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SS Marine Robin (1943)
World War II troop transport ship / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Marine Robin was completed for the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in 1944 for service in World War II. The ship was one of the C4 type ship variants built by the company completed as either troop transports for the War Shipping Administration (WSA) or to become Navy hospital ships. The troop transports were operated throughout the war by commercial shipping firms operating as agents for WSA.
![]() Marine Robin in 1943, possibly on delivery. | |
History | |
---|---|
Name |
|
Builder | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock, Chester, Pa. |
Yard number |
|
Laid down | 22 January 1943 |
Launched | 6 August 1943 |
Completed | Delivery: 29 April 1944 |
Identification |
|
Fate | Cut into sections, portions used to construct Joseph H. Thompson |
General characteristics Marine Robin | |
Type | USMC C4-S-B2 |
Tonnage | 11,757 GRT, 8,182 NRT, 15,300 DWT |
Length | 496.2 ft (151.2 m) (registry) |
Beam | 71.7 ft (21.9 m) |
Draft | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Depth | 25.6 ft (7.8 m) |
Propulsion | Steam turbine, 9,900 shp, single screw |
Speed | 17.5 kn (20.1 mph; 32.4 km/h) |
Capacity |
|
Crew | 105 |
Notes | Cruise radius: 14,000 nmi (16,000 mi; 26,000 km) |
General characteristics Joseph H. Thompson | |
Tonnage | 12,217 GRT, 8,469 NRT |
Length |
|
Beam | 71.6 ft (21.8 m) |
Depth | 34.7 ft (10.6 m) |
The ship, launched in 1943 and delivered to WSA 29 April 1944 for operation by Grace Lines, Inc. made at least one trip, returning to New York 5 June 1945 from Jamaica, before commencing troop transport duties. The ship's first troop transport was from New York to Naples, Italy with operations in that region for two months. During 8–9 August 1944 Marine Robin embarked troops at Naples for the invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon) landing elements of units not in the assault waves at Yellow Beach near Sainte-Maxime on 15 August.
After return to the Atlantic the ship transported troops to the United Kingdom and, later, ports in France. By 1945 the ship was transporting freed U.S. prisoners of war home. In October 1945 the ship left the Atlantic for Seattle picking up returning veterans in the India-Burma theater arriving in Seattle in December. Later in December the ship was assigned as an India-Burma transport.
In April 1946 the ship was released from troop transport duty but transported German civilians from China to Germany 7 July to 4 August 1945. From March 1947 to October 1951 Marine Robin was in the James River Reserve Fleet. The ship had been sold in 1950 with title passed in 1951 but was not withdrawn by the buyer until 22 October 1951.
The Great Lakes ship Joseph H. Thompson was built from portions of Marine Robin with major reconfiguration and lengthening. The two new parts were brought to Chicago and united and new superstructure added at American Shipbuilding to form what at the time was the longest ship on the lakes and holder of the title "Queen of the Lakes" by reason of length.
That ship was laid up in October 1982 but sold in 1985 to Upper Lakes Shipping, and converted to a self-unloading articulated barge. The after end of the ship was reformed into a "notch" for a tug and steel from the after end used to build the tug for that purpose, named Joseph H. Thompson Jr.. In 2015, after acquisition by new owners, the tug was replaced by a new tug named Laura L. VanEnkevort. The old tug, after refit, was renamed Dirk S. VanEnkevort and paired with the barge Michigan Trader.