Today is the 60th Anniversary of the first troop ship to return home to New York harbor.
The USS General M. B. Stewart (AP-140) departed from Leghorn on August 7, 1945 with 3000 troops from the Italian Campaign. It was bound for a destination in the Pacific via the Panama Canal. The ship headed first to Gibraltar and then into the Atlantic Ocean. Word of an “atomic bomb†was heard on-board followed by news that the Russians had joined the war in the Pacific. The vessel and its passengers were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on August 14 when news came of the Japanese surrender. The next day the ship’s captain received new destination orders and set a course to the northwest for New York. The USS General M. B. Stewart, full of happy servicemen, arrived in New York harbor on August 19, 1945.
For a transcript of the on-board news-paper that described that happy event, go to The Trooper. This page also includes names of some of the units that were on board----including 182nd & 169th Engineer Battalions.
Steve