The SS Santa Teresa, built in 1918 in Philadelphia, was an 8,890-ton passenger liner originally designed for civilian service. Constructed as a civilian vessel, she was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy during World War I and commissioned in November 1918 as USS Santa Teresa (ID 3804), just a week after the war's end. As a naval transport, she primarily undertook seven round-trip voyages between the United States and France from December 1918 to September 1919, mainly transporting war veterans back to America. Following her decommissioning in October 1919, she was returned to the U.S. Shipping Board and resumed commercial service. During the interwar period, she operated under her original name, SS Santa Teresa, until 1936 when she was renamed SS Kent. The vessel's versatility was demonstrated in her transition from civilian to military service multiple times over the next decades. In April 1941, the U.S. Army purchased the vessel, renaming her USAT Ernest Hinds after Major General Ernest Hinds. She was converted into a troopship at Boston, participated in maneuvers off Cape Cod, and was transferred to the Navy in July 1941 as USS Kent (AP-28). After serving as a Navy transport for eight months, she reverted to Army control in March 1942, again named USAT Ernest Hinds. Throughout 1942 and 1943, she operated as a transport, notably traveling to Alaska and serving routes between the U.S., Hawaii, and the South Pacific. In September 1943, she was converted into a hospital ship at San Francisco and served in this capacity through June 1944, providing medical services across the U.S. East Coast, the Mediterranean, and beyond. Following her hospital service, she returned to transport duties, including carrying Jamaican laborers, until her service concluded in September 1945. She was repurposed as a floating isolation ward in Jacksonville, Florida, and later placed in reserve. The nearly 40-year-old vessel was eventually sold for scrapping in May 1957, marking the end of her multifaceted maritime career.

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