In December 1945 the hospital ship was retired and converted from 24 January to 21 February 1946 into a dependent transport as USAT Saturnia.

Saturnia was laid down by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone, Trieste as hull number 160 on 5 March 1925 for Cosulich Soc.

The ship was launched 29 December 1925 with a maiden voyage from Trieste to the River Plate ports on 21 September 1927.

Extensive modifications to the engine mountings, propellers and other alterations caused a delay in operation of sister ship Vulcania.

[9] On 2 January 1932 Cosulich became part of the new line Italia Flotte Riunite but maintains its separate administrative office in Trieste.

During this period the baroque interior design was replaced by a more contemporary style including Art Déco and minimalism.

In October 1939 the ship was stopped by the British off Gibraltar attempting to confiscate a cargo of copper and steel for Bohemia.

On 30 April 1940 the ship was adapted for a special voyage to Tripoli with arrival back at Syracuse, Sicily 10 June 1940 the day Italy entered the war.

[note 4] On 4 April 1942 Saturnia departed Trieste to join Vulcania two days later south of Majorca.

With a stop at Port Elizabeth the ships reach Berbera in what was then British Somaliland on 5 May in the first of a series of voyages repatriating Italian civilians.

[1] Saturnia and Vulcania were joined by Giulio Cesare and Duilio for the second repatriation trip to East Africa leaving Genoa on 21 October 1942 and ending at Brindisi on 12 January 1943.

The four ships made the thrird and last repatriation voyage departing Trieste on 22 May and ending at Taranto on 11 August 1943.

After the armistice between the Allies and Italy on 13 October 1943 the ship is ordered to sail to Venice where cadets of the Naval Academy embarked.

[10] At Brindisi, in an agreement with Italy and Admiral Cunningham of the Royal Navy, approved by General Eisenhower, Saturnia was delivered to the Allies for use by the United States.

[14] Conversion to the hospital ship, Frances Y. Slanger, was done at the Todd-Erie Basin yard in New York between January and June 1945.

The ship was named after Frances Y. Slanger (1913-1944), an American field nurse who was killed in an artillery attack by the German Wehrmacht on 21 October 1944 in Elsenborn, Belgium.

[7] On return to New York in December the ship was hastily modified by the Arthur Tickle Engineering Works to transport military dependents.

Filmmaker Ferdinando Dell’Omo and partner Lilia Topouzova interviewed hundreds of Canadian-Italians who arrived by ship.