RFA Maine was a 7,432 GRT hospital ship which was built in 1924 as the ocean liner Leonardo da Vinci by SA Ansaldo, La Spezia, Italy for the Società di Navigazione Transatlantica Italiana.

In 1948, ownership was passed to the Admiralty and she entered service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as RFA Maine.

[1] Leonardo da Vinci was built for Società di Navigazione Transatlantica Italiana.

[3] In December 1929, Leonardo da Vinci was caught in a storm off Cape Finisterre, Spain whilst transporting a number of valuable Italian works of art which were to be exhibited at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London.

[5] Works of art on board included the painting The Birth of Venus by Botticelli,[6] the three Davids, sculptures by Donatello, Michelangelo and Verrocchio.

[9] On 28 February, Leonardo da Vinci was in collision with Viminale, which dragged her anchor during a storm at Messina, Italy.

[14] Later in 1943, Leonardo da Vinci was renamed Empire Clyde in line with the 'Empire' naming practice for captured vessels.

In 1948 she was renamed RFA Maine, the fourth Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship to bear that name.

Maine arrived at Pusan, South Korea, from where she ran a service carrying casualties to Fukuoka, Japan.