S.S. Argentina

The S.S. Argentina was a U.S. turbo-electric ocean liner completed in 1929 as the S.S. Pennsylvania. The U.S. Maritime Commission took over the ship in 1937 and had it extensively refurbished and refitted. She was equipped to carry 200 tons of cargo, of which, 43 tons was refrigerated. On October 4th, 1938 Moore-McCormack Lines contracted to operate the Pennsylvania and 10 other cargo ships between the USA and South America as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy. Moore-McCormack renamed the passenger liner the Argentina assigned it to the fleet of its American Republics Lines subsidiary.

On December 8th, 1941 the USA joined the Second World War and on the 27th of December Argentina arrived in New York from South America. By January 2nd, 1942, she had loaded cargo and 200 passengers booked to sail on the next day for South America. However, the War Shipping Administration intervened, cancelling her sailing and requisitioning her to be a US Army Transport troopship. From 1942 to 1946 she was the War Shipping Administration operated troopship Argentina. During the war the Argentina, one of the large, fast vessels able to sail independently when required, was operated by the War Shipping Administration's agents and allocated to Army troop transport.

In 1945, the Argentina made several voyages one to Taranto and Naples, Italy; one to Marseille, Algiers and Naples; one to Marseille; one to Plymouth, England and Le Havre, France and another to Le Havre, France. On November 16th, 1945, the Argentina arrived in New York from Le Havre, France carrying 4,206 soldiers, 130 civilians, 124 nurses and 88 German scientists. The OSS had brought the scientists to the USA under Operation Paperclip to obtain German scientific and technical secrets.

On January 26th, 1946, the Argentina left Southampton as a "dependent transport" carrying the first 452 war brides, one war groom and 173 children to the USA in the Army's highly publicized "Operation Diaper's" European phase. The brides came from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Malta. She was the first war bride ship and was greeted by New York Mayor William O'Dwyer, a band, news cameras and 200 reporters.

In July of 1946 she left New York carrying 519 passengers to Southampton and Le Havre. She completed her last "dependent transport" voyage on the 31st of August.

She was laid up in 1958 and scrapped in 1964.

• Length: 178.7 m (586 ft 4 in)
• Beam: 24.5 m (80 ft 3 in)
• Draft: 6.2 m (20 ft 5 in)
• Propulsion: Turbo-electric Transmission, twin screw, 5,000 horsepower
• Speed: 18 knots (20-21 Mph)
• Capacity: 20,614 tons
• Occupancy: 359 1st class passengers, 160 cabin class, 243 Tons of Cargo

Dominic Langiano (Born: 1923) was aboard this vessel in October of 1945 sailing from New York to Le Havre, France while serving as one of the vessel's utility crew members.