Posted:
January 7, 2009
Ship to be inducted into National Maritime Hall of Fame Jan. 31
The S/S Transglobe will be inducted into the National Maritime Hall of Fame and the ship and its crew honored for heroic service during the Vietnam War at a luncheon ceremony to be held at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Jan. 31, 2009.
All former crew or other persons interested in attending can do so by requesting an invitation from the museum for the event, which will be held at the Melville Hall Officers Club. Contact Phyllis O’Connell, administrator of the museum, at (516) 773-5515 to reserve a seat. The cost is $60 per person.
The vessel originally was designed as a C4-S-B2 hospital/transport. In 1944, the Transglobe successfully completed seven convoy runs through the U-boat packs of the North Atlantic, transporting 13,524 GIs to England. It was later used to make shuttle runs across the English Channel, including during the D-Day invasion. In all, the Transglobe transported a record 201,294 troops, wounded, casualties and other passengers, a number unsurpassed by any merchant ship during World War II.
On Feb. 12, 1966, she departed New York and was placed on “shuttle service” between Naha, DaNang and Saigon. Her Vietnam service continued from 1966 to 1972 and she amassed an impressive record of distinguished service, becoming the most decorated of all U.S. merchant vessels during this war. In 1968, the vessel was awarded four Battle Stars and the Purple Heart with Three Clusters, acknowledging service under fire on four occasions plus the loss of a crew member. During her six years of continuous service, she was never off hire and never failed to meet her schedule, and carried more military supplies to Vietnam during the war than any other merchant vessel.
Attention: mariners who served on the S/S Transglobe
Ship to be inducted into National Maritime Hall of Fame Jan. 31
The S/S Transglobe will be inducted into the National Maritime Hall of Fame and the ship and its crew honored for heroic service during the Vietnam War at a luncheon ceremony to be held at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Jan. 31, 2009.
All former crew or other persons interested in attending can do so by requesting an invitation from the museum for the event, which will be held at the Melville Hall Officers Club. Contact Phyllis O’Connell, administrator of the museum, at (516) 773-5515 to reserve a seat. The cost is $60 per person.
The vessel originally was designed as a C4-S-B2 hospital/transport. In 1944, the Transglobe successfully completed seven convoy runs through the U-boat packs of the North Atlantic, transporting 13,524 GIs to England. It was later used to make shuttle runs across the English Channel, including during the D-Day invasion. In all, the Transglobe transported a record 201,294 troops, wounded, casualties and other passengers, a number unsurpassed by any merchant ship during World War II.
On Feb. 12, 1966, she departed New York and was placed on “shuttle service” between Naha, DaNang and Saigon. Her Vietnam service continued from 1966 to 1972 and she amassed an impressive record of distinguished service, becoming the most decorated of all U.S. merchant vessels during this war. In 1968, the vessel was awarded four Battle Stars and the Purple Heart with Three Clusters, acknowledging service under fire on four occasions plus the loss of a crew member. During her six years of continuous service, she was never off hire and never failed to meet her schedule, and carried more military supplies to Vietnam during the war than any other merchant vessel.