Name SS Sea Snipe Laid down August 8, 1942 Length 150 m Displacement 7.14 million kg | Ordered 1942 Launched December 7, 1942 Weight 7,996 tons | |
Namesake Nickname of the state of Hawaii Builder | ||
SS Aloha State, known in World War II as SS Sea Snipe, was a Type C3-S-A2 transport ship that served during World War II. After the war, it served as a civilian transport ship for 24 years, until it was scrapped in August 1971.
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World War II
Aloha State was laid down on August 8, 1942 as Sea Snipe for use as a military transport. It was capable of transporting 2,194 troops and 225,500 cubic feet (6,390 m3) of cargo. Its maiden voyage commenced on August 13, 1943 en route to Townsville, Queensland, where it would haul both US and Australian troops to various locations in New Guinea, Indonesia, and the South Pacific. She served in the Pacific Theater until July 1945.
After being moved from the Pacific Theater, it served again as a military transport, moving US troops from France and Italy. In December 1945, it developed a serious boiler problem, which required major maintenance.
Civilian Service
In 1947, the United States Maritime Commission, who owned the ship, sold Sea Snipe to Luckenbach Steamship, after major repairs on the boiler were made. Luckenbach was purchasing many ex-World War II transports, to make up for ships that were lost in the war. Luckenbach, as a result of major corporate reorganization, sold the ship to States Marine Lines in 1960. They renamed the ship Aloha State, and it served as an international cargo ship until 1971. It was scrapped sometime between August 21 and 31, 1971, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.