USS Europa (AP-177)

The USS "Europa" (AP-177) was a transport ship that saw service in the United States Navy immediately following World War II. The lone ship of her class, she named for Europa, the smallest of the Galilean moons of planet Jupiter.

"Europa" was built in 1928 by Blohm and Voss of Hamburg, Germany for Nord Deutscher Lloyd ship lines and entered service in 1930. She was taken as a war prize 8 May 1945; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 25 August 1945 with Captain B. F. Perry in command. "Europa" cleared Bremerhaven 11 September 1945 for Southhampton, England where she loaded 4,500 homeward-bound troops, with whom she arrived in New York 24 September. After alteration to increase her troop-carrying capacity, she made two voyages to Southampton to bring servicemen home. She sailed from New York once more 15 March 1946 bound for Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, and Bremerhaven, where she moored 24 March.

"Europa" was decommissioned 2 May 1946, and delivered to the State Department 8 June 1946; she was later transferred to France in partial payment of war reparations. Wrecked and sunk by gale-force winds at Le Harve, France on 8 December 1946, the ship was raised 15 April 1947, reconditioned, and placed in service 7 August 1950 as the French Lines passenger ship "'SS "Liberte".

"Europa" was scrapped in 1962.

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