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NavSource Online: Army Ship Photo Archive

USAT Florida

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Transport:
  • Built in 1931 as the Passenger ship SS Florida by Newport News Ship Building an Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA. for Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co.
  • Launched in 1931
  • Delivered in 1931
  • SS Florida operated the Miami to Havana service for the Peninsular & Occidental until World War II
  • Acquired by the War Shipping Administration, 1 January 1942, from Peninsular & Occidental at Havana, Cuba
  • Chartered, 6 March 1942, by the War Department from the War Shipping Administration
  • Redelivered, 17 July 1946, Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co.
  • Refitted and refinished and returned to passenger service
  • Sold in September 1955 to a Liberian owner, reflagged Panama
  • Sold in 1967 to a Montreal owner, refurbished as a luxury floating hotel, renamed La Palais Flotant
  • Final Disposition, scrapped in 1968 at Santander, Spain
    Specifications:
    Displacement 4,945 gross tons
    Length 388'
    Beam 56'
    Draft 20'1"
    Speed 10.5 kts
    Complement
    Officers unknown
    Crew unknown
    Armed Guard unknown
    Troopship Passenger Capacity 958
    Cargo Capacity 14,800 cu ft
    Cruise Radius 2,900 nm
    Propulsion
    two turbines
    two shafts
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Merchant Service Peninsular and Occidental SS Co.
    Florida 19k Post card image of SS Florida moving up the channel at Miami, FL, as she arrives from Cuba, date unknown.  
    Florida
    301302306    		 229k SS Florida underway circa 1930s, location unknown.
    Photo courtesy of Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Company. This work was created in Cuba and is now in the public domain because its term of Cuban copyright has expired.    		 Robert Hurst
    Florida 18k Painting of Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co. steamer SS Florida under way, date and location unknown.  
    Florida 185k Stern view of Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co. steamer SS Florida date and location unknown.  
    Florida
    301302304    		 304k Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co. steamer SS Florida moored, pierside, date and location unknown.
    MARAD    		  
    >Florida
    301302305    		 132k Ex-luxury floating hotel La Palais Flotant, (ex-SS Florida) moored at lle Charron, Longueuil, Quebec, near Montreal in January 1968. This passenger ship had been used as a foating hotel the previous year for Expo 67. Later on in 1968, she departed under her own power for Quebec City and from there towed overseas to be broken up. She arrived at Santander, Spain, 13 August 1968 for dismantling.
    shipspoting.com photo by Rene Beauchamp    		 John Spivey
    There is no history available for USAT Florida/b> at NavSource
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 6 February 2026