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NavSource Online: Army Ship Photo Archive

USAT Zebulon B. Vance
ex
USAHS John J. Meany (1944 - 1945)


Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal


Hospital Ship / Transport:
  • Laid down, 22 May 1941, as SS Zebulon B. Vance, a type EC2-S-C1 "Liberty Ship" under Maritime Commission Contract (MCE-135) at North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington, N.C.
  • Launched, 6 December 1941
  • Delivered to the War Shipping Administration, 17 February 1942
  • Assigned by the War Shipping Administration to American Export Lines under a bare bottom charter, 17 February 1942
  • While operating under the control of the War Shipping Administration, SS Zebulon B. Vance survived floating mines and a near miss by a torpedo and took part in the invasion of North Africa
  • Chartered under a General Agency Agreement, 27 July 1942, by American Export Lines
  • Purchased by the War Department, 22 November 1943
  • Converted to a Hague Convention hospital ship completed in July 1944 by Bethlehem Steel, Co. Boston, MA.
  • Upon completion of conversion SS Zebulon B. Vance was commissioned USAHS John J. Meany
  • USAHS John J. Meany served in the Mediterranean from August to December 1945 and made additional trips to England, France and Germany
  • Withdrawn and decommissioned from service at New York as a hospital ship in January 1946
  • The ship under went alterations at Bethlehem Steel's 56th St. Yard at New York in January 1946 to carry military dependents
  • Renamed USAT Zebulon B. Vance she operated between Europe and the United States until December 1948
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 10 December 1948, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, VA.
  • Declared surplus by the Army, 16 September 1949
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 27 February 1970 (PD-X-857 dated 22 January 1970), to Cantieri Navali, S. A., Italy in a four ship lot for $470,000.00. Delivered to her buyers, 27 march 1970
    Hospital Ship Specifications:
    Displacement 7,933 gross tons
    Length 441'6"
    Beam 56'10"
    Draft 24'
    Speed 11 kts.
    Complement
    Merchant Marine, 36 to 52
    Enlisted, unknown
    Patient Capacity 589
    Fuel Capacities unknown
    Cruise Radius 21,000 nm
    Propulsion
    two boilers
    one triple expansion reciprocating steam engine, 2,500hp Ship's Service Generators
    three recip-drive 20Kw 120V D.C.
    one turbo-drive 60Kw 120V D.C.
    single propeller

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Source
    War Shipping Administration
    Zebulon B. Vance 73k
    Namesake
    Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was a Confederate military officer in the American Civil War, the 37th and 43rd Governor of North Carolina, and U.S. Senator. A prolific writer, Vance became one of the most influential Southern leaders of the Civil War and postbellum periods.
    Tommy Trampp
    Zebulon B. Vance 332k SS Zebulon B. Vance launching, 6 December 1941, the first ship to be completed at North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington , N.C.
    Photo by Pennington Flying Service, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
     
    Zebulon B. Vance 53k
    USAHS John J. Meany
    John J. Meany 97k USAHS John J. Meany underway date and location unknown.  
    John J. Meany
    30080706
    75k USAHS John J. Meany loading litter patients from a British LCM, Noth Africa, 1944.
    FLICKR, U.S. Army Transportation Museum.
    John Spivey
    John J. Meany
    30080705
    115k USAHS John J. Meany at anchor in an Italian port, 1944.
    FLICKR, U.S. Army Transportation Museum.
    John Spivey

    USAT Zebulon B. Vance and USAHS John J. Meany histories are from "Troopships of World War II", by Roland W. Charles, Published by The Army Transportation Association, Washington, D.C., 1947
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    Last Updated 22 March 2024