The SS Guiding Star was a notable troopship with a rich service history, constructed in 1939 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. in Newport News, Virginia. Originally launched as the Type C2 cargo ship Nightingale (yard number 373, USMC hull number 26), she measured 439 feet in length with a beam of 63 feet 2 inches and a depth of 27 feet 5 inches. Her gross register tonnage was 7,169 GRT, with a net tonnage of 4,328 NRT, and a deadweight tonnage of 8,656 DWT. Powered by two steam turbines rated at 1,100 nhp, she drove a single screw propeller, capable of reaching speeds up to 17 knots. Completed in October 1939, she was initially registered in Norfolk, Virginia, with U.S. Official Number 230064 and the code letters WCDH. During her early career, Nightingale was operated by Grace Lines Inc. until 1941, when she was sold to the UK’s Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Egret. She was registered in London and managed by Royal Mail Lines Ltd. Her wartime service included participation in numerous convoys across the Atlantic, Africa, and the Indian Ocean, carrying troops, artillery, and vehicles. She was involved in significant movements such as Convoy WS 9A to Sierra Leone, and later convoy voyages from the UK to South Africa, India, and the United States. In 1942, she was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission, renamed Nightingale, and subsequently returned to Grace Lines as Santa Isabel. During her conversion to a troopship in 1943-1944, she was equipped for wartime troop transport. She notably carried 1,750 troops from California to New Caledonia and participated in operations in the Pacific, including Okinawa. In 1946, she was transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps and renamed Guiding Star. She continued to serve until June 1973, when she was scrapped in Brownsville, Texas. Her long service life and involvement in key wartime operations mark her as a significant vessel in maritime and military history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.