Camp Ross was a

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 ...

base serving as a staging area (embarkation camp) under the command of the Army's Los Angeles Port of Embarkation. The camp was located in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...

and

Wilmington, California Wilmington is a neighborhood in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high p ...

. The

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

leased 31.026 acres of land starting in 1942. Camp Ross was used by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

as staging area for troops ready for deployment and for troop returning home to

Naval Operating Base Terminal Island Naval Operating Base Terminal Island, (NOB Terminal Island) was United States Navy base founded on 25 September 1941 to support the World War II efforts in the Pacific War. Naval Operating Base Terminal Island was founded by combining Naval Faci ...

Camp

The camp could house up to 3,038 soldiers and 253 officers, but at its peak housed 5,000 servicemen and women. With departure and arrived every day, the camp and port moved 10 million tons cargo and over 700,000 troops and more than 28,000 prisoners of war during its years of operation. Many of the departing and returning Troops use the larger

Camp Anza Camp Anza was a United States Army installation, in Riverside, California, during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943. The camp was named after Juan Bautista de Anza, an early explorer who campe ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

as a staging area. In 1945, at the end of the war the camp was declared surplus and the lease was ended. For the war ships, on January 24, 1942 the Panama Pacific Terminal's Berths 232-A and B were taken over for the war department Los Angeles Port of Embarkation. Camp Ross was also use for staging cargo to shipped overseas, with Norwegian cargo ship MS ''Torrens'' being the first ship to depart with cargo on February 12, 1942. Also built at Camp Ross was the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation Station Hospital also called the Torrance Station Hospital. The Army Hospital had 600-bed to service those arriving and departing the port. The hospital opened in November 1943. The camp hosted a

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC; ) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), on 15 May 1942, and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United S ...

(WAC) unit that serviced the camp. Also at the camp was a

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

camp for Italian soldiers, the soldiers had surrendered at during the

North African campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

Italian Service Units The Italian Service Units or ISUs were military units composed of Italian prisoners of war (POWs) that served with the Allies during World War II against Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan from May 1944 to October 1945. The armed forces of the ...

of the 11th, 26th, 27th, 127th, 128th and 302nd Italian Quartermaster Service Company worked at the camp. By the end of the war over 28,000 prisoners passed through the camp. The camp was named after Sgt. Karl E. Ross was killed in Belgium in World War 1. After the war the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation Station Hospital became the

Harbor–UCLA Medical Center Harbor–UCLA Medical Center is a 570-bed public teaching hospital located at 1000 West Carson Street in West Carson, an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County, California. The hospital is owned by Los Angeles County and operated by t ...

and LA BioMed. *Also near the port was: **Long Beach Ammunition Loading Pier **Los Angeles Port Of Embarkation Station Hospital (also known as Torrance Station Hospital) **Wilmington Classification and Holding Yard **Women's Army Corps Housing Area ***War Animals shipped to and from the port were serviced at the Port Animal Depot, in

La Puente, California La Puente ( Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in east Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The original inhabitan ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Camp Ross California in World War II Formerly Used Defense Sites in California Military history of Los Angeles

Camp

See also

References