USS Mercy ( AH - 8 ) The second USS " Mercy " ( AH - 8 ) was a laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Consolidated Steel Corporation at the Wilmington Yard , Wilmington , California , on 4 February 1943 . She was acquired by the US Navy from the Maritime Commission on 25 March 1943 and launched the same day , sponsored by Lieutenant ( junior grade ) Doris M . Yetter , NC , USN , who had been a prisoner of war on Guam in 1941 . She was converted from a cargo ship to a hospital ship by Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Drydock Company , San Pedro , California and commissioned 7 August 1944 , with Captain Thomas A . Esling , USNR , in command . Service history . " Mercy " was one of three hospital ships , the others being and , built , commanded and crewed by the Navy for the Army . These ships , unlike the Navy hospital ships , were intended for evacuation and transport of patients after primary care had been given . Medical equipment and personnel were provided by the Army . The Army medical complement table of organization provided for the temporary reinforcement of the staff if the ship directly supported amphibious operations . Philippines . After shakedown beginning 17 August , " Mercy " , staffed by the US Army ' s 214th Hospital Ship personnel , was assigned to NTS to operate with the 5th and 7th Fleets . She departed San Pedro 31 August for the South Pacific and , after calls at Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok , arrived Hollandia , New Guinea , 14 October . Five days later the hospital ship departed for the Philippines for the initial landing at Leyte on 20 October , arriving off Leyte Gulf the morning of 25 October to find the Battle for Leyte Gulf still raging for another day . " Mercy " moved to San Pedro Bay later the same day and began embarking some 400 casualties , mostly from LSTs alongside . On 26 October she sailed for the Admiralties , via Kossol Roads , Palau , Caroline Islands , arriving at Manus to disembark the wounded for transfer to base hospitals . During the next five months , " Mercy " completed seven more voyages from Leyte to Manus , or Hollandia . She also transported the 3rd Field Hospital from New Guinea to Tacloban , Philippines , early in January 1945 . Okinawa . On 19 March " Mercy " reported to the 5th Fleet at Ulithi , Caroline Islands , for service during the Okinawa campaign , beginning with the landings 1 April . She arrived off Okinawa the morning of 19 April in company with to remain for four days at Hagushi Beach embarking patients despite frequent air raids and threat of kamikaze s . The hospital ship then got underway for Saipan , Marianas Islands , 23 April . She made two more voyages to Okinąwa , returning from the latter to Saipan 24 May . " Mercy " next carried wounded from Leyte and Manila on two voyages to Biak , returning to Manila on 23 June for two months ' duty as station hospital ship . On 19 August she embarked the 227th Station Hospital assigned to the Korean Occupation Forces , and three days later departed for Korea via Okinawa , arriving Jinsen 9 September . On 19 October the hospital ship departed for Manila and San Pedro , California , arriving 14 November . She got underway for the central Pacific 4 February 1946 , arriving Pearl Harbor on 12 February for duty until 2 April when she returned to California . " Mercy " decommissioned at San Francisco , California , 17 May , was delivered to the War Department the same day , and transferred to the US Army 20 June for further service as a hospital ship . On 25 September 1946 , she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register . " Mercy " received two battle stars for her World War II service .