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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

"Magic Carpet" Press Release

UNITED STATES
PACIFIC FLEET and
PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS
(For Immediate Release to
Press and Radio, Sunday,
25 October 1945.)

Press Release No. 841

Nearly 16,500 Army and Navy returnees will be embarked from the Hawaiian area for transportation to the West Coast by next Tuesday.

A fleet of 10 escort carriers, a hospital ship, and the veteran carrier Saratoga will be used to move a record number of separatees.

The Saratoga is scheduled to arrive from San Francisco today (October 25) and begin loading 100 Army officers and 1,615 Amy enlisted men, including the cast of the "This is the Army" show, which concluded a successful Pacific entertainment tour in Honolulu recently. In addition, the big carrier will take aboard 720 Navy Hospital patients, including 70 officers, and 1,295 other Navy returnees, including 330 officers. The Saratoga is expected to depart on her fourth shuttle trip to San Francisco tomorrow (October 26) at 0800.

The hospital ship, USS Rescue, arrived yesterday and will leave at 1600 today with 200 Navy patients and 500 Naval service-women representing; the WAVES, SPARS and Women's Marine Corps Reserves.

The 12 vessels will carry a total of 16,425 passengers, the largest number embarked from the islands in a single week since the start of the demobilization program.

That total will include 280 Army officers, representing all those that will have been processed and eligible for transportation by next Tuesday. In addition, 5,810 Army enlisted men will, depart for home. The Navy totals include 1,720 officers and 7,915 enlisted men.

Each of the escort carriers can accommodate 150 officers and 1,050 enlisted men. The Petrof Bay (CVE-80), left yesterday with that number of Army personnel. In addition, the Windham Bay (CVE-92) and the Cape Esperance (CVE-88), will leave Saturday with Army separatees. Each of these vessels will carry 140 Navy officers, since the Army will have no officer passengers eligible for transportation. The same figures apply to the Thetis Bay (CVE-90) which will leave Friday.

The Rudyard Bay (CVE-81) is loading 1,200 members of the Fourth Marine Division at Maui and the Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) will depart from Maui Saturday with a similar load. In addition, the Breton (CVE-23) is expected to sail today with Marines from Oahu. All three vessels will go to San Diego. The Shamrock Bay (CVE-84) also is expected to leave Saturday for San Diego with Marine Corps passengers.

The Kadashan Bay (CVE-76) left yesterday with 1,200 Navy officers and enlisted men, and the Anzio (CVE-57) is scheduled to depart next Tuesday with a similar load of naval personnel.


28 Nov 2006