao before the last boarded at Shanghai 4 through 6 July.[23] Nine of the Shanghai Germans were taken off the ship after a Chinese order allowed them to stay as technical experts and doctors. The seven technical experts were scheduled to work for Chinese firms and the two doctors with the Chinese Health Administration Hospital. Two persons on the sailing list who failed to report filed claims they were not German citizens. Their cases were then under review by Chinese authorities. The actual number reported boarding at Shanghai was 625 leaving more than 1,000 Germans in the city.[24]

Though there was an official no fraternization policy between the Germans and ship's crew and the forty-one embarked Army Voyage Staff representatives of the passengers noted they were treated well and the voyage eased fears of what awaited in Germany. After a gale in the Red Sea[note 5] that ripped away sun awnings the ship made a stop at Port Said on 26 July. There the ship took on fuel and supplies were obtained for the passengers to use on arrival in Germany. On 31 July Marine Robin passed Gibraltar to arrive Bremerhaven 4 August 1946. At the time of the source newsletter, the day before arrival, the ship had voyaged 10,800 nmi (12,400 mi; 20,000 km) at an average speed of 16.8 kn (19.3 mph; 31.1 km/h).[23]

After World War II, like many of her C4 sister ships, Marine Robin was placed in reserve.[8] On 10 March 1947 the ship was placed in the James River Reserve Fleet.[5]

On 29 December 1950 a contract of sale with Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company was made. On 29 June 1951 title was passed to the company though the ship was to be maintained in custody of the Maritime Administration in the reserve fleet until the ship was withdrawn by the new owner 22 October 1951.[5]