USAT John L. Clem

The ship, as registered when returned to commercial service with Grace Line, was 4,869 GRT, 2,892 NRT, 360.2 ft (109.8 m) registered length, 51.6 ft (15.7 m) breadth, 33.8 ft (10.3 m) depth with official number 215880 and signal letters LJMQ.[5] Navy characteristics were a length overall of 373 ft 9 in (113.9 m) and a draft of 22 ft 9 in (6.9 m).[6]

Gross register tonnage is a calculation of a ship's internal volume, not weight, with the "tonnage" being number of units of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m³). Thus the figure can change considerably with modifications. The ship built as Santa Ana underwent a number of such changes with several definitely reflecting change in GRT as seen in the ship's registration.

The ship, then named Irwin owned by Merchant & Miners Transportation Company of Baltimore, was rebuilt in 1936 by Maryland Drydock Company, Baltimore, Maryland.[7] The change was then to 4,900 GRT, 2,900 NRT, signal letters WADT and home port of Baltimore.[8]

There were further modifications made by the Army during conversion to a troop ship and then hospital ship so that varying figures for tonnage and displacement may be found. After an initial voyage as a troop ship modifications were made at Robins Drydock & Repair Co., New York, in a conversion between April and June 1941. In 1943, on selection as a hospital ship, conversion to that function was made at Mobile, Alabama. Another conversion was done after a decision in September 1945 to return the vessel to troop ship configuration.[7] The shifts in the ship's ownership and function, and perhaps measurement methods, account for the varied figures for basic characteristics that may be found in sources. For example, the original application for registry, before the Navy's use of the ship, dated 20 December 1917 has 4,942 GRT.[3] In the ship's final days, after rebuild and conversions, for Army the number is shown as 5,211 GRT.[7][9]

Santa Ana served Grace Line's route to Peru and Chile in the line's weekly service out of New York in which one of the line's ships departed every other Saturday.[3] The other ships built to serve the west coast of South America were the Cramp-built Santa Luisa and Santa Teresa with New York Shipbuilding's ships Santa Elisa and Santa Leonora. All five were returned by the USSB but Grace had determined only four were needed and refused Santa Leonora.[11] The brochure "Sailings March–December 1927" indicates the typical routing on this route for the four ships:

New York, Cristobal, Balboa, Talara, Salaverry, Callao, Mollendo, Arica, Iquique, Tocopilla, Antofagasta, Chanaral, Valparaiso south bound with Chanaral and Tocopilla not visited on the return north.[12]

Grace was introducing two new 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h) motor vessels, Santa Barbara (8,156 GRT) and Santa Maria (8,153 GRT), both 466 ft (142.0 m) registered length, completed in 1928 by Furness Shipbuilding Company in Haverton-on-Tees, England, and carrying 150 passengers to the route.[11][13][note 2] As a result, with only four ships needed for the New York—Valparaiso route, Santa Ana was transferred to the Grace subsidiary, Panama Mail Steamship Company, that operated between New York and San Francisco in intercoastal service and renamed Guatemala 16 June 1928 and remodeled for the intercoastal trade.[3]

Guatemala, now with home port of San Francisco, entered the popular intercoastal trade, along with ships of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company Grace had acquired. The line promoted a voyage on tropical seas lasting nearly a month with excursions in "Spanish Americas" at the Panama Canal and the countries of Colombia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico en route.[3][14][15]

The "Sailings July 1930-March 1931" brochure titled "Panama Mail Cruises to Havana and New York via Spanish America from San Francisco and Los Angeles" shows the typical routing for Guatemala and four other ships on the route:[14]

Eastbound from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mazatlan, Champerico, San José de Guatemala, Acajutla, La Libertad, La Union, Corinto, Puntarenas, Balboa, Cristobal, Cartagena, Puerto Colombia, Havana and New York. Westbound from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco, but not calling at Havana and on alternate voyages calling at Acajutla and La Union.[14]

The Pacific Mail name was being phased out in favor of the Grace identity and so were ship names with the "Santa" prefix favored. On 22 December 1931 the ship was renamed ''Santa Cecilia.[3][11]

The intracoastal routing remained under the new name.[12] In May 1934 the smaller Grace ships, including Santa Cecilia, were laid up.[3]

On 20 May 1936 the idle and laid up Santa Cecilia was sold to Merchants & Miners Transportation Company of Baltimore, Maryland, operating ships in coastwise trade along the Atlantic Coast. Santa Cecilia was converted for this trade by Maryland Drydock Company, Baltimore and was renamed Irwin. The ship, with home port of Baltimore and new signal WADT, was then placed on a Boston—Philadelphia route and remained on it until being acquired for wartime service in 1941.[3][16][17]

In March 1941 the U.S. Army purchased the Irwin which made one voyage between New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico before conversion into a troop ship between April and June by Robins Drydock & Repair Company at New York. The ship was renamed John L. Clem. From June 1941 until June 1942 the ship operated between the New York, Charleston, Panama, New Orleans, and Trinidad. The ship was assigned to "interisland service" operating between New Orleans and Port of Spain, Santa Lucia, Guantanamo, San Juan, Cristobal, and Key West until September 1943.[7]

After designation as a hospital ship to operate under the Hague Convention of 1907 on 24 February 1944 the ship was converted between September 1943 and June 1944 at Alabama Drydock & Shipbuilding Co., Mobile, Alabama.[3][7] in June 1944, USAHS John L. Clem loaded supplies at the Charleston Port of Embarkation, the home port for hospital ships in European and Mediterranean theaters. On 15 June the ship sailed to the Mediterranean and with a stop at Gibraltar reached Oran on 3 July.[3][7][19] Clem was then operated within the theater moving wounded between hospitals ashore.[7]

The ship was one of Army hospital ships arriving off the beaches during the invasion of southern France, Operation Dragoon, beginning the day after the landings on 15 August 1944. Others were Acadia, Algonquin, Chateau Thierry, Emily Weder, Shamrock, and Thistle. Being the smallest Army hospital ship in patient capacity, 286, Clem had only one surgical team aboard while Acadia had three teams and the others two each.[19][20]

Before departing the Mediterranean in March of 1945 the ship had transported patients of all nationalities between 59 ports including Algiers, Oran, Naples, Palermo, Livorno (Leghorn), Toulon, and Marseilles covering some 35,000 miles. The ship arrived in Charleston 11 March 1945.[3] After repairs the ship returned to the Mediterranean moving patients between Italy and North Africa, then between the Continent and England. Only John L. Clem and USAHS Ernest Hinds, the Army's two smallest hospital ships, operated in Europe after VE Day. USAHS John L. Clem departed for Charleston in June 1945 and later sailed for New York.[3] John L. Clem began preparations and modifications, particularly improvements in ventilation, for service in the Pacific. However, Japan surrendered and the plans were cancelled.[7]