SS Athos II (1925)

At the outbreak of World War II Athos II was still on the Far Eastern route but on 1 February 1940 at Colombo, Celyon joined the Australian/New Zealand convoy, designated US1 for secrecy and transporting about 13,500 troops to North Africa, under an escort then led by {{HMS|Ramillies|07|6}}.{{sfn|Gill|1957|pp=84, 93–94}} After passage through the Suez Canal and return to France Athos II began Marseilles, Egypt and Syria service until the 22 June 1940 German-French armistice when the ship was laid up at Alexandria, Egypt along with other French ships seized in the Suez Canal and Egyptian waters. In addition to the merchant ships was a French naval force, Force X, under Admiral René-Émile Godfroy that had been operating with the British fleet out of Alexandria.{{sfn|Titterton|Brown|2002|p=33}} After the fall of France with German controlled Vichy France controlling French ports the French were faced with the options of continuing with the Allies under General de Gaulle, demilitarizing or being sunk by the British.{{sfn|Titterton|Brown|2002|p=34}} The British action against the French fleet at Oran stalled demilitarization but that resumed after further negotiations with the result reduction of French fleet's manpower, some 4,000 men, to one-third was required.{{sfn|Titterton|Brown|2002|p=34}} Two thousand French sailors had already left Alexandria when Athos II was allowed to sail on 13 July 1940 with the 1,000 remaining personnel of Force X and some merchant crew members to France.{{sfn|Titterton|Brown|2002|p=34}} In September 1940 repatriated French troops from Syria and then became the guard ship at Algiers until captured by the Allies in November 1942 during Operation Torch.{{sfn|Swiggum|Kohli|2012}}{{sfn|Association French Lines}}

On 8 March 1943 Athos II was turned over to United States War Shipping Administration (WSA) control by French Authorities at Casablanca and on 1 April 1943 began operation as a WSA transport allocated to the United States Army and operated by French Lines, Inc. as agent.{{sfn|MARAD Vessel Status Card: Athos II}}Though never bareboat chartered to or operated by the Army the association was such that the ship is sometimes seen as USAT Athos II.

Athos II underwent conversion May—November 1943 for WSA troop service by Turbine Engineering Corporation of New York.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}} In December the ship made a voyage to the United Kingdom, returning in January, 1944.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}} On 21 January 1944 the ship left New York for the Southwest Pacific but engine trouble forced a return to Panama from the Galápagos Islands before again getting underway on 8 March.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}} In continuing the round-the-world trip Athos II then called at Bora Bora, Fremantle, Bombay, Cape Town, departing 8 May but again having to undergo repairs until 9 June, crossing the Atlantic to Recife to arrive 1 July 1944 in New York.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}} Subsequent operations were between New York and Naples, Le Havre, Southampton and Plymouth.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}} After two round trips to Naples the ship underwent extensive repairs in New York before resuming operations in February 1945.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}} On a return from a Le Havre and Southampton voyage the ship again suffered engine problems and had to put into Horta, Azores in December 1945 where troops were transferred to {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}}.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}} Athos II returned to New York after repairs and was released from troop transport service January 1946 to be returned to French authorities by WSA.{{sfn|Charles|1947|p=284}}

On 23 March 1946 Athos II was turned over to the French Shipping Mission at New York.{{sfn|MARAD Vessel Status Card: Athos II}}

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{{refbegin}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.frenchlines.com/ship_en_1031.php |title=Liner Athos II |last=Association French Lines |date= |publisher=Association French Lines |access-date=28 March 2015 }}
• {{cite book |last1=Charles |first1=Roland W. |title=Troopships of World War II |year=1947 |location=Washington |publisher=The Army Transportation Association |isbn= |lccn=47004779 |page=284 |url=http://www.history.army.mil/documents/WWII/wwii_Troopships.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402123952/http://www.history.army.mil/documents/WWII/wwii_Troopships.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}
• {{cite book |last=Gill |first=G. Hermon |author-link= |title=Royal Australian Navy 1939-1942 |series=Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy |volume =1 |year=1957 |publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra |isbn= |lccn=58037940 |page= |pages= |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67910 }}
• {{cite web |url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/45/45a0120.pdf |title=Lloyd's Register 1945–46 |publisher=Lloyd's Register (through PlimsollShipData) |access-date=28 March 2015 |ref={{sfnref|Lloyd's Register 1945–46}}}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.marad.dot.gov/sh/ShipHistory/Detail/6811 |title=Athos II |author=Maritime Administration |date= |work=Ship History Database Vessel Status Card |publisher= U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration |ref={{sfnref|MARAD Vessel Status Card: Athos II}}}}
• {{cite news |title=Reparations Ship Launched |url=http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%2011/New%20York%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201925%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201925%20Grayscale%20-%206262.pdf |newspaper=The New York Evening Post |date=November 17, 1925 |access-date=29 March 2015 |ref={{sfnref|New York Evening Post (November 17, 1925)}}}}
• {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Eugene W. |year=1947 |title=Trans-Atlantic Passenger Ships Past and Present |location=Boston |publisher=George H. Dean Company |isbn= |lccn=89894866 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/transatlanticpas00smitrich}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsAA.shtml |title=SHIP DESCRIPTIONS - A |last1=Swiggum |first1=S. |last2=Kohli |first2=M. |date=July 1, 2012 |work=The Ships List |publisher= |access-date=28 March 2015}}
• {{cite book |last1=Titterton |first1=G. A. |last2=Brown |first2=David |year=2002 |title=The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean: September 1939 – October 1940 |series=The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean (Republication of Naval Staff History of the Second World War) |volume=1 |location=London |publisher=Whitehall History Pub. |isbn=0-7146-5179-6 |lccn=2001047640 |page= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nfIuyays74AC&pg=PA33 |access-date=29 March 2015 }}

{{refend}}

• [http://www.messageries-maritimes.org/athos2.htm L'ATHOS II] (extensive photographic collection)
• [http://www.messageries-maritimes.org/athosII2.html Le retour de l'ATHOS II à la France début 1946]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfysI5Y4g5k British Pathé silent film: French Volunteers For Korea (1950)] (close shots of ship and troops boarding)
• [http://www.britishpathe.com/video/new-troops-in-algeria/query/01075100 British Pathé silent film: New Troops In Algeria 1956] (Troops debarking Athos II in Algeria)
• [http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoarchives/detail.aspx?id=1121109&search=&index=2 List of children on board the SS Athos II who came to the United States from Marseilles, France. All of them had been cared for] by OSE (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
• [http://www.digipeer.de/index.php?media=DSM_VIII_1_IX_063&size=3 Builder's hull drawings]
• [http://www.digipeer.de/index.php?id=612794005 Builder's deck plan]

{{MM ships}}

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Category:1925 ships

Category:Passenger ships of France

Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)

Category:Troop ships of the War Shipping Administration

Category:Troop ships of France