SS Pennsylvania (1896)

Last updated

SS Pennsylvania (1896).jpg
Pennsylvania about 1897–1900
History
Name
  • 1896: Pennsylvania
  • 1917: Nansemond
Namesake
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
RouteHamburg – New York
Builder Harland and Wolff, Belfast
Yard number302
Launched10 September 1896
Completed30 January 1897
Acquiredseized by USA, April 1917
Commissionedinto US Navy, 20 January 1919
Decommissionedfrom US Navy, 25 August 1919
Maiden voyage30 January 1897
Reclassified troop ship, 1917
Refit1910, 1919
Identification
FateScrapped 1924
General characteristics
Class and typeP-class ocean liner
Tonnage13,265  GRT, 8,527  NRT
Displacement25,000 long tons (25,401 t)
Length559.4 ft (170.5 m)
Beam62.2 ft (19.0 m)
Draft28 ft 5 in (8.66 m)
Depth30.0 ft (9.1 m)
Decks4
Installed power695 NHP
Propulsion
Speed14 knots (26 km/h)
Capacitypassengers:

1897: 162 1st class, 197 2nd class, 2,382 3rd class

1910: 404 2nd class, 2,200 3rd class

Contents

Troopsat least 2,327
Complementas troop ship: 399
Crewin civilian service: 250
Sensors and
processing systems		 submarine signalling
Armament
Notes sister ships: Pretoria, Graf Waldersee, Patricia

SS Pennsylvania was a transatlantic liner that was launched in Ireland in 1896 and spent most of her career with Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). She was the first of a class of four HAPAG sister ships that were built in the United Kingdom and Germany between 1896 and 1899.

In 1917 the US Government seized Pennsylvania and renamed her Nansemond. She was a troop ship with the Army Transport Service until the end of the First World War. In 1919 the US Navy operated her as the troop ship USS Nansemond (ID-1395).

In August 1919 the Navy returned Nansemond to the United States Shipping Board, who had her converted to a cargo-only ship. She was scrapped in 1924.

Building

Harland and Wolff built Pennsylvania in Belfast, launching her on 10 September 1896 and completing her on 30 January 1897. [1] Her registered length was 559.4 ft (170.5 m), her beam was 62.2 ft (19.0 m) and her depth was 30.0 ft (9.1 m). Her tonnages were 13,265  GRT, 8,527  NRT [2] and 25,000 long tons (25,401 t) displacement.[ citation needed ]

Harland and Wolff built Pennsylvania as a three-class ship. She originally had berths for 162 passengers in first class, 197 in second class and 2,382 in third class. [3]

Pennsylvania had twin propellers, each driven by a four-cylinder quadruple-expansion steam engine. Between them her twin engines were rated at 695 NHP [2] and gave her a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h). [4]

HAPAG registered Arcadia in Hamburg. Her code letters were RKPB. [2]

Sister ships followed Pennsylvania from German shipyards. Blohm & Voss built Pretoria in 1897 [3] and Graf Waldersee in 1898. [5] AG Vulcan Stettin built Patricia in 1899. [3]

Pennsylvania

On 30 January 1897 Pennsylvania began her maiden voyage from Belfast to New York. [4] Her regular route was between New York and Hamburg.

On 24 September 1902 Pennsylvania rescued all 13 crew from the Norwegian barque Bothnia, who had been struggling against rising water for 17 days. On 8 March 1910 Pennsylvania accidentally rammed the Hamburg-registered schooner Gertrud in the mouth of the Elbe, killing five of the schooner's six crew. [3]

After the collision, Pennsylvania was refitted as a two-class ship, with berths for 404 second class and 2,200 third class passengers. The refit increased her tonnage to 13,333  GRT. [3]

In the same 1910 refit a flight deck was installed on her after deckhouse for an aeroplane to take off and fly up to 43 nautical miles (80 km). After a number of test flights the flight deck was removed. [6]

By 1913 Pennsylvania was equipped for wireless telegraphy. Her call sign was DDN. [7]

On 18 July 1914, amid the July Crisis in Europe, Pennsylvania left Hamburg for New York. In the first week of August the First World War began, so Pennsylvania remained in the neutral US. [3]

Nansemond

On 6 April 1917 The US declared war on Germany. The US Shipping Board seized Pennsylvania and renamed her Nansemond. She was given two 6-inch/40-caliber guns and two 3-inch/50-caliber guns as defensive armament. For the remainder of the war the Army Transport Service used Nansemond as a troop ship. [8] The cargoes she carried from the US to Europe included railroad locomotives. [9]

Late in November 1918 Nansemond left Saint-Nazaire in France carrying 16 Medical Corps personnel and 148 patients suffering from shell shock. She was caught in a succession of westerly and northwesterly gales, and on 30 November and 1 December she weathered waves up to 40 feet (12 m) high. She reached a US port on 7 December, five days late. [10]

USS Nansemond in 1919, with homeward-bound US troops lining her rails USS Nansemond (ID-1395).jpg
USS Nansemond in 1919, with homeward-bound US troops lining her rails

At Hoboken, New Jersey on 20 January 1919 Nansemond was commissioned into the US Navy with the pennant number ID-1395 and code letters GJBN. Lt Cdr W McLeod, USNRF, was appointed to command her, and she was assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. [11] For Navy service she was repainted with a black hull and funnel, white superstructure and yellow masts. [9]

On 4 February Nansemond left New York carrying Army supplies, and on 16 February she reached St-Nazaire. On 26 February she left St-Nazaire carrying members of the American Expeditionary Forces, and on 11 March she reached Newport News, Virginia. She spent the next five months crossing and re-crossing the North Atlantic, making a round trip every 32 days. [11]

On 28 June Nansemond left Brest, France carrying members of the 802nd Pioneer Infantry, which was an African-American unit. Also aboard was Frank Monroe Upton, a US Navy ensign who had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. [12]

On 23 August 1919 Nansemond reached New York from Brest carrying 2,327 troops. [13] On 25 August the Navy decommissioned her and returned her to the US Shipping Board the same day. [11]

Fate

The USSB sent Nansemond to the National Dry Dock and Repair Company to be converted into a cargo-only ship. A strike or strikes delayed the work, which was not completed until 19 December. The USSB retained Cox & Stevens to prepare plans for new cabin and steerage accommodation, but did not commission the refit to be undertaken. [14]

The USSB at first allocated Nansemond to American Line. The Board then bareboat chartered her to the Army Transport Service, which operated her between Antwerp and New York. [14]

Nansemond was then laid up with other USSB ships in the lower Hudson River. She was scrapped in 1924 [15] in Baltimore by the Boston Iron and Metals Company. [1]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Patricia</i> Ocean liner that became a United States troop transport ship

USS Patricia was a transatlantic liner that was launched in Germany in 1899 and spent most of her career with Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). She was the last to be built of a class of four HAPAG sister ships that came from shipyards in the United Kingdom and Germany between 1896 and 1899.

USS <i>Princess Matoika</i> United States Navy transport ship

USS Princess Matoika (ID-2290) was a transport ship for the United States Navy during World War I. Before the war, she was a Barbarossa-class ocean liner that sailed as SS Kiautschou for the Hamburg America Line and as SS Princess Alice for North German Lloyd. After the war she served as the United States Army transport ship USAT Princess Matoika. In post-war civilian service she was SS Princess Matoika until 1922, SS President Arthur until 1927, and SS City of Honolulu until she was scrapped in 1933.

SS <i>Empire Bittern</i> World War II merchant ship of the United Kingdom

Empire Bittern was a steamship, built as a livestock-carrying cargo ship in 1902 at Belfast, Ireland as Iowa for the White Diamond Steamship Company Ltd of Liverpool. The ship was sold to the Hamburg America Line and renamed Bohemia in 1913.

USS <i>Maartensdijk</i> Cargo steamship that served in the US Navy in the First World War

USS Maartensdijk was a cargo steamship that was laid down in England in 1902 as Egyptiana, but launched as Rapallo. She served in the United States Navy as USS Maartensdijk from 1918 until 1919, with the Naval Registry Identification Number ID-2497.

USS <i>Muscatine</i> (ID-2226) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Muscatine (ID-2226) was a Norwegian refrigerator ship obtained by the U.S. Navy from the United States Shipping Board (USSB) during World War I. She served for the duration of the war, carrying "beef and butter" for military personnel in Europe.

SS <i>Statendam</i> (1898) Ocean liner operated by Holland America Line, Allan Line and Canadian Pacific

SS Statendam was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in Ireland in 1898 for Holland America Line. She was the first of several ships in the company's history to be called Statendam. She was NASM's first ship of more than 10,000 GRT, and she was the largest ship in the company's fleet until Potsdam was completed in 1900.

USS <i>Moccasin</i> (ID-1322) German-built cargo liner

USS Moccasin (ID-1322) was a cargo liner that was launched in Germany in 1903 as Prinz Joachim. The US seized her in 1917. In 1918–19 she was renamed Moccasin and briefly served in the United States Navy. In 1920 she was returned to US merchant service and renamed Porto Rico. She was scrapped in 1933 or 1934.

USS <i>General W. C. Gorgas</i> German-built cargo liner

USS General W. C. Gorgas (ID-1365) was a cargo liner that was launched in Germany in 1902 as Prinz Sigismund for the Hamburg America Line. In 1917 the USA seized her and renamed her General W. C. Gorgas. In 1945 she was transferred to the Soviet Union, which renamed her Mikhail Lomonosov. She was scrapped in March 1958.

USS <i>General G. W. Goethals</i> German-built cargo and passenger ship

USS General G. W. Goethals (ID-1443) was a German cargo liner that the United States seized during the First World War. She was launched in 1911 for the Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) as Grunewald. In 1917 the US seized her in Panama, and the Panama Canal Railway (PCR) operated her for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). In 1919 she spent six months in the United States Navy, in which she made three round trips to and from France to repatriate US troops. In 1920 the PRC bought her from the USSB. In 1925 the Black Star Line owned her. In 1926 the Munson Steamship Line bought her and renamed her Munorleans. She was scrapped in Scotland in 1937.

USS <i>Pretoria</i> (1897) German built transatlantic liner

USS Pretoria was a transatlantic liner that was launched in Germany in 1897 and spent most of her career with Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). She was the second of a class of four HAPAG sister ships that were built in the United Kingdom and Germany between 1896 and 1899.

SS <i>Pisa</i> (1896) German-built cargo ship

SS Pisa was a cargo and passenger steamship that was built in Scotland in 1896. She was in German ownership until 1917, when the United States seized her and renamed her Ascutney.

SS <i>Kronprinzessin Cecilie</i> (1905)

Kronprinzessin Cecilie was a Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) ocean liner. She was launched in Schleswig-Holstein in 1905. Her scheduled route was between Hamburg and Mexico.

SS Empire Chamois was a 5,864 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 by Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Co, Seattle. She was ordered by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique but was requisitioned by the United States Navy and commissioned as USS West Mount with the pennant number ID-3202 in 1918. She was decommissioned in May 1919 and passed to the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as SS Westmount. In 1927 she was sold to the Dimon Steamship Corporation and renamed SS Pacific Redwood. She returned to the USSB in 1932 and passed to the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) in 1937. In 1940, she was passed to the Ministry of Shipping, passing to the Ministry of War Transport in 1941 and being renamed SS Empire Chamois. She was sold to Astral Shipping Co Ltd in 1946 and renamed SS Granview. In 1949 she was sold to the Compagnia Maritime del Este, Panama and renamed SS Chamois, serving until 1958 when she was scrapped. She was the last Ames-built ship afloat.

USS <i>Arcadia</i> (ID-1605) American ocean liner

USS Arcadia (ID-1605) was a transatlantic liner that was launched in Ireland in 1896 and spent most of her career with Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). She was one of a series of at least five HAPAG sister ships that were built in the United Kingdom in 1896 and 1897.

SS <i>Pennland</i>

SS Pennland was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched as Pittsburgh in Ireland in 1920 and renamed Pennland in 1926. She had a succession of UK, German and Dutch owners and operators. In 1940 she was converted into a troopship.

SS <i>Westernland</i>

SS Westernland was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched as Regina in Scotland in 1917, renamed Westernland in 1929 and was scrapped in 1947. She began her career as a troop ship repatriating US troops after the Armistice of 11 November 1918. In the Second World War, Westernland served as a troop ship, repair ship and destroyer depot ship.

SS <i>Otsego</i> German-built merchant steamship

SS Otsego was a cargo liner that was launched in Germany in 1901 as Prinz Eitel Friedrich. The USA seized her in 1917 and renamed her Otsego. In 1919 she served in the United States Navy as USS Otsego (ID-1628). She spent the 1920s and 30s in merchant service as Otsego. In 1941 she became the United States Army ship USAT Otsego. In 1945 she was transferred to the Soviet Union, which renamed her Ural. In 1947 she may have been renamed Dolinsk. She was either hulked or scrapped in 1955.

SS <i>Bulgaria</i> (1898)

SS Bulgaria was a passenger-cargo steamship built in 1898 for the Hamburg American Line ("Hapag"). During World War I, she operated as a United States Army animal and cargo ship under the names USAT Hercules and USAT Philippines, and after the war was converted into the troop transport USS Philippines (ID-1677).

SS <i>Minnekahda</i> Transatlantic liner

SS Minnekahda was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in Ireland in 1917 and scrapped in Scotland in 1936. She was laid down in 1914 but the First World War delayed her completion. Because of the war she was completed in 1918 as a troop ship, and then worked as a cargo ship.

SS <i>Graf Waldersee</i>

SS Graf Waldersee was a transatlantic liner that was launched in Germany in 1898 and spent most of her career with Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). She was the third of a class of four HAPAG sister ships that were built in the United Kingdom and Germany between 1896 and 1899.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pennsylvania". Shipping and Shipbuilding. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Steamers". Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Vol. I. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1914.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Swiggum, Susan; Kohli, Marjorie (28 February 2010). "Ship Descriptions – P–Q". TheShipsList. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Pennsylvania". Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding & Engineering Works. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Swiggum, Susan; Kohli, Marjorie (28 July 2010). "Ship Descriptions – G". TheShipsList. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Pennsylvania (1896–1924)". Schiffe-Maxim (in German). Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  7. ↑ The Marconi Press Agency Ltd (1913). The Year Book of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony. London: The St Katherine Press. p. 240.
  8. ↑ Photo gallery of Nansemond (ID-1395) at NavSource Naval History
  9. 1 2 "35 soldiers hurt in Atlantic storm" . The New York Times . 4 February 1919. p. 3. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Heard from Wilson ship" . The New York Times. 8 December 1918. p. 9. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.
  12. ↑ "10,805 troops return" . The New York Times. 10 July 1919. p. 18. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "Six transports arrive" . The New York Times. 24 August 1919. p. 11. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Steamship Nansemond". Fourth Annual Report of the United States Shipping Board. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office: 130. 30 June 1922. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  15. ↑ Putnam, William Lowell (2001). "16 Lesser Players at War". The Kaiser's Merchant Ships in World War I. Flagstaff, AZ: McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-1622336999.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.