I have been doing extensive research on the troopships used in WWII. I have not completed the research on Sea Bass yet, but here is some additional data that might help.
Prior to the time that Lyle joined her on May 29, the ship had made several trips from San Francisco to Pacific theater ports. On June 8, 1945, she left San Francisco, transited the Panama canal June 16-18, and arrived in Le Havre on June 29, loading troops for their return to the US.
She left Le Havre on July 3 for New York, arriving on July 21. She left New York later that same day for Avonmouth (the mouth of the Avon River in Bristol, England), arriving there on July 29. She loaded troops for re-deployment to the Pacific theater. She left Avonmouth on August 2, 1945, transited the Panama canal August 13-14, and arrived at Hollandia (New Guinea) on Sept. 5, 1945. After disembarking her troops, she left Hollandia on Sept. 7, 1945. With victory in Japan, Sea Bass was diverted to Manila, Lingayen, and Okinawa. She next headed to Hawaii, then ultimately to San Pedro, arriving back in the US on November 2, 1945.
In early December, she left again for Okinawa, then to Pearl harbor, and back to San Francisco on January 11, 1946.
She sailed to Seattle, and on February 25, 1946 she sailed to Yokosuka, Okinawa, and Yokohama. She operated locally around Yokohama for about 3 months, and returned to San Francisco on June 3, 1946. She was sold at this point, as Ron indicated in his message.
Additional info on the ship:
Length=492', beam=69;, draft=28'6"
Gross Tons = 7,949
Speed = 16.5 knots
Capable of traveling 21,000 miles
She had twin turbine engines, and could carry 2,838 passengers (troops) and 184,900 cu ft of cargo.
She was converted from a freighter to a troop ship by the Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA, between Feb 9 and July 6, 1944.
During WWII she was operated by the Matson Navigation Company.
Happy hunting!
Rick
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