[Auswandererkartei Bremen (International Refugee Organization-Kartei)] do_E7v2E3UFyvthB4mi6Yy72

  • Document ID: do_E7v2E3UFyvthB4mi6Yy72
  • Document Collection: 7-5-18 Auswandererkartei (IRO Kartei) des Staatsarchiv Bremen
  • Link to Online Archive:
?

Discussion Question

#ship

#ship name reads „Mercy“ but no such ship known. This Arolsen link - the only one online - leads nowhere, no „Mercy“ mentioned:
https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/de/document/81658958
I guess it is a typo/mishearing for „General Hersey“

Arolsen has got records concerning a ship (ships?) named „Mercy“ / „General Mercy“, used for 5 DP passages in 1949, among them the passage (07.06.1949) mentioned in this card. (see here and his name in the passenger list here)
A spelling error therefore does not seem very likely (imo)
5 Arolsen records here (under „Topics“)

Could it be „USAHS Mercy“, aka „US Navy AH-8“ ? It was the second of three US Hospital ships named „Mercy“ [quote] „in honor of the virtue of compassion and owing to their purpose“.(A „general“ is not mentioned…)
She was decommissioned in 1946 and placed in reserve. Maybe she was reactivated for DP passages?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Mercy_(AH-8)
http://www.fact-index.com/u/us/uss_mercy.html
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/mercy-ii.html

Have a nice week!

1 „Gefällt mir“

Thanks for the additional research, but I looked at all those sources yesterday and found no official reliable evidence that there was even a ship of that name in service in 1949, so I’ve given up, sorry.
AH-8 returned to the Maritime Commission by the US Army, but first 6 February 1950 …
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/12/1208.htm
For me, this too confusing … I leave it to the experts.
Have a nice week, too!

1 „Gefällt mir“

Here is another passenger on this ship:
https://collab.arolsen-archives.org/de/classifications/cl_kB8KJPYuVj9j5MZam9sec

Here with spelling „Mercey“:
https://collab.arolsen-archives.org/de/classifications/cl_D3taPu6ppZr4Knz5Wm31U

Hi @moewenzahn,
USAT Mercy actually doesn’t seem to be a phantom ship or a misspelling of Hersey. Probably Mercey is a typo, as it is generally corrected to Mercy (not vice versa)

JDC Archives have cables announcing the arrival of DP ships from Bremen/Bremerhaven.
Among them cables concerning USAT Mercy, sent by Jointfund Emigration to Jointdisco Publicity New York in 1949.

Two examples:
As for the passage on May 6, 1949 (Bremerhaven – New York) see here and a corresponding Bremen card.
As for the passage on April 8, 1949 (Bremerhaven – Boston) see here and a corresponding Bremen card.

BTW: General Hersey sailed Bremerhaven – New York on April 17, 1949 (see here)
Both Mercy and Hersey are mentioned in one cable here, with different dates and destinations.

(Everything found on JDC, Item ID 675920, Folder 340)

But the question still remains if Mercy is identical to USAHS Mercy, aka US Navy AH-8 … :thinking:
Wünsche dir eine gute Woche!

1 „Gefällt mir“

Hi routebleue,
I didn´t want to question the existence of ship „Mercy“, I just wanted to report this spelling to increase the confusion :wink:
Schøne Woche auch Dir!

Alles gut, Möwe, so hatte ich deine posts gar nicht verstanden! -
War selbst unsicher in Bezug auf dieses Schiff und wollte einfach nur ein (für mich abschließendes) Puzzleteil hinzufügen.
Sünnige grööten!

1 „Gefällt mir“