On August 30th, 1945, the men of the 40th were among the first to board the SS Sea Robin in Marseille.
As other units arrived, the 40th took up kitchen and guard duty, preparing the vessel for departure.
In total, 2,563 troops boarded, including the 394th Fighter Squadron, 358th Airdrome Squadron, 1473rd Engineer Maintenance Company, 574th Engineer Light Equipment Company, along with other high-point personnel.
The Sea Robin: A Converted Cargo Ship
The SS Sea Robin (MC-867) was a C3-S-A2 class vessel, built in 1944 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi. Originally designed as a cargo ship, she had been converted to carry troops. At 492 feet long with a 69-foot beam, she could accommodate roughly 2,200 soldiers in her converted cargo holds, now fitted with tiered bunks stacked three to four levels high.
The ship was armed with two 5-inch guns, four 40-mm anti-aircraft guns, and multiple 20-mm mounts. She carried a crew of about 45 merchant mariners plus a U.S. Navy armed guard, and could make 16-18 knots across the Atlantic.
It's worth nothing that there was also a USS Sea Robin (SS-407), a Balao-class submarine that had particpated in Pacfic Theatre campaigns, and a Marine Robin liberty ship that also carried returning troops across the Atlantic.
Eight Days at Sea
The Sea Robin departed Marseille on the morning of September 1st, 1945. The Atlantic crossing took eight days. During this time, the men of the 40th could finally relax, share stories of their European service, and look forward to seeing their families again.
The men found time between duties for a football game against the 394th Fighter Squadron. They lost, 18-11, playing what must have been touch football on the ship's limited deck space.
This particular journey made by the Sea Robin was not marked by choppy Atlantic seas as was later reported on trips home by other Allied troops.
The Robin Egg Newsletter
The ship's newsletter, produced by the men of the 40th during the crossing, served as both entertainment and a record of their journey. It acknowledged the contributions of those who helped with the publication and shared news about life aboard ship during their final days of military service.
This small mimeographed publication represented something larger—the 40th's commitment to communication and connection, fitting for a Signal battalion that had spent the war keeping Allied forces connected across Europe.
Arrival in Boston
On September 9th, 1945, the Sea Robin docked in Boston Harbor. The 40th Battalion was back on American soil after nearly two years overseas.
From Boston, the men were transported by rail to Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts, then to Fort Dix in New Jersey for separation processing. Enlisted men were discharged and sent home to their families. Officers reported to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, where the battalion was officially inactivated on January 25th, 1946.
After the War
The Sea Robin continued carrying troops and liberated prisoners back to the United States through 1946. She was eventually sold to the Luckenbach Steamship Company and renamed Jacob Luckenbach. On July 14th, 1953, she collided with another freighter in fog off California and sank within thirty minutes, though all thirty-six crew members were rescued.
For the men of the 40th, however, the Sea Robin would always be remembered as the ship that brought them home from Europe, carrying them across the Atlantic during eight September days in 1945, when the war was finally over and they could return to the lives they had left behind.
