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USS Abarenda (AC-13)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Abarenda (AC-13/AG-14) was a collier
in the service of the United States Navy
during World War I
.
She was originally a merchant ship built in 1892 at Newcastle, England
by the Edwards Shipbuilding Company and was acquired by the Navy on 5 May 1898. She was fitted out as Collier No. 13 and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 20 May 1898 with Lieutenant Commander
Marcus B. Buford in command.
and ammunition
before sailing for Cuba
on the 30th. On 8-9 June, and then from 10-26 June, Abarenda replenished the bunkers and magazines of American warships at Santiago
and Guantanamo Bay
, and also provided gunfire support as the occasion demanded (her port bow gun shelled Spanish positions at the mouth of the Guantanamo River on 12 June). That same day, Lt. Cdr. Buford presented the marine
garrison ashore at Camp McCalla with a flag pole and, after being given an ensign by Captain
Bowman McCalla, of the cruiser
, a party of two officers and four men — under Lieutenant
Stephen Jenkins — from Abarenda, erected the pole and raised the colors over the marine camp. "When the flag was hoisted by our men," writes Buford, "the Squadron lying off the camp cheered it... the marines... were given new life and some took up the cheering...." Abarenda returned to Lamberts Point on 2 July and remained in the Hampton Roads area through the end of the war with Spain
in August.
, and St. Thomas, Danish West Indies, before ultimately reaching Hampton Roads
on 8 December. Coaling duties with the North Atlantic Squadron
occupied the ship through the early months of 1899.
, American Samoa
, and steel rods and angle irons earmarked for strengthening the foundations of the coal shed at Pago Pago, Abarenda shifted to Coal Pier No. 2 at Hampton Roads the following day, and coaled until the 24th. She departed Hampton Roads on 30 April, bound for the Pacific
. En route, the ship stopped briefly at Montevideo
, Uruguay
, and Punta Arenas, Chile
; rounded Cape Horn
in rough weather (rolling as much as 30° during the passage); and visited Valparaíso
, Chile
; Bounty Bay
, Pitcairn Island; and Tahiti
, before sighting Tutuila on 9 August. She anchored in Apia Harbor the following morning, and then shifted to Pago Pago on the morning of the 13th, to soon commence unloading the cargo brought from Norfolk.
Assigned duty as station ship at Samoa, Abarenda spent the next two and a half years largely ferrying people and cargo between Apia and Pago Pago, often carrying as many as 50 — or more — Samoan natives each trip. Twice during this period, during the winter of 1899-1900 and the winter of 1900-1901, the ship made a voyage from Samoan waters to New Zealand
, where she was drydocked in the Calliope Dock at Auckland
for hull work. Relieved of duty as station ship by the gunboat
on 24 May 1902, Abarenda sailed for the United States that same day, and, after touching at Lundy Point, Chile; Montevideo; St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico, en route, reached the Virginia Capes
on 9 August. Shifting to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
at mid-day on the 10th, she underwent preparations for inactivation, and was decommissioned on 4 September.
.
She was next ordered to carry coal and ammunition to the European Squadron
and departed Norfolk on 23 April 1904. She filled the bunkers of the battleship
s , , , and from 3-20 June, and arrived at Piraeus, Greece on 30 June. After a two-day stop at Gibraltar
in mid-July, the collier headed home on 3 August and arrived back at Norfolk where she immediately began loading coal and ammunition to supply the European Squadron. The collier again sailed for the Mediterranean on 14 October, arrived at Gibraltar on 2 November, and soon moved on to Genoa, Italy, to coal more ships. After a brief stop at Gibraltar, she got underway for the United States on 28 November.
Abarenda reached Norfolk on 14 January 1905. Late in the month, the ship made another coaling trip to Puerto Rico
before again going out of commission at Norfolk on 21 February. At that time, the ship's Navy crew was removed; that afternoon, the vessel was placed in service with a merchant crew, Master
J. W. Holmes in command. For the next three and one-half years, she provided collier service for the Navy along the Atlantic coast until inactivated at Norfolk on 6 October 1909.
on 14 July 1910, she proceeded via the Suez Canal
to the Philippine Islands, arriving at Cavite on 20 September to begin serving the warships of the Asiatic Fleet
.
, Abarenda was placed back in commission on 27 May 1917, Lt. Cdr. Harry M. Bostwick, USNRF, in command when her officers and crew were sworn into the Naval Auxiliary Reserve — in response to an order issued by the Navy Department on 7 May directing that naval auxiliaries, which had previously been manned by civilian officers and crews, be brought fully into the Navy and manned by Navy personnel.
that occurred in Japan
on 1 September 1923.
The first word received in the Asiatic Fleet was at 11:00 on 2 September, through a telegram to a Japanese newspaper in Dairen, Manchuria, where a detachment of the Fleet had been sent for liberty purposes. Admiral
Edwin Anderson, Jr.
, the Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, immediately set the wheels in motion to offer relief to the stricken land. As part of the movement to gather supplies, Abarenda received orders on 5 September to load non-perishable stores and medical supplies at Hankow, China, and proceed immediately to Japanese waters. Ultimately reaching Yokohama on 18 September, the ship remained there for several days unloading, retained there temporarily to assist the American Embassy and the Red Cross in the distribution of relief supplies.
A short time later, on 18 January 1924, Abarendas duties were changed when she became the receiving ship at Cavite
and was assigned to the 16th Naval District; still later that year, she was reclassified as a miscellaneous auxiliary, and was redesignated
AG-14 on 1 July 1924. Reassigned to the Asiatic Fleet, proper, in November 1924, the ship spent the remainder of her career engaged in carrying supplies, mail, and men from Cavite to the ships operating along the coasts of China and Japan.
. She was sold at to S. R. Paterno on 28 February 1926.
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
in the service of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
She was originally a merchant ship built in 1892 at Newcastle, England
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
by the Edwards Shipbuilding Company and was acquired by the Navy on 5 May 1898. She was fitted out as Collier No. 13 and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 20 May 1898 with Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Marcus B. Buford in command.
Spanish-American War, 1898
Abarenda departed New York on 28 May 1898 and stopped at Lamberts Point, Virginia, to load coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
before sailing for Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
on the 30th. On 8-9 June, and then from 10-26 June, Abarenda replenished the bunkers and magazines of American warships at Santiago
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
and Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
, and also provided gunfire support as the occasion demanded (her port bow gun shelled Spanish positions at the mouth of the Guantanamo River on 12 June). That same day, Lt. Cdr. Buford presented the marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
garrison ashore at Camp McCalla with a flag pole and, after being given an ensign by Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Bowman McCalla, of the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
, a party of two officers and four men — under Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Stephen Jenkins — from Abarenda, erected the pole and raised the colors over the marine camp. "When the flag was hoisted by our men," writes Buford, "the Squadron lying off the camp cheered it... the marines... were given new life and some took up the cheering...." Abarenda returned to Lamberts Point on 2 July and remained in the Hampton Roads area through the end of the war with Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in August.
South America, 1898-1899
On 18 September, she sailed for South American waters, and reached Bahia, Brazil on 19 October. En route home, the ship visited BarbadosBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, and St. Thomas, Danish West Indies, before ultimately reaching Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 8 December. Coaling duties with the North Atlantic Squadron
North Atlantic Squadron
The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic Squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North Atlantic Fleet. On Jan...
occupied the ship through the early months of 1899.
Station ship, 1899-1902
On 21 April 1899, after completing the loading of a cargo of construction materials (steel, corrugated iron, and glass) which belonged to a San Francisco contractor given the contract to build a wharf and a coal shed at Pago Pago, TutuilaTutuila
Tutuila is the largest and the main island of American Samoa in the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Australia and over northeast of Fiji. It contains a large, natural harbor,...
, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, and steel rods and angle irons earmarked for strengthening the foundations of the coal shed at Pago Pago, Abarenda shifted to Coal Pier No. 2 at Hampton Roads the following day, and coaled until the 24th. She departed Hampton Roads on 30 April, bound for the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. En route, the ship stopped briefly at Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, and Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas is a commune and the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas...
; rounded Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
in rough weather (rolling as much as 30° during the passage); and visited Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
; Bounty Bay
Bounty Bay
Bounty Bay is an embayment of the Pacific Ocean into Pitcairn Island.Bounty Bay is named after the Bounty, a British naval vessel whose 18th century mutiny was immortalized in the novel Mutiny on the Bounty, and the numerous subsequent motion pictures made of it...
, Pitcairn Island; and Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, before sighting Tutuila on 9 August. She anchored in Apia Harbor the following morning, and then shifted to Pago Pago on the morning of the 13th, to soon commence unloading the cargo brought from Norfolk.
Assigned duty as station ship at Samoa, Abarenda spent the next two and a half years largely ferrying people and cargo between Apia and Pago Pago, often carrying as many as 50 — or more — Samoan natives each trip. Twice during this period, during the winter of 1899-1900 and the winter of 1900-1901, the ship made a voyage from Samoan waters to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where she was drydocked in the Calliope Dock at Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
for hull work. Relieved of duty as station ship by the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
on 24 May 1902, Abarenda sailed for the United States that same day, and, after touching at Lundy Point, Chile; Montevideo; St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico, en route, reached the Virginia Capes
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America....
on 9 August. Shifting to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
at mid-day on the 10th, she underwent preparations for inactivation, and was decommissioned on 4 September.
Atlantic Fleet, 1903-1909
Following her recommissioning on 3 November 1903, Lt. Cdr. J. L. Purcell in command, Abarenda sailed to Guantanamo Bay and Pensacola, Florida, to support the Atlantic FleetUnited States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
.
She was next ordered to carry coal and ammunition to the European Squadron
European Squadron
The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil War...
and departed Norfolk on 23 April 1904. She filled the bunkers of the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s , , , and from 3-20 June, and arrived at Piraeus, Greece on 30 June. After a two-day stop at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in mid-July, the collier headed home on 3 August and arrived back at Norfolk where she immediately began loading coal and ammunition to supply the European Squadron. The collier again sailed for the Mediterranean on 14 October, arrived at Gibraltar on 2 November, and soon moved on to Genoa, Italy, to coal more ships. After a brief stop at Gibraltar, she got underway for the United States on 28 November.
Abarenda reached Norfolk on 14 January 1905. Late in the month, the ship made another coaling trip to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
before again going out of commission at Norfolk on 21 February. At that time, the ship's Navy crew was removed; that afternoon, the vessel was placed in service with a merchant crew, Master
Master (naval)
The master, or sailing master, was a historic term for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel...
J. W. Holmes in command. For the next three and one-half years, she provided collier service for the Navy along the Atlantic coast until inactivated at Norfolk on 6 October 1909.
Asiatic Fleet, 1910-1917
Placed back in service as a U.S. Naval Auxiliary on 19 May 1910, under Master Whitney L. Eisler, Abarenda began preparing for service in the Far East. Departing Staten IslandStaten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
on 14 July 1910, she proceeded via the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
to the Philippine Islands, arriving at Cavite on 20 September to begin serving the warships of the Asiatic Fleet
United States Asiatic Fleet
The United States Asiatic Fleet was part of the U.S. Navy. Preceding the World War II era, until 1942, the fleet protected the Philippines.Originally the Asiatic Squadron, it was upgraded to fleet status in 1902. In 1907, the fleet became the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. However, on 28...
.
World War I, 1917-1918
After the United States entered World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Abarenda was placed back in commission on 27 May 1917, Lt. Cdr. Harry M. Bostwick, USNRF, in command when her officers and crew were sworn into the Naval Auxiliary Reserve — in response to an order issued by the Navy Department on 7 May directing that naval auxiliaries, which had previously been manned by civilian officers and crews, be brought fully into the Navy and manned by Navy personnel.
Asiatic Fleet, 1919-1926
With the exception of a short time in 1919 when she served as a station ship at Samoa, the collier — designated AC-13 on 17 July 1920 — remained on duty with the Asiatic Fleet for the remainder of her career. It was in the twilight of her naval career that the ship took part in humanitarian relief in the wake of the devastating earthquake1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
that occurred in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on 1 September 1923.
The first word received in the Asiatic Fleet was at 11:00 on 2 September, through a telegram to a Japanese newspaper in Dairen, Manchuria, where a detachment of the Fleet had been sent for liberty purposes. Admiral
Admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
Edwin Anderson, Jr.
Edwin Anderson, Jr.
Edwin Alexander Anderson, Jr. was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the 1914 American intervention at Veracruz. He retired from the Navy in 1924 as an admiral....
, the Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, immediately set the wheels in motion to offer relief to the stricken land. As part of the movement to gather supplies, Abarenda received orders on 5 September to load non-perishable stores and medical supplies at Hankow, China, and proceed immediately to Japanese waters. Ultimately reaching Yokohama on 18 September, the ship remained there for several days unloading, retained there temporarily to assist the American Embassy and the Red Cross in the distribution of relief supplies.
A short time later, on 18 January 1924, Abarendas duties were changed when she became the receiving ship at Cavite
Cavite City
The City of Cavite is a fourth class city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. The city occupies a hook shaped peninsula jutting out into Manila Bay. Cavite City used to be the capital of the province...
and was assigned to the 16th Naval District; still later that year, she was reclassified as a miscellaneous auxiliary, and was redesignated
AG-14 on 1 July 1924. Reassigned to the Asiatic Fleet, proper, in November 1924, the ship spent the remainder of her career engaged in carrying supplies, mail, and men from Cavite to the ships operating along the coasts of China and Japan.
Decommissioning and sale
Decommissioned on 21 January 1926, Abarenda was simultaneously struck from the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
. She was sold at to S. R. Paterno on 28 February 1926.