Have you heard of ‘funeral ships’? While researching the military service and death of Private George Weeks, I learned that his body was transported home from Germany aboard the Lawrence Victory in 1948.
Curious about the ship, Lawrence Victory, I found that it and several other ships were tasked with transporting the bodies of fallen servicemen and women home after World War II. These ships were giventhe nickname, funeral ships. A quick search of Newspapers.com turned up several articles about these ships and the return of the war dead to the United States.
5860 European War Dead Due
New York, Aug. 17 – AP – The bodies of 5,864 American war dead, including many who fell in the bitter fighting at St. Lo, are scheduled to arrive at the Brooklyn Army base Thursday aboard the U.S. Army transport Lawrence Victory.
The dead are the largest single group to be returned since the arrival of the first war dead vessel in October, 1947, the New York Port of Embarkation said. Most of them originally interred in military cemeteries at Limey and Marigny, France.
Memorial services will be held Thursday morning at the Army base.
The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) 18 Aug 1948, page 13
Return of Heroes Bodies Speeded Up by Government
96 Home so Far; 13 Scheduled to Arrive in U.S. Saturday
The U.S. government is speeding up its return of World War II dead and by the end of January, 1949, officials estimated that one-half of the 389 heroes’ remains will have arrived here for final interment in cemeteries chosen by their next-of-kin.
The bodies of 96 service men killed on foreign soil during world War II and interred in temporary military cemeteries overseas already have been returned to Lancaster County and interred in cemeteries in their home communities.
The remains of 13 more are scheduled to arrive Saturday on the Army Transport Lawrence Victory, raising the total to 109.
Future Schedule
Official sources revealed Monday that 12 other Army transports are scheduled to return a total of 55,513 bodies tot he United States between Aug. 25 and Jan. 27, 1949. Eight of the funeral ships will be returning war dead from cemeteries in Europe, three will be bearing the bodies of heroes to their homeland from Pacific military cemeteries and one is listed to bring back for final interment war dead buried in Alaska.
It is estimated that 90 of these bodies will be those of Lancaster County heroes.
Of the 518 World War II dead from Lancaster County, next-of-kin have requested that 389 be
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War Dead
repatriated to this country for final interment.Schedule of Arrival
The tentative schedule of arrivals of funeral ships:
Lawrence Victory, 6,000 bodies, Aug. 21 at New York from Antwerp, Cherbourg
Carroll Victory, 2,500 bodies, Aug. 25 at New York, from Leghorn and Naples.
Honda Knot, 1,690 bodies, Sept. 2 at San Francisco, from Alaska
Lawrence Victory, 6,000 bodies Sept. 30 at New York, from Antwerp and Cherbourg
Sgt. Morris E. Crain, 4,290 bodies, Oct. 2 at San Francisco, from Manila, Tanapag and Honolulu
Carroll Victory, 6,000 bodies, Oct. 11 at New York, from Antwerp and Cherbourg
Lawrence Victory, 5,665 bodies Nov. 9 at New York from Naples and Leghorn.
Dalton Victory, 3,65 bodies, Nov. 13 at San Francisco, from Yokohama, Manila, Tanapag and Honolulu
Carroll Victory, 5,900 bodies Nov. 29 at New York from Antwerp, Cherbourg and Cardiff
Lawrence Victory, 6,000 bodies, Dec. 19 at New York, from Antwerp and Cherbourg
Dalton Victory, 2,850 bodies, Jan. 13, 1949 at San Francisco, from Tanapag and Honolulu
Lawrence Victory, 4,963 bodies, Jan. 27, 1949 at New York, from Leghorn.
Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, PA) 17 Aug 1948
Greater Interest in Proper Homage to War Dead Urged
It is urgent and essential that an even greater interest be shown in return of the heroic war dead and particularly in planning proper homage for their re-burial in home soil, Lee E. Wertz, Tyrone, American Legion state chairman for Graves Registration and Veteran Repatriation, said Monday.
Altoona Tribune (Altoona, PA) 16 Nov 1948 page 12
Additional information on practice of bringing war dead home: