SS Pan Kraft

Last updated
WestAvenal.jpg
West Avenal, sister ship to Pan Kraft
History
NamePan Kraft
Operator Waterman Steamship Company
Builder Western Pipe & Steel
Yard numberWPS Hull No. 11
LaunchedJuly 2, 1919
ChristenedWest Kader
AcquiredDecember 31, 1919
Homeport Wilmington, Delaware
FateSunk by bombing, July 7, 1942
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length410 ft 6 in (125.12 m)
Beam54 ft 0 in (16.46 m)
Draft24 ft 1+12 in (7.353 m)
Propulsion Joshua Hendy 3-cylinder triple expansion, 2,800  ihp (2,100 kW)
Speed11 knots (20 km/h)
Crew44

Pan Kraft was a cargo ship built in 1919 by the Western Pipe and Steel Company of California. She was one of eighteen ships built by the company for the U.S. Shipping Board. After merchant service between the wars, she was to become one of the victims of Great Britain's disastrous Convoy PQ 17 to Russia during World War II.

Contents

Operational history

Pan Kraft was launched as West Kader on July 2, 1919, and delivered to the Shipping Board on December 31, 1919. She made her maiden voyage between Portland, Oregon, and the Far East on January 8, 1920, and in August 1920 made a trip to Cork, Ireland. From April 1920 to April 1928, West Kader continued to operate from Portland, Oregon, to China, Japan, Russia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.

On June 4, 1928, West Kader was sold by the U.S. Shipping Board to the States Steamship Company of Portland, Oregon, who renamed her New York. On September 10, 1936, the U.S.-flag cargo liner Romance collided with New York at Boston, Massachusetts, and sank without loss of life. [1]

New York's home port remained Portland until 1937 when she was sold to the Everett Steamship Company of Mobile, Alabama, who renamed her Pan Kraft and home-ported her in Mobile.

Pan Kraft was acquired by Pan Atlantic Steamship Corporation in 1939. Her home port remained Mobile, but after Waterman Steamship Company became manager of the vessel, her home port was changed to Wilmington, Delaware.

Convoy PQ 17

Following the outbreak of World War II and the entry of the United States into the war, Pan Kraft was assigned a delivery of military equipment to the Soviet Union under the US-Soviet lend-lease agreement. With a deck full of planes and cargo holds full of crated aircraft, Pan Kraft made the first leg of her journey from New York City to Hvalfjordur, Iceland, where she joined with other merchant vessels and a Royal Navy escort to form Convoy PQ 17. The convoy departed for the Soviet port of Arkhangelsk on June 24, 1942.

On July 4, the commander of PQ 17's naval escort was informed that the German battleship Tirpitz was on course to intercept. He made the fateful decision to scatter the convoy, with disastrous results. German U-boats and aircraft were able to pick off the isolated ships with ease, sinking 25 of the convoy's 36 merchant vessels and putting PQ 17 into the record books as the greatest Russia-bound convoy loss of the war.

Pan Kraft was not to be one of the fortunate few to escape. On July 5 she was attacked in the Barents Sea by Junkers Ju 88 bombers, and though she did not suffer a direct hit, her oil and steam lines were ruptured and she had to be abandoned. The British corvette HMS Lotus then attempted without success to sink the disabled vessel, but at 6:00 am on July 7, 1942, Pan Kraft finally sank after suffering an internal explosion.

Two more of the convoy's ships were sunk on the return journey.

Related Research Articles

SS <i>Eurana</i> (1915)

Eurana was a steam cargo ship built in 1915 by Union Iron Works of San Francisco. While the ship was under construction, she was acquired by Frank Duncan McPherson Strachan to operate in the Atlantic trade. The vessel made several trips between the Southeast of the United States and Europe before being sold to Nafra Steamship Co. in 1917. The freighter then entered the Mediterranean trade where she remained until September 1918 when she was requisitioned by the United States Navy to serve as a transport during World War I. With the war coming to an end, the ship was released from the navy service in October 1919 and subsequently passed under control of the Green Star Steamship Co. After conclusion of bankruptcy proceedings, Eurana together with several other ships was acquired by Planet Steamship Co. The ship largely stayed in the West Coast to East Coast trade for the next seven years. In 1930 she together with several other vessels were purchased by the Calmar Steamship Corporation and renamed Alamar. The ship remained in the intracoastal trade following her acquisition through 1940. In May 1942 while en route to Russia with military cargo as part of convoy PQ-16, she was hit by several bombs and was subsequently scuttled.

The Western Pipe and Steel Company (WPS) was an American manufacturing company that is best remembered today for its construction of ships for the Maritime Commission in World War II. It also built ships for the U.S. Shipping Board in World War I and took part in the construction of the giant Grand Coulee Dam project in the 1930s.

SS <i>Empire Miniver</i> British steam merchant ship

The SS Empire Miniver was a British steam merchant ship. She was originally an American merchant, launched in 1918 as SS West Cobalt. During a brief stint in the United States Navy in 1919, she was known as USS West Cobalt (ID-3836).

USS Majaba (AG-43/IX-102) was the Design 1049 cargo ship Meriden built in 1919 by the Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland, Oregon. All the ships were requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board (USSB) for World War I service. The ship was bought by the E. K. Wood Lumber Co., of San Francisco, California in 1923 and renamed El Capitan. The ship was chartered by the U.S. Navy through the War Shipping Administration (WSA) in April 1942 and commissioned as Majaba.

SS <i>Iowan</i> American cargo ship

SS Iowan was a cargo ship built in 1914 for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. During World War I she was taken over by the United States Navy and commissioned as USS Iowan (ID-3002). During World War II, the ship was transferred to the Soviet Union and renamed SS Tashkent.

USS <i>West Bridge</i> United States Navy cargo ship

USS West Bridge (ID-2888) was a Design 1013 cargo ship in the United States Navy during World War I. She was begun as War Topaz for the British Government but was completed as West Bridge. After being decommissioned from the Navy, the ship returned to civilian service as West Bridge, but was renamed Barbara Cates, and Pan Gulf over the course of her commercial career under American registry.

USS <i>West Carnifax</i> (ID-3812) Cargo ship in United states navy

USS West Carnifax (ID-3812) was a cargo ship in the United States Navy shortly after World War I. After she was decommissioned from the Navy, the ship was known as SS West Carnifax, SS Exford, and SS Pan Royal in civilian service under American registry.

SS <i>West Nohno</i> American merchant ship

SS West Nohno was a cargo ship of the United States Shipping Board (USSB) launched shortly after the end of World War I. The ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS West Nohno (ID-4029) but was neither taken into the Navy nor ever commissioned under that name.

Cotati was a steam cargo ship built in 1918-1919 by Moore Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Oakland for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. In 1942 she was sold to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Avocet. The ship was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 on 30 September 1942 on one of her regular wartime trips.

SS <i>West Gotomska</i>

SS West Gotomska was a steel–hulled cargo ship built in 1918 as part of the World War I emergency wartime shipbuilding program organized by the United States Shipping Board.

USS <i>West Haven</i> (ID-2159)

USS West Haven (ID-2159) was a steel–hulled freighter that saw service with the U.S. Navy during World War I, and which later saw convoy service during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.

West Cawthon was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Southwestern Shipbuilding Co. of San Pedro for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. Initially, the vessel was placed in the Pacific trade, but was soon acquired by the Green Star Steamship Co. and was put on the Gulf to the Mediterranean route. In 1923 Green Star Steamship Co. went bankrupt and vessel was bought back by USSB. The freighter then spent next two years serving the Mediterranean ports of Italy and Spain before being laid up late in 1924. In 1926 the vessel was bought by the American-South African Line and for the next fourteen years continuously sailed between the East Coast of the United States and South Africa. In 1940 she was sold to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Bison. The ship was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-124 on 1 November 1940 on one of her regular convoy trips.

USS West Mead (ID-3548), also spelled Westmead, was a United States Navy cargo ship in commission from 1918 to 1919.

Portmar was a United States-flagged merchant vessel that was constructed in response to World War I, operated by a succession of companies in the interwar period, then taken up for wartime shipping in World War II.

SS <i>Corvus</i> (1919)

Corvus was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Columbia River Shipbuilding Company of Portland for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter was operated on international and domestic routes through 1944. Early in 1945 she was transferred to Soviet Union as part of lend-lease program and renamed Uzbekistan. After several months of operation, the freighter was rammed by another vessel on 31 May 1945 and was beached to avoid sinking. She was subsequently raised and towed to Portland where she was scrapped in 1946.

West Caddoa was a Design 1019 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Western Pipe & Steel Co of San Francisco. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

West Niger was a steam cargo ship built in 1919–1920 by Southwestern Shipbuilding Company of San Pedro for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter spent her entire career in the Pacific connecting the West Coast of the United States with the Chinese and Japanese ports in the Far East. Early in 1928 the ship together with ten other vessels was sold by the Shipping Board to the States Steamship Co. and subsequently renamed Nevada. In September 1932 the vessel while on her regular trip to Japan ran aground in foggy weather on Amatignak Island and subsequently broke into three parts and sank with the loss of thirty four out of thirty seven men.

Antinous was a Design 1015 ship steam cargo ship built in 1919–1920 by Guy M. Standifer Construction Company of Vancouver for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The vessel was chiefly employed on the Gulf to Europe routes throughout her career. In September 1942, while on a passage to British Guiana to load her cargo, she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarines operating at the time in the Caribbean.

SS <i>West Pocasset</i>

West Pocasset was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Northwest Steel Company of Portland for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter was operated sparingly on the United States to Europe routes during the first two years of her career before being laid up. The ship was briefly reactivated in 1929 but was again laid up next year and remained idle for the next ten years. In January 1941 the freighter was sold together with four other vessels to the United States Line and was put under operation by its fully owned Panama-registered subsidiary to carry war matériel and supplies between Canada and United Kingdom and renamed Chepo. In early January 1942 while on one of her regular convoy trips, she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-43 with the loss of seventeen men.

References

  1. "Casualty Reports". The Times (47477). London. 11 September 1936. col E, p. 23.