|
HISTORY
 SS
America (1940)
SS America was an ocean liner built in 1940 for the United
States Lines and designed by the noted naval architect William
Francis Gibbs. She carried many names in the 54 years between
her construction and her 1994 wrecking, as she served as the SS
America (carrying this name three different times during her
career), the USS West Point, the SS Australis, the SS Italis,
the SS Noga, the SS Alferdoss, and the SS American Star. She
served most notably in passenger service as the SS America, and
as the Greek-flagged SS Australis for Chandris. In 1941, she
carried two Nazi spies from the Duquesne Spy Ring in her crew:
Erwin Wilhelm Siegler and Franz Joseph Stigler. Both men were
charged by the FBI with espionage and sentenced to 10 years and
16 years' imprisonment, respectively.
Construction (1936–1939)
America was laid down under the first Maritime Commission
contract on August 22, 1938, at Newport News, Virginia, by the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. She was one of
the few ocean liners, American or otherwise, that had her
interiors designed by women. The stodginess and overwrought
decor from liners of the past was jettisoned to create a
comfortable and friendly ship. Interior design and furniture
were installed to provide an atmosphere of cheerfulness and
sophisticated charm. America was launched on August 31, 1939 and
was sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the President of the
United States. America entered service as the flagship of
the United States Lines on August 22, 1940, when she commenced
her maiden voyage.
Early career (1939–1941)
As originally designed, SS America could carry 543 in cabin
class, 418 in tourist class, 241 in third class, and 643 crew.
The interior accommodations were designed by architects Eggers &
Higgins to be the utmost in contemporary American design, making
use of stainless steel, ceramics, and synthetics.
Due to the European progress of World War II, in which the
United States was still neutral, the ship's name, "United States
Lines", and two American flags were painted in large size on
both sides of her hull. At night, she sailed while fully
illuminated. In addition, she did not immediately take to her
intended North Atlantic service, instead sailing in safer
waters. She was, however, quietly fitted with a degaussing cable
for protection against naval mines on January 3, 1941.
On May 28, 1941, America was called up to service by the United
States Navy, while the ship was at Saint Thomas in the United
States Virgin Islands. She was ordered to return to Newport News
to be handed over to the Navy
Duquesne Spy Ring
Two Nazi spies, Franz Joseph Stigler and Erwin Wilheim Siegler,
were members of her crew in 1941. While on the SS America, they
obtained information about the movement of ships and military
defense preparations at the Panama Canal, observed and reported
defense preparations in the Canal Zone, and met with other
German agents to advise them in their espionage pursuits. They
operated as couriers transmitting information between the United
States and German agents aboard. Stigler worked undercover as
chief butcher. Both remained on the SS America until the U.S.
Navy converted that ship into the USS West Point.
Stigler and Siegler, along with the 31 other German agents of
the Duquesne Spy Ring, were later uncovered by the FBI in the
largest espionage conviction in U.S. history. Upon conviction,
Stigler was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison on espionage
charges with two concurrent years for registration violations;
Siegler was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on espionage
charges and a concurrent two-year term for violation of the
Foreign Agents Registration Act.
World War II (1941–1946)
SS America was moored at Norfolk, Virginia, and acquired by the
Navy on June 1, 1941 to be used as a troop transport. The ship
was renamed the USS West Point (AP-23). She entered the Norfolk
Ship Yards on June 6, 1941 for conversion and on June 15, 1941,
she was commissioned for service under the command of Captain
Frank H. Kelley, Jr. By the time the conversion was completed,
life-rafts covered the promenade deck windows, "standee" bunks
could be found everywhere, several anti-aircraft weapons were
installed, all of her windows were covered, she was painted in a
camouflage gray color, and her troop-carrying capacity was
increased to 7,678.
The USS West Point soon proceeded to New York City and, while
anchored off the Staten Island quarantine station on July 16,
took on board 137 Italian citizens and 327 German citizens from
the consulates of those nations in the United States which had
been closed. West Point got underway at 1455 on that afternoon,
bound for Portugal, and arrived at Lisbon on July 23. While
there, the ship was visited by Portuguese naval and diplomatic
dignitaries; and she transferred supplies to the Coast Guard
cutter Ingham, the "station ship" at Lisbon, Portugal. After her
final Italian passenger had been disembarked on 23 July and the
last German on July 24, West Point commenced taking on 321
American citizens and 67 Chinese—consular staffs and their
families — on July 26.
Returning to New York on August 1, West Point discharged her
passengers and headed south for an overhaul at Portsmouth,
Virginia. She then participated in tactical exercises off the
Virginia Capes from August 26 to August 29 in company with
Wakefield and Mount Vernon.
On November 3, she sailed from Carolina waters and arrived at
Halifax, Nova Scotia, on November 5. There, on November 8 and
November 9, she embarked 241 officers and 5,202 men of the 55th
Brigade, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, and 100 men of
a US Army Field Service company. On November 10, West Point — in
company with five other transports: Wakefield, Mount Vernon,
Orizaba, Leonard Wood, and Joseph T. Dickman — got underway for
India as Convoy HS-124. En route, they were joined by Ranger,
Vincennes, Quincy, and a division of destroyers.
Reaching Cape Town, South Africa, on December 9, West Point and
Wakefield were detached on December 23 to form Task Group (TG)
14.1, while Leonard Wood and Joseph T. Dickman formed TG 14.2.
Escorted by the British heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire, the
convoy proceeded uneventfully toward India until 0700 on the
27th, when TG 14.1 was detached to speed up and arrive at Bombay
ahead of the other ships.
Wakefield commenced discharging her embarked troops at 1900 at
the Ballard Piers, completed her unloading, and shifted berths
the next morning. West Point took Wakefield's former berth while
Joseph T. Dickman moored to unload her equipment and troops.
Having completed her discharge by December 31, 1941, West Point
anchored in the stream on the morning of January 2, 1942 and
awaited further orders until January 4, when British authorities
asked Captain Kelley, of West Point, if his ship and Wakefield
could be brought under 30-foot (9.1 m) draught to make passage
for Singapore. Kelley responded that it could be done, but this
would entail discharging ballast and expelling some of the
ship's fresh water supply—thus endangering the ship's stability.
Due to prevailing low-water conditions at Bombay at this point,
neither West Point nor Wakefield could go alongside piers in the
harbor to either load equipment or troops. Thus, the embarkation
and loading procedures had to be carried out by the tedious
process of embarking troops and loading supplies from smaller
ships and lighters brought alongside. Wakefield embarked —
almost to a man — the troops which she had brought from Halifax,
a total of 4,506, while West Point embarked two-thirds of the
troops which she had transported, in addition to some which had
come out in other ships. All told, she carried some 5,272 men.
West Point sailed for Singapore on January 9, in a "15-knot"
convoy, with Captain Kelley as the Convoy Commodore. In addition
to the two American ships, three British transports — Duchess of
Bedford, Empress of Japan, and Empire Star — made up the
remainder of the van. Escorted by British light cruiser HMS
Caledon until this ship was relieved by light cruiser HMS
Glasgow at 1630 on January 22, the convoy's escort soon swelled
to three cruisers and four destroyers as the convoy neared Java.
Japanese submarine activities near the Indonesian archipelago
prompted concern for the safe arrival of the valuable ships,
hence a 200-mile (320 km) detour through the shallow,
coral-studded Sunda Strait.
Led by British cruiser HMS Exeter, the ships slowed to 10 knots
(19 km/h), and streaming paravane gear, began the passage. An
escorting destroyer steamed between each transport, as they
steamed in single-column order. It was a dangerous passing, a
small divergence from the charted course could mean a disastrous
grounding.
The screen's commander, Captain Oliver L. Gordon, R.N.,
commanding Exeter, desired to arrive at Singapore with as many
ships as possible by dawn on January 29, and thus split the
convoy up, sending the faster vessels—West Point, Wakefield, and
Empress of Japan—ahead at increased speed under escort of
cruisers HMS Exeter, HMS Durban, HMS Dragon, and destroyers HMS
Express and HMS Electra. Proceeding to Singapore via Berhala
Strait, Durian Strait, and Philips Channel, the group steamed
through these bodies of water in bright moonlight which made
navigational aids unnecessary. Upon their arrival off Singapore,
the ships lay to in an exposed position, beyond the range of
shore-based antiaircraft guns, until pilots could be obtained to
bring the ships in. Since the naval base came under daily heavy
air raids, the transports proceeded to Keppel Harbor, the
commercial basin at Singapore, where they could discharge their
troops and cargo.
Securing abreast godowns (warehouses) 52, 53, and 54, West Point
commenced off-loading equipment and disembarking her troops. All
but 670 engineer troops, who had been ordered retained on board,
were ashore before nightfall. Air raids, meanwhile, continued
until midnight as the Japanese steadily pounded Singapore from
the air. At each alert, the local workers working dockside would
vanish, taking to the shelters and leaving the vital cargo still
unloaded. As a result, the unloading was carried out by the crew
of West Point, her embarked troops, and 22 local workers who
were brought aboard to assist.
On January 30, seven Japanese bombers appeared over the city and
were engaged by British Brewster Buffalo fighters. As the alert
continued, 30 more Japanese planes appeared overhead, on course
over Keppel Harbor. Several bombs fell on shore, eastward of
West Point's moorings, while another stick fell in the water to
the southward. In the interim, bombs hit other targets. A small
tanker moored near Wakefield was sunk at dockside; bombs fell
abreast Empress of Japan; and Wakefield took a direct hit
forward which destroyed her sick bay, killed five men, and
wounded nine. The last bombs in this stick straddled West Point
and showered her with shrapnel. As the raid lifted, West Point
sent two medical officers and 11 corpsmen on board Wakefield, at
the latter's request, to render medical assistance.
Later that morning, Captain Kelley attended a conference with
British authorities, who informed him that his ship was to be
used to carry a contingent of Australian troops from Suez to
Singapore and to transport refugees and evacuees to Ceylon. With
the emergency "acute", Kelley agreed to take on board up to one
thousand women and children and such additional men as the
British desired to send. With the abandonment of the naval
dockyard, untenable in the face of increasingly heavier Japanese
bombardments from artillery and aircraft, several dockyard naval
and civilian personnel and their families were assigned to West
Point for evacuation. Most carried only hand baggage; had
little, if any, money; but were all fortunate enough to escape
the doomed city before its fall to the onrushing Japanese troops
of General Yamashita. All told, some 1,276 naval officers, their
families, dockyard civilians, civilian evacuees, a 16-man Royal
Air Force (RAF) contingent, and 225 naval ratings made up the
1,276 people embarked by 1800 on 30 January.
Clearing Singapore, West Point and Wakefield headed due west,
escorted by HMS Durban. Overcast and squally weather covered
their departure and permitted them to transit the Banka Strait
unmolested by the seemingly omnipresent Japanese aircraft.
Routed to Batavia, Java, to embark more refugees, West Point led
Wakefield and Durban through the minefields and anchored in
Batavia Roads at 0305 on January 31. HMS Electra—which would be
lost in the Battle of the Java Sea at the end of the month—came
alongside eight hours later and transferred 20 naval dockyard
personnel, three women, five naval officers' wives, one Free
French officer, and an RAF officer to West Point for passage to
Ceylon.
At 1240 on February 1, West Point—in company with Wakefield and
under escort of Exeter, HMS Encounter, and HMAS Vampire—got
underway. The destroyers eventually went off to perform other
duties, and Exeter as well soon dropped away to escort another
convoy, leaving the two big troopships on their own. While they
were en route, disconcerting news came over the radio. Japanese
I-boats (identified after the war as I-162 and I-153) had been
active in the vicinity, sinking six ships between them. West
Point acquired an extra passenger while en route; for, on
February 4, a baby boy was born on board.
Colombo Harbor, Ceylon, where they arrived on January 6, was so
crowded that British authorities could not permit Wakefield to
repair her damage there. The passengers, in turn, experienced
much difficulty in arranging for suitable transportation ashore.
In addition, neither transport could fully provision.
British authorities requested the American ships to evacuate
personnel to Bombay. Accordingly, West Point took on board eight
men, 55 women, and 53 children, as well as 670 troops, for
passage to India. Wakefield, despite her weakened condition
caused by the direct hit on January 29, embarked two naval
ratings, six RAF personnel, and 25 men and one officer of a
British Bofors gun detachment. The two ships departed Colombo on
February 8 and, escorted by the Greek destroyer Queen Olga,
proceeded at 20 knots (37 km/h). Captain Kelley later highly
praised the operations of this sole escort. Although heavy
weather was encountered en route, the elderly Greek destroyer
acquitted herself well, continuing to patrol her station "at all
times at high speed ahead of our zig-zag."
After discharging her evacuees at Bombay, West Point parted
company with Wakefield and proceeded to Suez where she picked up
Australian troops who were being withdrawn from the North
African Campaign to fight the Japanese in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, one disaster after another had plagued the Allied
forces. Singapore fell on February 15; Java on March 4. West
Point carried her embarked troops to Australia and disembarked
them at Adelaide and Melbourne before heading across the Pacific
toward San Francisco.
As the Allies built up for the long road back, West Point
participated in the effort to aid America's allies in the
southwest Pacific with massive contingents of troops.
Accordingly, the transport carried men to Wellington, New
Zealand, and arrived on May 30. There, she received orders to
return to New York; and she got underway from Melbourne on June
8, bound for the Panama Canal. She entered the Atlantic on June
26 and arrived at New York on July 2.
After two voyages to the United Kingdom, West Point sailed for
India, via the South Atlantic route, and arrived at Bombay on
November 29, before pushing on for Auckland, New Zealand, the
following month. The transport returned via Nouméa, New
Caledonia, to San Francisco on January 31, 1943. She remained on
the West Coast until February 16, when she got underway for the
South Pacific and retraced her route to Wellington, New Zealand,
and Australian ports. She then continued west—calling at Bombay,
Massawa, Aden, and Suez—and stopped briefly at Cape Town en
route to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eventually arriving at New York
on 4 May, the ship subsequently made two voyages to Casablanca,
French Morocco before sailing for Bombay via the southern
Atlantic route. Calling at Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town en
route, the big transport continued, via Bombay and Melbourne, on
for the West Coast of the United States.
Soon thereafter, West Point began transporting troops to
Australia and continued making voyages there and to Allied bases
in the Central and South Pacific through the end of 1943.
In 1944, the transport continued her vital workhorse duties,
departing San Francisco on 12 January, bound for Nouméa and
Guadalcanal; and from San Pedro, California on February 22,
bound for Nouméa and Milne Bay. She sailed from the latter port
and steamed via the Panama Canal to Boston, Massachusetts, where
she arrived on June 12. She conducted five successive voyages to
the United Kingdom before departing Boston on December 6, 1944
for Oran, Algeria; Casablanca, French Morocco; and Marseille,
France. The transport left the Mediterranean on December 26 and
proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia.
In 1945, West Point voyaged to Italian and French ports, via
Oran or Gibraltar, staging from Hampton Roads, Virginia, Boston,
or New York. After Germany surrendered, she took part in some of
the initial "Magic Carpet" voyages, bringing home American
troops from the European battlefronts. Following her last
European voyage—to Le Havre, France—West Point was transferred
to the Pacific Fleet. She departed Boston on December 10, 1945,
transited the Panama Canal, and proceeded to Manila, Philippines
via Pearl Harbor. Retracing the same route, she docked at pier
88 in New York on February 7, 1946 and soon got underway for
Hampton Roads, where she was released from troop-carrying
service on February 22. Her last voyage under the name West
Point was a short trip from Portsmouth to Newport News for
re-conversion to a passenger liner. There, six days later, she
was officially decommissioned, and stricken from the Naval
Vessel Register on March 12 and transferred to the Maritime
Commission's War Shipping Administration.
During her naval service she carried a total of over 350,000
troops of which was the largest capacity of any Navy troopship
in service during World War II. On one voyage in 1944 she was
able to transport 9,305 people. Additionally the
troop transport carried, Red Cross workers, United Nations
officials, children, civilians, prisoners of war, and U.S.O.
entertainers.
Postwar career (1946–1964)
America's postwar career was successful, if uneventful. Finally,
she was able to sail her New York-Le Havre-Bremerhaven-Cobh
route that had been delayed by World War II. To many ship
lovers, she was the most beautifully decorated liner to fly the
American flag, less rigid and not as menacing-looking as her
soon-to-debut fleetmate, the SS United States. Many American
tourists preferred to travel on an American-built and owned
ship, as some considered them safer and cleaner.
With the introduction of the larger and faster United States in
1952, America's reign as queen of the US merchant marine was
taken away from her. Their disparity in size and speed prevented
them from becoming true running mates like the RMS Queen Mary
and RMS Queen Elizabeth of the Cunard Line. But she still was a
favorite of many.
Chandris career (1964–1978)
America was sold to the Greek-owned Chandris Group in 1964. At
twenty-four, she was getting older and facing competition from
newer, faster ships as well as the airplane. The postwar
emigrant run from Europe to Australia had become a lucrative
market for passenger ships in spite of the growing popularity of
air travel.
America, now renamed Australis (from the old Latin name for
Australia, Terra Australis 'Southern Land'), was refitted
extensively. This increased her passenger capacity from less
than 1,200 to 2,258. Some 350 additional cabins were installed
and many existing cabins were given extra berths. Her maiden
voyage was from Piraeus on August 21, 1965 to Australia and New
Zealand via Suez, returning to Southampton via the Pacific and
Panama and Miami. Thereafter she sailed regularly from
Southampton, occasionally Rotterdam, on this round-the-world
route. On the closure of the Suez Canal in 1967, Piraeus was
dropped as a port-of-call and she sailed southbound via Cape
Town.
On July 11, 1974, Australis was involved in a minor collision
with the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne while in
Sydney Harbour. Both ships were slightly damaged, but there were
no casualties.
She was the last liner providing a regular service to Australia
and New Zealand from Southampton until her final voyage which
left on November 18, 1977. After arriving at Auckland, she was
laid up at Timaru on December 23, 1977.
Australis was also popular as a cruise ship in Europe and out of
Australia and New Zealand, although her primary purpose was the
transfer of immigrants. She continued this trade for fourteen
years. But rising fuel costs, aging infrastructure, and the
creation of long-range jetliners caused Chandris to pull
Australis off the Australian run in 1978.
Venture Cruises career (June 1978 – August 1978)
Following a period of layup in Timaru, New Zealand, Australis
was sold to Venture Cruises of New York. Under Venture Cruises
ownership, the ship was renamed America once again in an attempt
to capitalize on the ship's heritage, despite her
Greek flag. The ship was repainted in a blue and white color
scheme.
America set sail on her first cruise on June 30, 1978. Her
refit, however, had not been completed by the time of the
sailing. The ship was filthy, with piles of soiled linens and
worn mattresses, scattered piles of trash, and a scent of
kitchen odors, engine oil, and plumbing backups. In addition,
water in overhead pipes leaked. Along with maintenance issues,
attempts to spruce the ship up led to other problems, with too
many layers of paint visible on the outer bulkheads, as well as
the lifeboat davits and lifeboat gear. Additionally, the public
rooms were carelessly repainted, with the America's stainless
steel trims now scarred with brush strokes.
Due to overbooking and her state of incompletion, a number of
passengers "mutinied", forcing the captain to return to New
York, having only barely passed the Statue of Liberty. 960
passengers were offloaded upon the ship's arrival. On a second
sailing that day, an additional 200 passengers left via tender
at Staten Island.
America left for a five-day cruise to Nova Scotia on July 3,
1978. Upon arrival, she was met with $2.5 million in claims from
passengers. Further issues saw the cancellation of all further
sailings, and America was arrested on July 18, 1978 for
non-payment of debts. America also received an inspection score
of 6 out of a possible 100 points by the US Public Health
Service.
On August 28, 1978, America was ordered to be sold at auction by
the United States district court
Second Chandris career (1978–1980)
Chandris Lines repurchased America for $1,000,000 and renamed
her Italis. Her forward funnel was removed as part of an
ambitious plan to modernize her silhouette by principally adding
streamlined superstructure above the bridge, but this 'new look'
was never finally approved. She retained the dark blue hull
adopted by Venture Cruises.
Italis first operated under Chandris as a hotel ship from June
23 to July 20, 1979 when she was chartered for the OAU
Conference held in Monrovia, Liberia. She then carried out three
14-night cruises from Genoa and Barcelona to Egypt, Israel and
the Eastern Mediterranean beginning on July 28, 1979. At the end
of this series of cruises she was finally laid up in Elefsina
Bay, Piraeus on September 12, 1979.
Uncertain future at Piraeus (1980–1994)
The ship was then sold to Intercommerce Corporation in 1980, and
was renamed SS Noga. Intercommerce's intention was to convert
the ship to a prison ship, to be anchored in Beirut. This would
never happen.
In September 1984, the ship was sold to Silver Moon Ferries, and
she was once again renamed, now carrying the name Alferdoss,
which means "paradise" in Arabic. However, only the name on the
port bow was changed. The name on the stern and starboard bow
was not changed, and continued to show Noga.
While under the ownership of Silver Moon Ferries, a bilge pipe
burst, which caused flooding in the engine room and some crew
quarters. Due to the quickly-occurring list, her starboard
anchor was raised and her port anchor was cut away, and she was
quickly beached to prevent her from sinking. After being pumped
out and repaired, she was returned to her original location.
In the late 1980s, the ship was sold for $2 million for
scrapping. The scrap merchant made an initial deposit of $1
million, and began work. Following the demolition of the
lifeboats and lifeboat davits, the scrappers defaulted on
payments, and pulled out.
Alferdoss would continue in this state until 1993
Wrecked at Fuerteventura (1994–2008)
In February 1993, the ship was sold yet again, with the
intention of being refitted to become a five-star hotel ship off
Phuket, in Thailand. Drydocking at that time revealed that
despite the years of neglect, her hull was still in remarkably
good condition. In August she was renamed American Star, her
propellers were removed and placed on the deck, the funnel and
bridge were painted red, and ladders were welded to starboard.
She left Greece on December 22, 1993 under tow, but the tow
proved impossible due to the weather. She then returned to
Greece for a few days until the weather calmed down. On New
Year's Eve 1993, American Star left Greece for the last time,
towed by Ukrainian tugboat Neftegaz 67.
The one hundred day tow began; American Star and Neftegaz 67
entered a thunderstorm in the Atlantic. The tow lines broke and
six or more men were sent aboard American Star to reattach the
emergency tow lines. This proved unsuccessful. Two other
towboats were called to assist Neftegaz 67. On January 17, the
crew aboard American Star was rescued by helicopter. The ship
was left adrift. On January 18, the ship ran aground off the
west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.
While discussions between the ship's owners, the towing firm,
and the companies insuring the ship were going on, the ship was
left to nature, with the forward part of the ship running
aground on a sandbar. Within the first 48 hours of pounding surf
of the Atlantic, the ship broke in two just past the second
funnel. The ship was declared a total loss on July 6, 1994. The
stern section collapsed completely to port and sank in 1996,
while the bow continued to remain intact
In November 2005, the port side of the bow section collapsed,
which caused the liner's remains to assume a much sharper list
and the remaining funnel to detach and fall into the ocean. The
collapse of the port side also caused the hull to begin to break
up and by October 2006, the wreck had almost completely
collapsed onto its port side.
In April 2007 the starboard side finally collapsed causing the
wreck to break in half and fall into the sea. Throughout 2007
what little remained had been slowly disappearing beneath the
waves. As of February 2010, about 15 – 20 feet of the bow
remains above the water.
DATA
Name:
SS America (1940–41)
USS West Point (1941–46)
SS America (1946–64)
SS Australis (1964–78)
SS America (1978)
SS Italis (1978–80)
SS Noga (1980–84) or (1980–93)[1]
SS Alferdoss (port bow only)(1984–93)
SS American Star (1993-1994)
Owner:
United States Maritime Commission (1940–64)
United States Lines (1940-41)
United States Navy (1941-46)
United States Lines (1946–64)
Chandris Group (1964–78)
Venture Cruise Lines (1978)
Chandris Group (1978–80)
Intercommerce Corporation (1980–84)
Silver Moon Ferries (1984–92)
Chaophraya Transport Co (1992–96)[2]
Operator:
United States Lines (1940–41)
United States Navy (1941–46)
United States Lines (1946–64)
Chandris Group (1964–78)
Venture Cruise Lines (1978)
Chandris Group (1978–80)
Intercommerce Corporation (1980–84)
Silver Moon Ferries
Port of registry:
United States New York (1940–41)
United States United States Navy (1941–46)
United States New York (1946–64)
Greece Piraeus (1964–67)
Panama Panama City (1967–68)
Greece Piraeus (1968–96)
Ordered: 1936
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.[3]
Cost: 1.2 Million
Yard number: 369
Laid down: 22 August 1938[3]
Launched: 31 August 1939[3]
Christened: 31 August 1939 by Eleanor Roosevelt
Completed: 16 April 1940
Acquired: 1 June 1946[2]
Commissioned: 16 June 1941[2]
Decommissioned: 12 March 1946[2]
Maiden voyage: 22 August 1940[3]
In service: 1940
Out of service: 1979
Identification:
Code Letters WEDI (1940–41)[4]
ICS Whiskey.svgICS Echo.svgICS Delta.svgICS India.svg
Code Letters NWGB (1941–46)[2]
ICS November.svgICS Whiskey.svgICS Golf.svgICS Bravo.svg
Code Letters WEDI (1946–64)[5]
ICS Whiskey.svgICS Echo.svgICS Delta.svgICS India.svg
United States Official Number 239728 (1940–64)
IMO number: 5014123 ( -1996)[6]
Fate: Wrecked at Playa de Garcey on Fuerteventura in the Canary
Islands in 1994
Status: Collapsed in 2007, almost nothing left except the keel
Notes: Declared a total loss
|
