General -
Originally constructed in 1920 and requisitioned from the War Department on 3 November 1921. Commissioned 22 November 1921 and assigned to transport duty. Chaumont sailed the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean throughout the twenties and thirties. She carried military supplies, Marine expeditionary forces, sailors and their dependents, and occasionally members of congressional committees on inspection tours, calling at ports from Shanghai to Bermuda.
1941 -
On 29 November, Chaumont departed Pearl Harbor, carrying sailors, civilian workmen, and cargo for Manila, P.I. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December, she was diverted to Suva, Fiji, then sailed to Brisbane and Darwin, Australia, where she landed her passengers and discharged her cargo on 5 January 1942.
1942 -
Chaumont returned to Brisbane at the end of January, then sailed to Sydney, Australia; Wellington, New Zealand, and Balboa, C.Z., before returning to San Francisco on 29 March. She made two voyages from the west coast to Pearl Harbor carrying men to aid in the buildup of the Pacific war's nerve center, then was assigned to runs between Seattle, WA, and Alaskan bases, bringing men and supplies to the forces resisting the Japanese in the Aleutians.
1943 -
Chaumont was decommissioned on 28 August for conversion to a hospital ship, and on 2 September she was renamed and reclassified Samaritan (AH-10).
See Also -
Samaritan (US Navy Hospital Ship)
These specifications and ship histories are adapted from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (US Naval Historical Center) and from various other sources. These summaries may not reflect the most recent information concerning the ships' status or operations. If you find an error or discrepancy, please email me at troopships@pier90.org or fill out our online crossing submission form.
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