From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships

Oswald Herbert Ernst, born near Cincinnati, Ohio 27 June 1842, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1864 and served at various posts with the Corps of Engineers and then as a member of the astronomical expedition to Spain in 1870. He served as Superintendent of the Military Academy from 1893 until 1898. During the Spanish-American War, he commanded a brigade in Puerto Rico, then served as Inspector General of Cuba until 1899. Later a member of the original Isthmian Canal Commission and in charge of river and harbor improvements at Baltimore, Galveston, and Chicago, General Ernst retired from active duty in 1906. Promoted to Major General in 1916, he died in Washington, D.C., 21 March 1926.

(AP - 133: dp 9,950 (lt.); l. 522'10"; b. 71'6"; dr. 26'6"; s. 16 k.; cpl. 426; trp. 3,343; a. 4 5", 8 1.1", 16 20mm.; cl. General G. O. Squier; T. C4-S-A1)

General O. H. Ernst (AP-133) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract 29 June 1942 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, Calif.; launched 14 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. L M. Giannini; acquired by the Navy 31 March 1944; commissioned 22 April 1944, Comdr. R. W. Dole in command; transferred to Portland, Oreg., for conversion to a transport by Commercial Iron Works, Portland; decommissioned 13 May 1944; and recommissioned 15 July 1944.

General O. H. Ernst sailed from Seattle 27 August 1944; and, after embarking more than 3,000 fighting men at Honolulu, she transported troops to Guadalcanal, Manus, and Ulithi before returning to San Diego 4 December. Underway again 10 days later, she carried troops to Guadalcanal and promptly returned to the West Coast, reaching Seattle 20 January 1945. Following a round-trip voyage during February to Honolulu and back to San Francisco, the busy transport made a round-trip voyage between 17 March and 22 May, carrying troops from San Francisco to New Hebrides, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Leyte, and the Admiralties.

General O. H. Ernst departed San Francisco 30 May for the Panama Canal and Europe; and, after embarking veterans at Le Havre, France, she steamed to Norfolk arriving 2 July. A week later she departed for Naples, Italy, and carried troops thence via the Panama Canal to Hollandia, New Guinea, where she arrived 27 August. Touching Manila 2 September, the ship departed Tacloban 15 September for San Pedro, Calif., arriving 1 October. As part of the post-war "Magic-Carpet" fleet, she between 1 November and 29 July 1946, made six troop-rotation voyages out of San Pedro and Seattle to Japan, Korea, Okinawa, and Pearl Harbor.

General O. H. Ernst returned to San Francisco from the Far East 29 July 1946, decommissioned there 15 August. Returned to WSA the same day, she entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif. She was sold to Bethlehem Steel Corp., Wilmington, Del., in April 1964 and renamed Calmar.

Transcribed by Yves HUBERT (hubertypc@aol.com)