World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseSS George Washington Carver was the second Liberty ship to be named after an African-American. She was launched on 7 May 1943, sponsored by actress and civil rights activist Lena Horne, before a crowd of 1,500 at Yard No. 1 of Kaiser Richmond Shipyards in California, United States. When she was delivered to the War Shipping Administration on 24 May 1943, it had only been 42 days since her keel was initially laid down. She was initially assigned to the American South African Line (Farrell Lines), Inc. for merchant service. In this role, she made convoy runs from Alexandria, Egypt to Malta in Sep 1943, and from Alexandria to Bizerte, Tunisia in Oct 1943. In Nov 1943, she was assigned to the US Army. Between Nov 1943 and Jul 1944, she was converted to a hospital ship at the Atlantic Basin Iron Works yard in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Renamed USAHS Dogwood, she sailed between Charleston, South Carolina, United States and Britain six times, and then operated in the Philippines and in the Dutch East Indies. In Jan 1946, she arrived in San Francisco, California, United States and was put into the Marine Repair Shop at the San Francisco Port of Embarkation for conversion into a passenger transport ship. Renamed USAT George Washington Carver, she transported military servicemen and dependents between Seattle, Washington, United States and Alaska. In 1947, she was assigned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet. In 1964, she was sold for scrapping.

Merchant Vessel George Washington Carver Interactive Map

Photographs

George Washington Carver Operational Timeline