the Atlantic theaters of war, were sent into the Pacific, where they were 

 called upon for similar duty and where they visited the beaches of every 

 major island military operation. The Acadia, which had been converted 

 to a straight hospital ship, is said to have been the first of its kind to enter 

 Tokyo Bay to remove and hospitalize Americans who had been prisoners 

 of war. She continued in this service, and in repatriation of other Ameri- 

 can personnel from the western Pacific areas. She had a fine record, and 

 is the only ship portrayed in this book that served as a hospital ship. 



During the war. Eastern operated a large fleet of Liberty and Victory 

 ships as agent of the government, and the line still has a few vessels re- 

 maining on this basis. Several Liberty ships have been chartered since the 

 war, and are principally occupied in carrying food and fuel supplies to 

 Europe. Thus the company's organization has been maintained and fully 

 occupied in lending its best support to the war effort and to postwar re- 

 establishment of peacetime enterprise. 



The company, like many other American shipping companies, is faced 

 with serious problems in replacement of its fleet. Ships built during the 

 war are not suitable for conversion and re-use in Eastern's coastwise 

 service. Costs of construction of new ships for operation in unsubsidized 

 American-flag services have gone to such heights that the fixed charges on 

 the necessary investment would probably be unbearable under foreseeable 

 shipping conditions. Direct costs of vessel operations, particularly wages 

 of crews and maintenance and repair -costs, are now at such high levels 

 that there has been practically no restoration of domestic services in pri- 

 vate steamship operations, and under present cost levels and conditions of 

 competition with land transportation there cannot be a restoration of 

 domestic services on any such extensive basis as existed prior to the war. 



Notwithstanding these unfavorable conditions. Eastern has maintained 

 its organization and conserved all funds received from settlements for 

 vessels lost or requisitioned by the government. It is in a strong position to 

 take advantage of any favorable development, either in its former fields 

 of operation or elsewhere. 



77 



