 Surveyed and found suitable for conversion to a hospital ship, "Bridgeport" underwent modernization at the Merrill-Stevens Drydock & Repair Co. in Jacksonville, Florida from September 1943 to August 1944, during which time she was renamed USAHS "Larkspur".Her maiden voyage as an Army hospital ship took her from Charleston, South Carolina to the British Isles.After visits to the River Clyde and to Belfast, Northern Ireland, she underwent repairs at Newport, Wales, before sailing for home.