The 4 Aces were the quartet of passenger-cargo liners ''Excalibur'', ''Exochorda'', ''Exeter'', and ''Excambion'', originally built for American Export Lines by

New York Shipbuilding The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

between 1929 and 1931. AEL placed the "4 Aces" in service between the US and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, offering cruises of up to 40 days. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, all four vessels were taken over by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, renamed, and designated as AP- and APA-class troop transports. ''Excambion'' became USS ''John Penn'' (APA-23), ''Excalibur'' became USS ''Joseph Hewes'' (AP-50), ''Exeter'' became USS ''Edward Rutledge'' (AP-52), and ''Exochorda'' became USS ''Harry Lee''. ''Excambion'', ''Excalibur'', and ''Exeter'' were lost to enemy action; after the war ''Exochorda'' was sold to Turkish Maritime Lines and renamed ''Tarsus''. During World War II the company's subsidiary

American Export Airlines American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

borrowed three of the names (excepting ''Exochorda'') for its

Sikorsky VS-44 The Sikorsky VS-44 is a large four- engined flying boat built in the United States in the early 1940s by Sikorsky Aircraft. Based on the XPBS-1 patrol bomber, the VS-44 was designed primarily for the transatlantic passenger market, with a capaci ...

flying boats, which it used in transatlantic service. ''Excambion'' is preserved on display at the

New England Air Museum The New England Air Museum (NEAM) is an American aerospace museum located adjacent to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The museum consists of three display hangars with additional storage and restoration hangars. Its ...

in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

The New “4 Aces”

After World War II, American Export Lines purchased four C3-class ''Windsor''-class

attack transport Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from the Merchant navy, merchant fleet &ndash ...

s built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. at Sparrow's Point, Maryland, had them refitted as passenger-cargo liners, and placed them in service as the new "4 Aces." USS ''Dauphin'' became ''Exochorda'', USS ''Dutchess'' became ''Excalibur'', USS ''Queens'' became ''Excambion'' and USS ''Shelby'' (APA-105) became ''Exeter''. The quartet sailed under the AEL flag until the 1960s. SS Stevens Anchor on Campus View 01

In 1968, the post-war SS ''Exochorda'' was purchased by

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

to alleviate a shortage of on-campus student housing. It was refurbished at

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

Shipyard in Hoboken, renamed SS ''Stevens'' and anchored on the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

adjacent to the campus, where it served a dormitory. It remained in service until 1975, when skyrocketing utility costs made its continued operation prohibitive. Before it was towed away and sold for scrap, one of ''Stevens'' anchors was removed and permanently displayed on campus as a memento. In 1965, the post-war ''Excambion'' became USTS ''Texas Clipper'' for service with the

Texas Maritime Academy Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students enrolled at Texas A&M University at Galveston, known affectionately as 'Sea Aggies', ...

until being sunk as an artificial reef on November 17, 2007.

Notes

References

{{reflist Ocean liners Ships of American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines Ships built in Sparrows Point, Maryland Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation