USS Repose (AH-16)

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USS Repose in Yokosuka in 1952

USS Repose (AH-16) was a hospital ship of Haven class in the service of the United States Navy . She was in active service from 1945 to January 1950, from October 1950 to 1954 and from 1965 to 1970. In the periods between her active duty, the ship was in reserve . After another 5 years in reserve, the ship was sold and scrapped in 1975.

history

The ship was commissioned and built by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co in Chester , Pennsylvania in 1943 . The ship was christened on August 8, 1944 by Mrs. Pauline P. McIntyre. The subsequent conversion and final equipment to the hospital ship was carried out at Bethelem Steel Co. and on May 26, 1945 the handover to the US Navy and commissioning of the ship took place. The first in command on the ship was the sea captain WO Britten.

With a capacity of 750 beds and a crew of 564 men, the USS Repose left Naval Station Norfolk on July 8, 1945 for the Pacific . After the ship had made various transports to and from various ports in the Pacific, it was used as a hospital ship in the port of Shanghai and later Tsingtao . Over time, the ship had become indispensable for the Asian region, with the ship occasionally returning to the USA until 1949 . At the beginning of 1950 the ship returned to the USA and was decommissioned for the first time on January 19, 1950 in San Francisco and transferred to the reserve.

The USS Repose returned to active service on August 26, 1950 and then made its way to Pusan , Korea . After arriving in Korean waters and the frequent evacuation of patients to Japan , the ship returned to San Francisco in 1954, with the exception of a short repair stay and the installation of a helipad at the stern from February to March 1953.

On September 27, 1954, she was transferred to the Navy Reserve fleet at Long Beach Naval Shipyard and on December 21, 1954, her second decommissioning at Point Naval Ship Yard .

After 11 years in reserve, the USS Repose was returned to active service and ordered to Vietnam . After her arrival on January 3, 1966, she was mainly deployed in Southeast Asia and earned the nickname "Angel of the Orient" for her work. It treated and transported over 24,000 patients and 9,000 dead. The ship left Vietnam on March 14, 1970 and returned to the United States.

There she was decommissioned for the third time in May 1970 and used as a stationary hospital ship for the Long Beach Navy Hospital , but it was found that this is uneconomical and too expensive. Therefore, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1975.

The USS Repose received 9 Battle Star for its service in Korea and 9 Battle Star for its service in Vietnam.

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