Replacement Depot - Schofield Barracks

As men arrived and then were assigned and shipped out from 13th Replacement Depot, Schofield Barracks, Oahu, APO 957, the orders refer to the incoming men as "arrived on shipment RS 620 Via SF 1259" and the like, e.g. "shipment RU 911 via SF 1259 and 1301".

What is "RU" and what does the number mean?

I assume "SF" is San Francisco since these men were likely coming from replacement centers through SFPE.

I know that some (maybe all) the men on shipment RS 620 via SF 1259 came from Ft McDowell. So I'm guessing that SF 1259 is Ft McDowell and SF 1301 is some other embarkation center or replacement center. Also, these men came in Convoy 2310 -- 4 Liberty ships and 1 freighter (built 1921) and two destroyer escorts. One of the Liberty ships was built as a troopship which may have carried all 503 men in this shipment (i.e. RU 620).

 

Fort McDowell was the name of the barracks on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. I suspect there wasn't enough space in the Presidio (San Francisco for the soldiers) and keeping them on Angel Island kept them out of the MPs' hair. Like Alcatraz, you need a boat to get there and there's no bridge connecting to land (either Marin County or San Francisco County).

Earlier in the 20th Century Angel Island was also used as a detention center for Chinese immigrants. They were screened there to ensure the validity of their papers.