Госпитальное судно USS Repose (AH-16)

The USS Repose (AH-16) was a Haven-class hospital ship that served with the U.S. Navy. It was in active service from May 1945 to January 1950, again from October 1950 to December 1954, and finally from October 1965 to May 1970. After five years in reserve, she was sold for scrap in 1975.

Originally built as Marine Beaver, a Type C4 ship, in 1943 by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pennsylvania, she was launched on August 8, 1944. Sponsored by Mrs. Pauline P. McIntire, she was acquired by the Navy and converted into a hospital ship by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Brooklyn, New York. Following her conversion, she was commissioned on May 26, 1945.

With a bed capacity of 750 and a crew of 564, Repose left Norfolk on July 8, 1945, for the Pacific Theater. She operated as a casualty transport and base hospital ship at ports across the Pacific, including Shanghai and Qingdao, China, supporting occupation forces in northern China. She remained in Asia, occasionally returning to the U.S., until July 1949. Repose was decommissioned and placed in reserve at San Francisco on January 19, 1950.

During the Korean War, Repose served in Korean waters, evacuating patients to Japan as needed. She remained on station until early 1954, with a brief period of repairs and the installation of a helicopter landing pad in San Francisco between February and March 1953. After her service in Korea, Repose was decommissioned on December 21, 1954, and transferred to the Naval Reserve Fleet at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

After nearly 11 years in reserve at Suisun Bay, Repose was recommissioned on October 16, 1965, for service during the Vietnam War. She arrived in Southeast Asia on January 3, 1966, and was permanently stationed there, earning the nickname «Angel of the Orient.» Operating mainly in the I Corps region, she provided medical care to over 9,000 battle casualties and treated 24,000 inpatients during her deployment.

Repose left Vietnam on March 14, 1970, and was decommissioned in May 1970, briefly serving as a hospital annex for Long Beach Naval Hospital. However, this was deemed too costly, and she was sold for scrap in 1975.