- USS Solace (AH-5)
The second USS "Solace" (AH-5) was built in 1927 as the passenger ship SS "Iroquois" by the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. ,Newport News, Va. The liner was acquired by the Navy from theClyde Mailory Steamship Line on 22 July 1940, renamed "Solace" (AH-5); converted into a hospital ship at theAtlantic Basin Iron Works ,Brooklyn, N.Y. , and was commissioned on 9 August 1941, Capt.Benjamin Perlman in command.The "Solace" was present at the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The crew helped to rescue crews from the "USS Arizona", "USS West Virginia" and "USS Oklahoma".
1942-1943
In March 1942, "Solace" was ordered to the South Pacific and preceded to
Pago Pago ,Samoa . From there, she sailed to theTonga Islands , arrived atTongatapu on 15 April, and remained there until 4 August. On that day, she got underway and steamed, viaNoumea ,New Caledonia , toNew Zealand . She arrived atAuckland on the 19th and discharged her patients. From then until May 1943, Solace shuttled between New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia,Espiritu Santo , theNew Hebrides , and theFiji Islands , caring for fleet casualties and servicemen wounded in the island campaigns. Patients whom she could not return to duty shortly were evacuated to hospitals for more prolonged care.In June, July, and August, she operated as a station hospital ship at Noumea. On 30 August, "Solace" sailed to
Efate , New Hebrides, and performed the same duties at that port until sailing for Auckland on 3 October. On the 22d, the hospital ship departed New Zealand and proceeded viaPearl Harbor to the west coast of theUnited States . She arrived atSan Francisco on 9 November; disembarked her patients; and, on the 12th, sailed for the Gilberts."Solace" arrived at
Abemama Island on the 24th, embarked casualties from the Tarawa campaign, sailed the same day forHawaii , and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 2 December.On 17 December, "Solace" sailed from
Oahu with embarked patients to be evacuated to the United States. She arrived atSan Diego on 23 December 1943.1944-1945
She remained in San Diego until she sailed on 15 January 1944 for the
Marshall Islands . She arrived at Roi on 3 February and departed the next day with a load of wounded for Pearl Harbor. She was there for one day, returned to Roi on 18 February, then proceeded towardEniwetok on the 21st. After picking up 391 casualties (of whom 125 had been brought by landing craft directly from the beachheads at Eniwetok andParry Island ), she returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 March."Solace" was next ordered to Espiritu Santo and arrived there on 20 March. During the next nine weeks, she shuttled between
New Guinea , theAdmiralty Islands , and Australia. She was back at Roi on 6 June and departed there nine days later for the Marianas. The hospital ship anchored inCharan-Kanoa Anchorage ,Saipan , on 18 June. While the shores and hills were still under bombardment, she began taking on battle casualties, many directly from the front lines. When she sailed forGuadalcanal on the 20th, all of her hospital beds were filled, and there were patients in the crew's quarters. Altogether, the ship was caring for 584 men. "Solace" returned toSaipan from 2 to 5 July and embarked another load of wounded whom she took to the Solomons. From there, she was routed to the Marshalls arriving at Eniwetok on the 19th. Two days later, she sailed forGuam . Between 24 and 26 July, she took on board wounded from various ships and the beachhead for evacuation toKwajalein . "Solace" was back at Guam from 5 to 15 August where she picked up 502 casualties for evacuation to Pearl Harbor."Solace" was at Pearl Harbor from 26 August to 7 September, when she left for the Marshalls. She arrived at Eniwetok on the 14th. Three days later, she was ordered to sail immediately for the
Palaus . She arrived offPeleliu on the 22d, anchored 2,000 yards from the beach, and began loading wounded. All stretcher cases (542) were put on board "Solace". She headed for Noumea on the 25th and arrived on 4 October. The ship was back at Peleliu from 16 to 27 October tending wounded and then sailed to Manus."Solace" stood out of
Seeadler Harbor on 29 October, bound for theCaroline Islands . From 1 November 1944 to 18 February 1945, she served as a station hospital ship atUlithi , providing medical and dental care for the 3d and 5th Fleets. She proceeded to Guam and was dispatched from there toIwo Jima , arriving on 23 February. "Solace" anchored within 2,000 yards of the beach, but enemy shells fell within 100 yards of her, and she was forced to move further out. The first wounded were brought on board within 45 minutes of her arrival, and she sailed for Saipan the next day, loaded to capacity. She made three evacuation trips from Iwo Jima to base hospitals at Guam and Saipan, carrying almost 2,000 patients, by 12 March. The island was declared secure on the 15th."Solace" steamed to Ulithi and joined the invasion fleet for
Okinawa Gunto . She arrived atKerama Retto on the morning of 27 March and began bringing patients on board from various ships. In the next three months, the ship evacuated seven loads of casualties to the Marianas. On 1 July, she sailed from Guam to the west coast, via Pearl Harbor. Solace arrived at San Francisco on 22 July and was routed toPortland, Oreg. , for an overhaul that lasted until 12 September. She was then assigned to Operation Magic Carpet, transporting homecoming veterans from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco."Solace" received seven
battle star s forWorld War II service.Decommissioned
She returned to San Francisco from her last voyage on 16 January 1946 and was routed to
Hampton Roads, Va. "Solace" was decommissioned at Norfolk on 27 March, struck from the Navy list on 21 May, and returned to the
War Shipping Administration on 18 July 1946. She was sold to theTurkish Maritime Lines on 16 April 1948 and operated as the SS "Ankara".See USS "Solace" for other ships of the same name.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.