She was laid down, launched and commissioned in 1931 for
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, and commonly named "Transat"), typically known overseas as the French Line, was a French shipping company. Established in 1855 by the Péreire brothers, brothers Émile and Issac Péreire under the ...
. She was built by
Ateliers et Chantiers de France
The Ateliers et Chantiers de France (ACF, Workshops and Shipyards of France) was a major shipyard that was established in Dunkirk, France, in 1898.
The shipyard boomed in the period before World War I (1914–18), but struggled in the inter-war p ...
,
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.merchant ship until 1940 where she was converted to an
armed merchant ship The term armed merchant ship may describe a number of similar ship modifications intended for significantly different missions. The term armed merchantman is generally used.
* East Indiaman describes late 18th and early 19th-century sailing ships e ...
till 1941. In December 1942, SS ''Colombie'' was taken over by US Army at
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
to be converted to a troopship in 1943 by Arthur Tickle Engineering Company. She was still under jurisdiction of War Shipping Administration, with the
French Line
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
.
SS ''Columbie'' operated between the east coast of the United States and the Europe- Africa- Middle East theater of operations. Acquired by the US Army Transportation Service for conversion to a hospital ship by Arthur Tickle Engineering Company, between January and April 1945.
She was recommissioned as USAHS ''Aleda E. Lutz'' on 13 February 1945. Named after Lt. Aleda E. Lutz, she was most celebrated women war heroes during World War II. ''Lutz'' was the first American woman to die in combat during World War II and the highest decorated woman in the history of the U.S. military. USAHS ''Aleda E. Lutz'' moored pierside at Pearl Harbor from 21–34 November 1945.
She was decommissioned on 6 April 1946 and returned to the War Shipping Administration but few days later returned to the French Lines on 11 April 1946. SS ''Colombie'' was modernized and returned to commercial service on the Havre-West Indies route for Générale Transatlantique.
Her ownership was turned over to
Typaldos Lines
Typaldos Lines, formally known as the Aegean Steam Navigation Company, was a privately held Greek shipping company based in the port of Piraeus, Greece. In 1956 the company had registered its headquarters in London, UK. after operating earlier as ...
in 1964 and renamed SS ''Atlantica.'' But few years later not long after, ''Typaldos Lines'' were declared bankrupt in 1968 and she was abandoned and sold for scrapping in 1974.
French Line
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
*
Aleda E. Lutz
Aleda Ester Lutz (November 9, 1915 – November 1, 1944) was a United States Army flight nurse. She was the first American woman to die in combat during World War II and, with the exception of Civil War era Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the highest dec ...