Joseph H. Thompson

Marine Robin was completed for the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in 1944 for service in World War II. The ship was one of the C4 type ship variants built by the company completed as either troop transports for the War Shipping Administration (WSA) or to become Navy hospital ships. The troop transports were operated throughout the war by commercial shipping firms operating as agents for WSA. The ship, launched in 1943 and delivered to WSA 29 April 1944 for operation by Grace Lines, Inc. made at least one trip, returning to New York 5 June 1945 from Jamaica, before commencing troop transport duties. The ship's first troop transport was from New York to Naples, Italy with operations in that region for two months. During 8–9 August 1944 Marine Robin embarked troops at Naples for the invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon) landing elements of units not in the assault waves at Yellow Beach near Sainte-Maxime on 15 August. After return to the Atlantic the ship transported troops to the United Kingdom and, later, ports in France. By 1945 the ship was transporting freed U.S. prisoners of war home. In October 1945 the ship left the Atlantic for Seattle picking up returning veterans in the India-Burma theater arriving in Seattle in December. Later in December the ship was assigned as an India-Burma transport.