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USS Meteor in WWII


Brig
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I can find no record of this ship existing, however I have records of a Marine who embarked on 17 January 1944 at Guadalcanal and arrived February 4th at San Diego. Anyone know of this ship?

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Hi Brig, did some quick searching. The USS Meteor was changed to the USS Electra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Meteor_(1941)

Once you click the link you need to click the Did you mean: SS Meteor(1941)

 

Heres a sentence describing the Guadalcanal embarkment:

In June 1944, Electra served in the assault landings on Saipan, debarking her troops 15 June and unloading cargo and embarking casualties for return to Pearl Harbor until 26 June. She arrived at Guadalcanal in August to stage for the invasion of the Palaus, and on 15 September took part in the feint assault on Babelthuap to divert attention from the main landings on Peleliu.

 

Doesn't appear to have anything about returning to San Diego.

 

D

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Odd, since his records have it listed as USS Meteor

 

thanks!

Yes, it was ORIGINALLY the USS Meteor, but it was changed to the USS Electra.

 

No problem

D

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Yes, it was ORIGINALLY the USS Meteor, but it was changed to the USS Electra.

 

No problem

D

it appears the name change occured prior to it being listed in his records, is what I am saying. They used the former name for some reason

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Hi Brig,

 

I think this is a case of someone in the Marine Corps not knowing the difference between a merchant ship and a US Navy ship. To most Marines any ship was probably called the USS "whatever".

 

The SS Meteor was built by the Tampa Shipbuilding Company in Tampa, FL. She was transferred to the Navy as USS Electra (AK-21) on 16 April 1941 and commissioned on 17 March 1942. Electra was reclassified AKA-4 on 1 February 1943.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce Linz

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  • 4 weeks later...

My Father was on the USS meteor in WW11 he was on Saipan , Guam and Tinian as well as Okinawa and many more islands with the Second Marine Division. He was in the South Pacific from June 43 to Feb 46. I hope this can help anyone.

 

Thanks

 

Joe

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  • 7 months later...

Brig -

My father was the Navy ship's doctor on the USS Meteor from Sept 1943 until Sept 1945. He told me the story of picking up Marine Paratroopers from Guadalcanal in January of 1944. I have all of his WW II letters and a list of places he visited on the Meteor during his several trips around the South Pacific. The ship did exist as named.

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  • 1 month later...

My Father was on the USS meteor in WW11 he was on Saipan , Guam and Tinian as well as Okinawa and many more islands with the Second Marine Division. He was in the South Pacific from June 43 to Feb 46. I hope this can help anyone.

 

Thanks

 

Joe

Hello,I think this information may help you. My Dad was on a ship named SS Comet.There are a number of ships by that name,however,none of them fit My Dads description. I finally found a Co. that sells memorabilia, collectibles-among them there was a timetable and a brochure of a steamship line on the east coast. The brochure listed three ships owned by Colonial Line(of Colonial Navigation Co.)SS Comet,SS Arrow, and SS Meteor. These three ships I have seen listed on the website: WW2 Navy Armed Guard & Merchant Marine. I am researching now for photos and further info. regarding the ships passages during the War,and their use after. This may be the SS Meteor your Dad was on. Was He a Merchant Marine or Navy Armed Guard sailor? These ships were apparently chartered by US Army manned by Merchant Marine and defended by Navy gun crews. I know that is so for the SS Comet,and it is probably so for the other two.They were converted for War use into troop carriers.

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There was a SS Meteor (II), (different from the Meteor (I) which became the Electra), built in 1943 at the Moore Dry Dock Company in Oakland for the War Shipping Administration. It was 6221 Tons and registered in San Francisco. It was a C2 class freighter. It was sold in 1946 as the American Miller. Scrapped in 1970. Photo of the class below. This is the ship that is mentioned in the reports.

 

BTW Bomany, there was also a C2 ship name the SS Comet. This most likely is also your fathers ship.

post-6322-0-94559200-1415052834.jpg

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  • 7 months later...

Just for info, I have a 5 Peso Japanese "short snorter" note signed by crew members of the "S. S. Meteor" on "V-J Day" 12:54 PM, August 14, 1945. There is a "captain's seal" and several signatures, plus a latitude/longitude reading. Some of the names that I can make out are Porter, Cook (Lt. Cmdr.), Howith?, Osborn, Cary?, Ingram?, Frazar?, and Vincent. Thought you might find this interesting.

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  • 2 months later...

For anyone else searching for information about any transport ship named the Meteor, I'm pretty darned sure I found the one that carried my dad to Okinawa, in this awesome, full version of a book available online here:

 

http://www.history.army.mil/documents/WWII/wwii_Troopships.pdf

 

In it, I found yet another Meteor that transported US Military troops in the Pacific between 1943 and 1945, page 224 in the book. Just wanted to share.

 

Tim

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Actually, I think the one I found could be the one the OP was looking for. But I don't see a way on this forum to PM a member. He's looking for a Meteor that arrived in San Diego on Feb 4, 1944, and the one I found departed from San Diego on Feb 11, 1944.

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