Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

June 16, 2010

Hello,

My name is Rita Vignau. My familiy and I were rescued and evacuated from Viet Nam in 1946. We were part of
some of the French resident in Indochina after the capitulation of Japan. We were evacuated by the Red Cross and because we had been rescued from a Japanese concentration camp in Nha Trang, and were all in a bad shape, we were sent back to France on the Jerusalemme (sic).

I heard from my family that the Jerusalemme was travelling with another hospital ship, also carrying POW/s and other survivors of the war, but that in the Indian Ocean, through a typhoon, it sank. Nobody could help the other ship as the sea was too treacherous and any canoe put to sea to help rescue the survivors, would have sank as well.

Do you know anything about that?  It would have happened in July 1946 in the Indian Ocean.

I do hope that you will be able to help me find the name of that other hospital ship. I will be happy to communicate with anyone who served on board of the Jerusalemme. And would it be possible somehow, to find the list of passengers that would have embarked from Saigon, South Viet Nam, on June 30th, 1946?

Cheers.
Rita Vignau

Rita,

Thank you, I think the ship's name is spelt as Geruselemme, here is a painting of her by an unknown artist.
 
All I have about this vessel is: Built in 1920 for the Loyd-Treistino Line at Cantiere San Remo, Treist, she was
8,052 tons.

In 1940 interned in Loueno Marques, 1944 requisitioned by the Allies for use as a Hospital ship, ( she had sailed
under the Italian flag ) In or about 1946 the ship sailed for Japan to repatriate POW's held by Japan.

She then sailed to Indo-China to carry French refugees back to Toulon, France. But she was not lost in the Indian
Ocean. Nor can I find another named Hospital Ship that is listed as being with her.

Then was handed over to the Indian Navy, to be scrapped in 1952.

Here is a painting of Geruselemme by an unknown artist.

Regards,
Mac.


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