Two Years After World War II Ended, This Ship Brought the Bodies of 6,251 Fallen Service Members Back Home to America
The S.S. “Joseph V. Connolly” arrived in New York City on October 26, 1947. The caskets stored in its holds contained the remains of privates and three-star generals alike
October 26, 2026 12:07 p.m.
The caskets of fallen American service members are loaded onto the S.S. Joseph V. Connolly in Antwerp, Belgium, in September 1947. National Archives
The S.S. Joseph V. Connolly was one of 2,742 Liberty ships built during World War II. At 441.5 feet long and 57 feet wide at the beam, these cavernous vessels could haul 10,800 tons of whatever the United States Army required: ammunition, jeeps, tanks and even locomotives. Immense, rough-edged and clunky, the Liberty class wasn’t known for its looks. President Franklin D.…
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