Milk Run

Lead up to Cruise

During its time, World War II claimed the lives of both soldiers and civilians, including the first systematic genocide in modern history. Cities and towns across Europe were left destroyed and thousands of people displaced as refugees. This was still the case in December of 1947, almost three years after the end of World War II.

 

Designation: California Milk Ship

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Governor Earl Warren on the Training Ship

Campus History Collection, Photograph Collection

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T.S. Golden Bear at Port in Oakland, CA

Campus History Collection, Photograph Collection

Instead of the typical cruise, a recommendation was presented to then California Governor, Earl Warren, that the T.S. Golden Bear be used to carry relief cargo to help in the recovery efforts in Europe following the war. Initially the plan was to carry food and clothing, but eventually it was decided that the bulk of the cargo be canned milk for the children of Europe. 

A call was sent out to collect food items, clothing, milk, and cash to fill the ship as quickly as possible before the cruise began. Loading stops were planned for Stockton, Oakland, San Francisco, Long Beach, and San Diego. Diplomatic clearance was provided by the U.S. Department of State for free services in Marseilles, Genoa, Naples, and Pirasus port cities in France, Italy, and Greece, along with free tolls through the Panama Canal. 

The T.S. Golden Bear was the first U.S. Schoolship to go through the process and refitting to carry freight. The overhaul took about three weeks to complete at the shipyard located in Alameda. The crew included 19 officer-instructors and 101 midshipmen. All the officers on board at the time held master's licenses and most of them had served in World War II, making this humanitarian mission personal. 

Donation Collection

Destination: Europe

Loaded to capacity the ship began its trip to Europe. In addition to canned milk, special cargo also included nearly 300 tons of dried milk from the United Nations International Emergency Children's Fund, and other gifts and notes addressed to individuals from families living in California.

First stop was the Canal region. When they reached Balboa, the crew knew they would have to tie up, as there was a need for repairs in the forward engine room. Luckily within a day they were back on the move through the Panama Canal and on to Curaçao for their first refueling stop.

S.O.S.

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Campus History Collection, Photograph Collection

Halfway on the journey from Curaçao to Gibraltar, the crew of the T.S. Golden Bear made the decision to back-track nearly 300 miles to answer an S.O.S. There was a crew member on the S.S. Josiah Snelling that needed medical attention. With the assistance of cadets, the sick man was brought aboard the Golden Bear. The Medical Officer on board, Dr. Scott, made haste to operate as the man had a ruptured appendix. By the time the ship arrived at Gibraltar six days later, the man was able to walk off the ship under his own power. 

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Campus History Collection, Newspaper Collection

Docking: First Stop France

The T.S. Golden Bear finally made landfall in Europe, with their first stop in Marseille, France in May of 1948. The ship was greeted with much fanfare, with  cadets and officers welcomed with a reception at the Prefecture and taken on a sightseeing tour.

Italy: Genoa, Naples and Rome

After deliveries were made at each port, cadets were allowed shore leave and did a lot of sightseeing. In Genoa they visited the small town of Porto Fino and stopped at a local orphanage that received a portion of the milk supply.

In Naples cadets and officers were wined and dined by the American Embassy and spent spare hours checking out the ruins of Pompeii. Of the six days allocated to Naples two three-day trips to Rome were also scheduled. Many sites of historical interest were visited along with a tour of St. Peter's in the Vatican, including an audience with the Pope. 

Piraeus and Athens

Six days were spent unloading the last of the ship’s cargo and exploring the Athens region.