Bringing our troops home after VE-Day in 1945

Crowded ship bringing American troops back to New York after VE-Day 1945. Photo credit: rarehistoricalphotos

This is the troopship HMS Queen Elizabeth. Both the QE and Queen Mary were used as troop transports during and after the Second World War. Their high speeds allowed them to outrun hazards, principally German U-boats, usually allowing them to travel without a convoy. Her carrying capacity was over 15,000 troops and a crew of more than 900.

The voyage would take about 5-7 days to go from the East Coast of the US to the British Isles while bringing troops to Europe. It looks crowded because everyone is on deck as it is pulling into harbor (look at the top of the picture).

According to Eisenhower’s memoir, after victory was declared in Europe on May 8, 1945, some troops were complaining about the slow rate at which they were being returned to the States. Ike got wind of this and asked a big gathering of troops at an event he was attending whether they wanted to continue filling the ships at normal capacity, or be crammed into them to get home as soon as possible. They overwhelmingly applauded the latter option.

During her war service as a troopship Queen Elizabeth carried more than 750,000 troops, and she also sailed some 500,000 miles.

(Photo credit: New-York Historical Society).