SS Marine Robin (1943)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Marine Robin'' was completed for the
United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The co ...
(USMC) by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in 1944 for service in
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 ...
. The ship was one of the C4 type ship variants built by the company completed as either troop transports for the
War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...
(WSA) or to become Navy hospital ships. The troop transports were operated throughout the war by commercial shipping firms operating as agents for WSA. 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 Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, before commencing troop transport duties. The ship's first troop transport was from New York to
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, 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 Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...
) landing elements of units not in the assault waves at Yellow Beach near
Sainte-Maxime Sainte-Maxime (; Occitan language, Occitan and Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Santa Maxima'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France ...
on 15 August. After return to the Atlantic the ship transported troops to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
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 James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at () near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in sto ...
. 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 ''Queen of the Lakes'' is an unofficial but widely recognized title bestowed upon vessels on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada, honoring the longest vessel currently in service on the lakes. A number of vessels, mostly lake freight ...
" 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 A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...
. 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''.


''Marine Robin''

The ship was a sub design of the basic C4 ship, originally designed for American-Hawaiian Lines and taken over by the USMC, designated C4-S-B2. Fourteen of the type were built by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company with completion as either War Shipping Administration (WSA) troop transports or Navy hospital ships. The more widely built C4-S-A1 variant were mostly Navy troop transports.Twenty-nine, of the Kaiser built C4-S-A1 variant were built as Navy troop transports. Three of the Kaiser built C4-S-A3 variants were completed as WSA troop transports. All the Navy troop ships were given names starting with "General" and all the WSA troop ships names started with "Marine". The Kaiser ships had originally been assigned to Sun but twenty of those hulls were assigned to Kaiser by the USMC to prioritize Sun's construction of tankers.


Construction

''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.


Registry and characteristics

The ship was registered with U.S. Official Number 245496, signal KWTQ, port of Philadelphia, , , registry length, beam and depth of and crew of 105. Characteristics beyond registry figures are ,ShipbuildingHistory figure. Individual MARAD status card apparently shows last four digits based on examination of cards for sister vessels. ''Marine Robin'' has "5379a" with "5457c" typed above. For example, the white Vessel Status Card for sister
''Marine Raven''
has typed "15403" with "5379" handwritten above
''Marine Eagle''
the first of the Sun ships of the series, shows full five figures.
length overall, draft of , troop capacity of 2,439, cargo capacity (bale) and a cruise radius of . Propulsion was by steam turbine with 9,900 shp driving a single screw for a speed of to .


Service history

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. Though recent local sources state the ship was present at the
Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...
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. Instead, after delivery 29 April, the ship is seen making at least one non troop voyage in which ''Marine Robin'' departed
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...
, 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.


Troop transport

''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. During that time the ship was assigned to the Task Force 85.3.2, Transport Group, Section II for
Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...
, the invasion of southern France.Another WSA troop transport, was in this group. 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. Regimental headquarters and medical detachment of 343rd Engineers boarded in the afternoon of 9 August.The engineer regiment's 1st Battalion HQ and companies boarded the British troop ship on 9 August and the 2nd Battalion HQ and companies boarded on 8 August. The convoy put to sea on 13 August and after transiting between
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
and
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
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. 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. The ship returned to New York via
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
then departing 14 October 1944 in convoy CU 43 of 23 ships arriving Liverpool 25 October. 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 Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
and
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
. On 2 June 1945 freed prisoners of war boarded the ship at Le Havre for return home. They were addressed by
General Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
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 Camp Shanks was a United States Army installation in the Orangeburg, New York area. Named after Major General David C. Shanks, it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. The camp was the largest U.S. Army embark ...
. The Atlantic voyages ended when, on 8 October 1945, ''Marine Robin'' voyaged through
Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...
for
Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
and
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
with a final destination of
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
arriving 1 December 1945. 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 The Hooghly River (, also spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') is the westernmost distributary of the Ganges, situated in West Bengal, India. It is known in its upper reaches as the Bhagirathi. The Bhagirathi splits off from the main branch of the G ...
until the next day. After a brief stop at Singapore the ''Marine Robin'' began the
great circle In mathematics, a great circle or orthodrome is the circular intersection of a sphere and a plane passing through the sphere's center point. Discussion Any arc of a great circle is a geodesic of the sphere, so that great circles in spher ...
voyage to Seattle passing within sight of
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
and glimpsing
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
before skirting the
Aleutians The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain of 14 main, larger volcanic island ...
and encountering heavy seas. By late December ''Marine Robin'' and were assigned to the India-Burma area for transport of troops home. Subsequent operations were in the Pacific with
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, Calcutta as ports. In February 1946 after arrival in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
''Marine Robin'' made a trip to
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
, Japan returning to San Francisco 4 April 1946 and being released from troop transport duty.


Postwar transport

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 Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to Ger ...
before the last boarded at Shanghai 4 through 6 July. 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. 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 The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
The reference uses "Arabian Gulf," a name in use at the time. that ripped away sun awnings the ship made a stop at
Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...
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 Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...
4 August 1946. At the time of the source newsletter, the day before arrival, the ship had voyaged at an average speed of .


Reserve fleet

After World War II, like many of her C4
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...
s, ''Marine Robin'' was placed in reserve. On 10 March 1947 the ship was placed in the James River Reserve Fleet. 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.


''Joseph H. Thompson''

In 1950, Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company, a subsidiary of Sand Products Corporation of Detroit, MI, owned by the McKee family, purchased the ''Marine Robin'' and her sisters ''Marine Angel'' and ''Marine Star'' for future conversion into Great Lakes ships. In 1952, she was taken to
Maryland Drydock Company The Maryland Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company that operated in Baltimore, Maryland during the 20th century. The company started life in 1920 as the Globe Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Maryland. Its president at this time was B. ...
in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
, where forebody was cut off just aft of her
superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...
, and scrapped, and a new forebody and midbody were constructed, and she was lengthened by . She was towed, empty, and half complete, up the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
and the
Chicago Ship Canal The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is a canal system that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. It reverses the direction of the Main Stem and the South Branch of the Chicago ...
, in two parts, so she could transit the shorter locks there. Her stern and bow were connected and her superstructures erected by American Shipbuilding at South Chicago, Illinois. Ownership of the vessel was transferred to Hansand Steamship Company, a 50/50 partnership between Hanna Mining Corp. of Cleveland, OH, and Sand Products Corp. of Detroit, MI. Hanna Mining was contracted to operate the vessel. She was recommissioned as ''Joseph H. Thompson'' on November 4, 1952. By length overall, , the ship was longest on the lakes and thus became "Queen of the Lakes" and the longest freighter in the world. Registry information shows the ship retained the U.S. Official Number assigned to ''Marine Robin'' (245496) with the signal/radio call sign of WE5200. The ship was registered as , , registry length of , beam, depth with ownership by Hansand Steamship Corporation (Delaware) at
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
. ''Joseph H. Thompson'' was laid up on October 9, 1982, at the Nicholson Dock at Detroit, Michigan.


Service as an Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB)

After sale to Upper Lakes Shipping in 1985, she was converted to a self-unloading articulated
barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...
. Her aft cabins and engine room were cut down and a notch for a push tug constructed on her stern, and the cargo hold was reconstructed for a single unloading conveyor belt with a bucket elevator system aft feeding a 250' unloading boom on her spar deck. Her
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
, ''Joseph H. Thompson Jr.'', was constructed from leftover steel from the barge conversion. In 2015 the pair of vessels were acquired by VanEnkevort Tug & Barge. In 2019 the barge ''Joseph H. Thompson'' was assigned a new tug, the '' Laura L. VanEnkevort''. The tug ''Joseph H. Thompson Jr.'' underwent a refit at Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair at Erie, Pennsylvania, being renamed ''Dirk S. VanEnkevort''. She was paired with the barge ''Michigan Trader''. The ''Joseph H. Thompson'' continued serving with VanEnkevort Tug & Barge until 2023 when she failed a 5 year inspection and she was sold for scrap, and she arrived at
Port Colborne Port Colborne is a city in Ontario, Canada that is located on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The original settlement, known as Gravelly Bay, dates from 1832 and was renamed after ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
and scrap work started not long after.


Footnotes


References


External links


C4 Cargo Ships (full list by USMC # at ShipbuildingHistory)


{{DEFAULTSORT:Marine Robin (1943) 1944 ships Ships built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company Troop ships of the War Shipping Administration Queen of the Lakes