13 Nov Aquitania

Hedvig E. Johnson

Hedy received notice in July of 1943 that her headquarters had been changed. That month she also had a medical exam which found her “fit for foreign service.” However, it would be six months before she would actually travel abroad.

A secret Monthly Progress Report from OSS London described their difficulties in obtaining adequate staff from the United States. “The Army will not allow these women to be transported to London.” Their challenge was to find secure transport. Germany was a threat to planes and ships alike.

Finally on January 1, 1944, Hedy boarded the Aquitania, a massive British ocean liner which had been converted to a troop ship.  Just imagine what an adventure this had to have been for this 22-year-old from Hibbing, Minnesota. Above is a wonderful slide show of the Aquitania … the only cruise liner that served as a troop ship in both World Wars.  These pictures convey its majesty, scope and size during the luxury years. (Thanks to Georg Link for the video.)

The trip on the Aquitania would have taken a week or more, with much zigzagging in order to evade any German submarines. The ship was teeming with soldiers, but the women had separate quarters. Hedy’s orders stated that she would travel with the same privileges as an officer.

The Aquitania landed in Scotland, and she traveled by train to London.

From the “most exciting place in Washington” Hedy suddenly entered a whole new world.

A world at war.

The Aquitania as a troop ship, painted grey.

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