USS West Gate

Last updated

USAT Will H. Point, 21 August 1943.jpg
West Gate had similar design and measurements to her Columbia River Shipbuilding sister ship West Corum (pictured above)
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS West Gate (ID-3216)
Builder
Yard number3 [1]
Laid downas War Agate [2]
Launched27 January 1918 [2]
CompletedApril 1918 [2]
Acquired29 May 1918 [3]
Commissioned29 May 1918 [3]
IdentificationU.S. official number: 216174 [2]
FateSunk in collision, 7 October 1918
General characteristics
TypeSteam merchant ship
Tonnage5,799  GRT [2]
Displacement12,185 t [3]
Length
Beam54 ft (16.5 m) [3]
Draft24 ft 1 in (7.34 m) (mean) [3]
Depth of hold29 ft 9 in (9.07 m) [3]
Propulsion
Speed10.5 knots (19.4 km/h) [2]
Complement74 [3]
Armament

USS West Gate (ID-3216) was a cargo ship for the United States Navy during World War I. The ship was laid down as SS War Agate, but she was launched in January 1918 as SS West Gate instead.

Contents

SS West Gate was one of the steam-powered West boats that were built for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). They were steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States for the World War I war effort. She was the 3rd ship built by the Columbia River Shipbuilding Company in Portland, Oregon. She was commissioned into the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) of the United States Navy in April 1918.

After experiencing engine trouble on her first attempt at a transatlantic crossing, West Gate was unsuccessfully attacked by two German submarines in early July 1918 while returning to port for repairs. After successfully completing her trip to France, she began her second transatlantic trip in early October. In the early morning hours of 7 October, West Gate's steering gear jammed and American, another Navy cargo ship, collided with the West Gate, sinking her. Seven men lost their lives in the accident.

Design and construction

The ship was laid down at the Columbia River Shipbuilding Company of Portland, Oregon under the name War Agate as part of an order for the British Admiralty. [1] Had she been sold to them, the War Agate would have been operated by the Cunard Line. [3] However, the USSB commandeered and received title to all private shipbuilding projects in progress in mid-1917, which included the still-incomplete War Agate. [4] The ship was renamed West Gate by the time of her launching on 27 January 1918. She was one of the West ships, which were cargo ships of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the West Coast of the United States for the USSB for emergency use during the First World War. All of the West ships were given names that began with the word West, [5] and West Gate was the 3rd of some 30 West ships built at Columbia River Shipbuilding. [1]

West Gate was 5,799  gross register tons  (GRT), and was 410 feet 1 inch (124.99 m) long (between perpendiculars) [2] and 54 feet (16.5 m) abeam. She had a steel hull that displaced 12,185 t with a mean draft of 24 feet 1 inch (7.34 m). [3] Her hold was 29 feet 9 inches (9.07 m) deep. [3] West Gate's power plant consisted of a single steam turbine driving a single screw propeller which moved the ship at up to 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h). [2]

Career

After her April 1918 completion, [2] West Gate was handed over to the United States Navy for use in the NOTS. She was commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, as USS West Gate (ID-3216) the same day. [3]

After making her way to New York, West Gate took on 6,700 tons of cargo that included locomotives, steel rails, and other materiel for the United States Army and departed in a convoy for France on 28 June. The ship soon developed engine trouble and dropped out of the convoy to head to St. John's, Newfoundland, for repairs. While headed to St. John's in moderate seas under a cloudy sky, West Gate was attacked by two German submarines at 19:15 on 3 July. One U-boat surfaced in front of the cargo ship, crossing to starboard. As West Gate quickly turned to port to evade the U-boat, a second U-boat surfaced one point to starboard. While West Gate's radio operator sent out a preemptive SOS, her gunners opened fire on the two submarines. Though her gunners made hits on neither boat, both were bracketed with fire, quickly submerged, and apparently departed the scene. West Gate arrived at St. John's at 18:00 on 7 July without any further contact with enemy vessels. [3]

After four days of repairs, West Gate departed St. John's for France and arrived at the Gironde estuary on 22 July. She shifted to Saint-Nazaire three days later where she unloaded her cargo. West Gate departed on 21 August for Newport News, Virginia, where she arrived on 10 September. Later in the month, she headed to New York for major engine repairs. [3]

Final voyage

West Gate quickly sank after she was struck on her starboard side by the bow of USS American (pictured above). USS American 1918.JPG
West Gate quickly sank after she was struck on her starboard side by the bow of USS American (pictured above).

After taking on 7,187 long tons (7,302 t) of Army materiel, she departed for Bordeaux on 4 October in a convoy escorted by cruiser Denver. On the night of 6/7 October—noted in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships as "particularly dark and rainy"—the ships were having trouble maintaining their stations in the convoy. West Gate was sailing in the first column to the starboard of the guide ship, Sagua. [3]

At 02:28 on 7 October, while about 250 nautical miles (460 km) south of Halifax, [6] West Gate's steering gear engine jammed, sending the ship veering sharply to the port. The crew put the ship's engines at half speed to try to drop out of the convoy. Lieutenant Spencer, the chief engineer, and his assistant, Lieutenant (j.g.) Hillery, headed to the machinery spaces to see about effecting repairs. At 02:30, men on the bridge sighted the red light from the oncoming American, which had been steaming behind and to the port of West Gate. Though the bridge ordered the engines raised to "full speed ahead" to avoid the collision, there was no time for the engines to respond before American's bow cut into the starboard side of West Gate, near the poop deck. [3] [7]

West Gate's engines were shut down while American backed out of the tangle. [Note 1] West Gate quickly began to settle and the order to abandon ship was issued. The chief engineer and his assistant, Spencer and Hillery, remained belowdecks long enough to extinguish the boilers and open safety valves to prevent the explosion of the boilers. They finished the task just before the aft bulkhead gave way to the inrushing seawater. Both arrived on deck in time to board lifeboat number 2, which had been held as long as possible for men in the after part of the ship. [3]

Chief Gunner's Mate Michael B. Wallrath, who had assisted in lowering three lifeboats while he remained on board, jumped overboard after seeing to it that all the boats were away. Wallrath was pulled into lifeboat number 6 just before a wave capsized it and drowned two of its occupants. [3] Lieutenant commander R. B. Vandervoort, USNRF, West Gate's commanding officer, remained on board until he felt sure that the entire crew had departed the sinking ship. When he climbed up on the deckhouse to cut free a life raft and leave the ship, he discovered six men huddled on deck. Vandervoort was able to get the six on the life raft, but the suction caused by West Gate's final plunge pulled him away and below the surface. After he managed to get back to the surface, he clung to floating wreckage for two hours until pulled aboard the very raft he had missed earlier. Vandervoort and the six men aboard the raft were rescued by one of American's lifeboats at 06:00, after some 3½ hours in the water. [3]

A total of seven men from West Gate, two from lifeboat six and five others probably killed in the initial collision, lost their lives in the accident. [3] The U.S. Navy awarded Chief Gunner's Mate Wallrath a Letter of Commendation for his actions during the sinking of West Gate. [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ USS American suffered damage but safely reached Halifax to undergo repairs. The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships does not report any casualties on American from the collision. See: Naval Historical Center. "American". DANFS.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>George F. Elliott</i> (AP-13)

USS George F. Elliott (AP-13) was a Heywood-class transport acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I and then reacquired by the Navy for service as a troop carrier during World War II. In 1942, she was attacked off Guadalcanal by Japanese planes and sank shortly thereafter.

SS <i>American</i> (1900) American steel-hulled, single propeller cargo ship

SS American was a steel-hulled, single propeller cargo ship built at Chester, Pennsylvania, by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company and the Hawaiian sugar trade. During World War I service for the United States Navy, the ship was known as USS American (ID-2292). Late in her career for American-Hawaiian, she was renamed SS Honolulan.

SS <i>El Occidente</i> Cargo ship for the Morgan Line (launched 1910)

SS El Occidente was a cargo ship for the Morgan Line, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Company. During World War I, she was known as USAT El Occidente in service with the United States Army and as USS El Occidente (ID-3307) in service with the United States Navy. At the end of war, she reverted to her original name of SS El Occidente.

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.

<i>Seisho Maru</i> Cargo ship for Mitsui Bussan Kaisho (1918)

Seisho Maru was a cargo ship for Mitsui Bussan Kaisho in military service that was sunk by an American submarine during World War II. The ship had been built as SS West Caruth, a cargo ship for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) shortly after the end of World War I. Shortly after completion, the ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS West Caruth (ID-2850) but was neither taken into the Navy nor ever commissioned under that name. Before being sold to Japanese owners in 1928, she was also known as SS Exmoor and SS Antonio Tripcovich.

MS <i>West Honaker</i> American diesel-powered cargo ship

MS West Honaker was a diesel-powered cargo ship of the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) that was part of the "Corncob Fleet" of old ships sunk as part of the "gooseberry" breakwater off Utah Beach during the Normandy invasion. The ship was originally built as SS West Honaker, a steam-powered cargo ship built for the United States Shipping Board (USSB), a predecessor of the USMC. At the time of her completion in 1920, the ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS West Honaker (ID-4455) but was neither taken into the Navy nor ever commissioned under that name.

MS <i>West Grama</i> American cargo ship

MS West Grama, sometimes spelled as West Gramma, was a diesel-powered cargo ship of the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) that was sunk as part of the "gooseberry" breakwater off Utah Beach during the Normandy invasion. Prior to her diesel conversion, she was known as SS West Grama. In 1919, she was briefly taken up by the United States Navy under the name USS West Grama (ID-3794).

USS West Coast (ID-3315) was a cargo ship for the United States Navy during World War I. The ship was laid down as SS War Dagger but launched in July 1918 as SS West Coast and reverted to that name at the end of her Navy service.

SS <i>W. L. Steed</i>

W. L. Steed was a steam tanker built in 1917–1918 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of Quincy for Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company, with intention of transporting oil and petroleum products between Mexican and Gulf ports and the Northeast of the United States. The ship was briefly requisitioned by the US Government during World War I but returned to commercial service in early 1919. The ship was named after William L. Steed, superintendent of the Mexican Petroleum Company of California.

USS <i>West Lianga</i> (ID-2758) Cargo ship for the United States Navy

USS West Lianga (ID-2758) was a cargo ship for the United States Navy during World War I. She was later known as SS Helen Whittier and SS Kalani in civilian service under American registry, as SS Empire Cheetah under British registry, and as SS Hobbema under Dutch registry.

USS <i>West Ekonk</i> (ID-3313) Cargo ship in the United States Navy

USS West Ekonk (ID-3313) was a cargo ship for the United States Navy during World War I. She was later known as SS West Ekonk in civilian service under American registry, and as SS Empire Wildebeeste under British registry.

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. The vessel was briefly used for the first two years of her career to transport frozen meat between North and South America and Europe. The ship was subsequently laid up at the end of 1921 and remained part of the Reserve Fleet through the end of 1940. In January 1941 she was sold together with two other vessels to the New Zealand Shipping Co. and subsequently in 1942 was transferred 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 Eldara</i> American cargo ship

SS West Eldara was a steel-hulled cargo ship built in 1918 as part of the United States Shipping Board's emergency World War I shipbuilding program.

SS <i>West Humhaw</i>

SS West Humhaw was a steel–hulled cargo ship built in 1918 as part of the United States Shipping Board's emergency World War I shipbuilding program.

SS <i>West Lashaway</i>

SS West Lashaway was a steel–hulled cargo ship that saw service with the U.S. Navy during World War I as the auxiliary ship USS West Lashaway (ID-3700). She was later engaged in mercantile service, until being sunk by a U-boat in 1942.

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.

I-37, originally numbered I-49, was a Japanese Type B1 submarine in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Commissioned in 1943, she made three war patrols, all in the Indian Ocean, during the last of which her crew committed war crimes by massacring the survivors of the merchant ships she sank. Subsequently, converted into a kaiten manned suicide attack torpedo carrier, she was sunk during her first kaiten mission in 1944.

USS <i>Saetia</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Saetia (ID-2317) was a United States Navy cargo ship in commission in 1918 that was sunk during World War I.

Cockaponset was a steam cargo ship built in 1918–1919 by Pacific Coast Shipbuilding Company of Bay Point 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 largely employed on the Gulf Coast of the United States to Europe route until 1930 when she was laid up. In late 1940 the ship together with 15 other vessels was acquired by the British government to alleviate significant shortage of tonnage due to an ongoing German U-boat campaign. In May 1941 the freighter was torpedoed and sunk on her first war trip to the United Kingdom.

MV Walmer Castle was a UK cargo liner. She was launched in 1936 in Northern Ireland, and was the smallest ocean-going ship in the Union-Castle Line fleet. For three years she provided a scheduled weekly cargo feeder service linking Union-Castle liners that terminated at Southampton with the German ports of Bremen and Hamburg.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Colton, Tim. "Columbia River Shipbuilding Company, Portland OR". Shipbuildinghistory.com. The Colton Company. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Westgate". Miramar Ship Index. R.B.Haworth. Retrieved 2 October 2008. Haworth identifies the ship as Westgate.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Naval Historical Center. "West Gate". DANFS .
  4. ↑ Crowell and Wilson, p. 321.
  5. ↑ Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.
  6. ↑ Radigan, Joseph M. (2005). "West Gate (ID 3216)". NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
  7. ↑ Naval Historical Center. "American". DANFS .
  8. ↑ Stringer, p. 217.

Bibliography

Coordinates: 40°35′N63°48′W / 40.583°N 63.800°W / 40.583; -63.800

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.