From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships

Robert Emmet Callan, born 24 March 1874 at Baltimore, Md., graduated from the Military Academy and was assigned to the 5th Artillery. Following service in Cuba, Puerto Rico, West Point, and Washington, D.C., he became Chief of Staff of the Philippine Department in 1917. During WWI he was on duty in France and was Chief of Staff of the 1st Army Artillery, Commanding General of the 33d Artillery Brigade, and participated in the Montdidier-Noyon Defensive and in the Aisne-Marne Offensive. General Callan served in New York, Panama, and Hawaii before his promotion to Major General in 1931. He commanded the 3d Corps Area, Baltimore, Md., until retiring at his own request in 1936 after 40 years of service. General Callan was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his services during WWI. He died 20 November 1936 at Washington, D.C.

(AP - 139: dp. 17,250; l. 522'10"; b. 71'6"; dr. 26'6"; s. 16.5 k; cpl. 449; a. 4 5")

General R. E. Callan (AP-139) was launched 27 April 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Inc., Richmond, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. Robert E. Callan, wife of General Callan; acquired 7 July 1944; and commissioned 17 August 1944, Comdr. Robert C. Starkey in command.

General R. E. Callan sailed from San Francisco 25 September 1944 with Army troops and debarked them at Oro Bay and Langemak Bay, New Guinea, on-loading at the latter port 2,700 troops and casualties which she put ashore at San Francisco 1 November on her return. She embarked over 2,600 fighting men at San Diego and after touching San Francisco 13 November, got underway from that port 3 days later for Kahului Harbor, Hawaii, where she debarked the troops and returned to San Francisco 2 December with over 250 homeward-bound veterans. From 20 December 1944-8 February 1945 the transport carried 2,500 troops from San Francisco to Eniwetok and Guam, returning to Los Angeles the latter date with 2,500 troops embarked at Pearl Harbor. General R. E. Callan then stood out 23 March 1945 with more than 3,000 fighting men bound for Melbourne, Australia; Calcutta, India; and Trincomalee, Ceylon; returning via Fremantle, Australia; Manus, Tinian, Saipan, Guam, and Pearl Harbor to moor at San Francisco 28 June.

Two days later the busy ship steamed under the Golden Gate bound for Norfolk, Va., closing that port 15 July and getting underway again 25 July for France. She embarked over 3,000 troops at Marseilles 6 August and returned to Norfolk 18 August to debark her war-weary passengers. From 20 August-12 September the ship made another voyage to Marseilles and put in at Boston 12 September with over 4,000 troops. On 26 September she stood out to eastward, touching Karachi, India, via the Suez and returning to New York with a full load of veterans on 21 November. After a round-the-world troop rotation cruise which brought the ship to Karachi, Singapore and Hawaii after her departure 7 December 1945 from New York, General R. E. Callan moored at Seattle on 30 January 1946. Following a voyage to Leyte, she returned to San Francisco in early April, and subsequently sailed thence via Panama for Boston, where on 24 May 1946 she was placed out of commission and turned over to the Maritime Commission for peacetime operations as an Army transport. Her name was struck from the Navy List on 19 June 1946.

General R. E. Callan was reacquired from the Army on 28 April 1950 and manned by a Civil Service crew for transatlantic passenger service under the MSTS until 29 May 1958 when her name was again struck from the Navy List. Returned to the Maritime Commission, she was assigned to the Maritime Reserve Defense Fleet in the Hudson River, N Y.

General R. E. Callan was transferred to the Air Force 16 July 1961 and renamed General H. H. Arnold. On 1 July [Vol. IV, errata: 1964] she was acquired by the Navy and designated T-AGM-9. General R. E. Callan now operates in the Atlantic under MSTS as a missile range instrumentation ship.

Transcribed by Yves HUBERT (hubertypc@aol.com)