Return to Manuscript ListImage of an anchorReturn to Navy Department LibraryImage of anchorSearch the Library Catalog
Flag banner
Navy Department Library banner

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

"Magic Carpet" Press Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS AND RADIO
NOVEMBER 30, 1945
STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY

From May 12 through November 27, for the Atlantic Area, and from September 1 through November 27, for the Pacific and China-Burma-India Areas, the following Army and Navy personnel have been returned to the United States by surface and air transportation:

BY SHIP
  ATLANTIC PACIFIC C.B.I
Army 2,041,597 407,764 70,333
Navy 34,385 680,523 small, incl. above
  2,075,982 1,088,287 70,333
BY AIR
Army 175,356 54,134 small, no figure
Navy small, incl. above 5,323 --
  175,356 59,457 --
Grand Totals 2,251,338 1,147,744 70,333

The following vessels, with their capacities indicated, are being employed for the return of Army and Navy personnel:

ATLANTIC PACIFIC C.B.I.
Type No. Cap. Type No. Cap. Type No. Cap.
Converted Liberties 217 109,350 APs&XAPs 170 370,478 APs&XAPs 28 91,216
Converted Victories 87 169,650 BBs 6 8,344 CVEs 3 3,640
Other APs & XAPs 46 148,927 CVs 7 24,800 AKAs 5 1,500
QUEEN MARY 1 12,000 CA, CL 18 16,876      
BBs 1 1,592 CVEs 43 49,585      
      CVLs 4 7,500      
CVs 4 20,944 APAs 213 316,525      
CVLs 3 5,667 APH 13 10,486      
CA&CLs 6 6,843 Misc. 41 24,689      
Totals 366 476,139 515 829,283      

With the exception of the extremely small requirements for Navy personnel in the Atlantic and C.B.I, areas, all of the capacities shown in those two areas are available for Army lift. In the Pacific area the total capacity available has recently been divided into blocks of 500,332 spaces assigned to the Army and 234,440 spaces assigned to the Navy, which includes Marine Corps and Coast Guard. On the recommendation of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, a balance of 94,511 spaces in 85 vessels has been left unassigned to him to provide for substitutions when necessary or to take care of threatened backlogs and special requests by Army or Navy commands. It might be noted that of the 515 vessels engaged in return of personnel in the Pacific, all are Navy-operated except nine U.S. Army transports and 108 War Shipping Administration vessels.

The lift capacities in the Atlantic now permit the certainty that all Army personnel, other than the occupation and service troops, will be lifted from the European theater by the end of December or, at the latest, in early January. On that basis plans are now being formulated to release all Navy, combatant vessels engaged in that service by not later than early January and in conjunction with the Army and W.S.A., to start transferring to the Pacific in December the following: six Navy transports, three U.S. Army transports and 22 XAPs and Victories of the War Shipping Administration, which have a combined capacity of 76,000 spaces. It is also planned to transfer additional APs and converted Victories from the Atlantic to the Pacific in January, but the exact number and capacity of these has not yet been determined. The former German liner Europa, now a Navy transport, will not be needed in the Atlantic for return of military personnel after late December or early January. Since limited water capacity renders the Europa useless for duty in the Pacific, it is planned to return that vessel to the War Shipping Administration in January for manning by a civilian crew and possible employment in returning war brides from the United Kingdom.


--3--

No change is contemplated at present in the assignment of vessels to the C.B.I, area as all personnel therein will be evacuated by the ships now assigned by April 1946. A portion of these ships operate from Calcutta or Karachi to New York, others between east coast China ports and Seattle.

The troop lift capacity now existing in the Pacific, plus the additions to be obtained from the Atlantic as mentioned above, give assurance that early release dates can be formed for the combatant ships which are the least efficient passenger carriers. Decision in these matters is now awaiting the Army's revised analysis of its requirements for the months of January through June. Even without benefit of the revised figures, it appears safe to predict that the six battleships and 18 cruisers can be released from their current duty in December or January, and that following shortly thereafter a rapid reduction can be made in all other combatant types, except attack transports, assigned to troop transport duty. This will permit the contemplated demobilization of Naval personnel who cannot now be spared from duties in connection with the Magic Carpet operation.


28 Nov 2006