USS Admiral Hugh Rodman AP-126
The USS Admiral Hugh Rodman was a light displacement transport. Her total displacement was 9,676 tons. The Maritime Commission classified her as a troop transport. Her official commission was in July 1945 and her shakedown took place off of the coast of California.
The USS Admiral Hugh Rodman performed a total of 5 voyages to the western Pacific. Her origin of departure on these voyages was from the American West Coast. These voyages took place from August of 1945 to March 1946. Her primary objective on these voyages was to carry occupation troops and relief personnel to the western Pacific region.
In May 1946, she arrived at New York and was decommissioned. She was then transferred to the United States Army. The US Army took official possession of the USS Rodman in February of 1947. They renamed the vessel the General Maurice Rose. From 1947 to 1948, The General Maurice Rose was used as a peacetime transport. All of her military features and armaments were removed from her.
She served as an Army transportation service ship from 1948 until 1950. In March of 1950, the USS General Maurice Rose was reverted back to the US Navy. They chose to keep the name that the Army gave her. Shortly thereafter she became a civilian manned MSTS transport. She was deployed to the route between New York and Bremerhaven, West Germany. Her primary objective was to give support to the military forces that were in Europe.
After the Hungarian Revolution of 1957, the USS Rose was operational in transporting refugees. She was taking these refugees from Bremerhaven, West Germany to New York. She made a total of three of these types of voyages. She was deployed to the Mediterranean a total of 17 times during her career. These voyages were to give assistance to 6th Fleet operations.
From August through October of 1965, she supported the United States Forces in Vietnam. Her route was from New York to the Far East. The second such voyage was on September 1966 through January 1967. Soon after these voyages, she was ordered in for an overhaul.
Overhaul finished, and ready to report for duty, the USS Rose was put in ready reserve. This was in Caven Point, New Jersey out of the Army Depot in the NY harbor. The USS General Maurice Rose was never reactivated. She was transferred to the Maritime Administration in July of 1971.
Asbestos in Navy Ships
Although an essential component of the naval fleet, some auxiliary vessels also posed a lasting health risk to soldiers serving on them. Unfortunately, products containing asbestos were common, especially on older ships, because of the material’s high resistance to heat and fire. Despite its value as an insulator, asbestos fiber intake can lead to several serious health consequences, including mesothelioma, a devastating cancer without cure. Current and former military personnel who came into contact with these ships should seek immediate medical attention in order to detect possible health consequences associated with asbestos exposure.
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