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USS Arizonan (ID-4542A)
Encyclopedia
USS Arizonan (ID-4542A), also written ID-4542-A was a United States Navy
cargo ship
and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.
, California
, by the Union Iron Works
as the commercial cargo ship SS Arizonan for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
. She was completed early in 1903 and entered commercial service. Arizonan and her sister ship SS Alaskan -- which later served in the U.S. Navy as USS Alaskan (ID-4542)
-- represented, according to a contemporary account, the "most advanced practice in the construction of ocean-going freighters and ... a most important addition to the American merchant marine." Intended exclusively for carrying freight, Arizonan was designed as a very strong ship with a large stowage capacity.
After the United States
entered World War I in 1917, Arizonan came under the control of the United States Shipping Board
, which placed her in service under a United States Army
account with a U.S. Navy Naval Armed Guard detachment aboard.
of the 5th Naval District was authorized to fit out the ship for operation by the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) as long as the turnover could be accomplished without delaying the loading of the ship's next consignment of cargo
. Accordingly, the Shipping Board transferred Arizonan on 10 August 1918 to the U.S. Navy, which gave her the Naval Registry Identification Number
(Id. No.) 4542A (sometimes written as 4542-A), and commissioned
her on 14 August 1918 as USS Arizonan with Lieutenant Commander
Henry R. Patterson, USNRF, in command as she lay at an Army pier
in Norfolk
, Virginia
.
On 16 August 1918, Arizonan moved to Newport News
, Virginia, where she took on cargo
, including 50 truck
s as a deck
load, earmarked for the American Expeditionary Force
in France
. Underway on the morning of 30 August 1918, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean
in convoy
and, after a brief stopover at Gibraltar
from 17 September 1918 to 18 September 1918, reached Marseilles, France, late in the afternoon of 21 September 1918 and, over the ensuing days, discharged her cargo.
Departing Marseilles on 18 October 1918, Arizonan returned to Newport News in ballast
, reaching the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
piers on the evening of 7 November 1918. Four days later, on 11 November 1918 -- the same day upon which the armistice
with Germany
was signed, ending World War I -- Arizonan moved out into the stream, opposite the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company yards
. After a drydocking and repairs, she departed for New York City
on the afternoon of 18 November 1918.
on 14 December 1918, Arizonan remained at the Morse yard until late in January 1919 before shifting to one of the U.S. Army's major terminals, Bush Terminals, at Brooklyn, New York
, to load additional gear in line with her recent metamorphosis into a troopship.
Subsequently underway on the afternoon of 26 February 1919, Arizonan streamed paravane
s soon after sighting the European coast
on 11 March 1919, indicative of the precautions taken against any naval mine
s which might still be in French waters. She reached Bassens
, France, a northeastern suburb of Bordeaux
where the U.S. Army had built a port facility during the war, on the evening of 12 March 1919. She discharged her cargo there, then moved to Pauillac
, France, where she embarked "doughboy
s" for their trip home to the United States after their World War I service in France. She returned to Bush Terminals at Brooklyn on 3 April 1919.
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Arizonan departed Bush Terminals on 12 April 1919 for Bordeaux, where she embarked troops. She returned to Bush Terminals with them on 20 May 1919. She proceeded from Bush Terminals again on 7 June 1919; this time she embarked troops at St. Nazaire, France, and returned to Bush Terminals on 6 July 1919.
Arizonan left Bush Terminals on 11 July 1919 for her fourth voyage to Europe as a troop transport. On 15 July 1919, during her outbound voyage, she encountered the disabled Naval Overseas Transportation Service troop transport USS Edward Luckenbach (ID-1662)
and towed her 425 nautical miles (787 kilometers) back toward Boston, Massachusetts
. The United States Coast Guard
cutter
USCGC Ossipee
joined the two troop transports on the afternoon of 17 July 1919. On the morning of 19 July 1919, Ossipee took over the towing duty from Arizonan, freeing Arizonan to continue on her voyage to France. Arizonan ultimately made port at St. Nazaire on the morning of 30 July 1919.
Completing her loading of return cargo — accomplished with an unusual labor force consisting of French stevedore
s and German prisoners-of-war
— by 19 August 1919, Arizonan embarked a comparatively small group of passengers (14 U.S. Army officers, six field clerks, and four enlisted men) and got underway that morning for the United States. Reaching Hoboken
, New Jersey
, on 2 September 1919, Arizonan finished discharging cargo and disembarking her passengers by 11 September 1919 and shifted to the Shewan's yard later that day. She then moved to Hoboken on the afternoon of 17 September 1919. Over the ensuing days, workmen removed and dismantled the trappings of a troopship.
As Arizonan lay moored alongside the U.S. Navy troop transport USS Pretoria
at Pier 9, Army Docks, Hoboken, she was decommissioned
on 29 September 1919. Her name was struck from the Navy List
that same day.
of that company as SS Arizonan until she was transferred to Japan
ese ownership sometime during 1927 or 1928. She disappears from mercantile records soon after that, suggesting that she was scrapped at the end of the 1920s.
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...
cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.
Construction and commercial service, 1902-1918
Arizonan was launched in 1902 at San FranciscoSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, by the Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
as the commercial cargo ship SS Arizonan for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company was founded in 1899 to carry cargos of sugar from Hawaii to the United States and manufactured goods on return trips...
. She was completed early in 1903 and entered commercial service. Arizonan and her sister ship SS Alaskan -- which later served in the U.S. Navy as USS Alaskan (ID-4542)
USS Alaskan (ID-4542)
USS Alaskan was a United States Navy cargo ship and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.-Construction and commercial service, 1902-1918:...
-- represented, according to a contemporary account, the "most advanced practice in the construction of ocean-going freighters and ... a most important addition to the American merchant marine." Intended exclusively for carrying freight, Arizonan was designed as a very strong ship with a large stowage capacity.
After the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entered World War I in 1917, Arizonan came under the control of the United States Shipping Board
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....
, which placed her in service under a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
account with a U.S. Navy Naval Armed Guard detachment aboard.
World War I service
In the summer of 1918, plans were made to have Arizonan manned by the U.S. Navy for the Army account. The CommandantCommandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the 5th Naval District was authorized to fit out the ship for operation by the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) as long as the turnover could be accomplished without delaying the loading of the ship's next consignment of cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
. Accordingly, the Shipping Board transferred Arizonan on 10 August 1918 to the U.S. Navy, which gave her the Naval Registry Identification Number
Naval Registry Identification Number
A Naval Registry Identification Number is a unique identifier that the U.S. Navy used for privately owned and naval vessels in the first half of the 20th century....
(Id. No.) 4542A (sometimes written as 4542-A), and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
her on 14 August 1918 as USS Arizonan with Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Henry R. Patterson, USNRF, in command as she lay at an Army pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
in Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
On 16 August 1918, Arizonan moved to Newport News
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, Virginia, where she took on cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
, including 50 truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s as a deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
load, earmarked for the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Underway on the morning of 30 August 1918, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
and, after a brief stopover 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...
from 17 September 1918 to 18 September 1918, reached Marseilles, France, late in the afternoon of 21 September 1918 and, over the ensuing days, discharged her cargo.
Departing Marseilles on 18 October 1918, Arizonan returned to Newport News in ballast
Ballast tank
A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...
, reaching the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
piers on the evening of 7 November 1918. Four days later, on 11 November 1918 -- the same day upon which the armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was signed, ending World War I -- Arizonan moved out into the stream, opposite the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company yards
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
. After a drydocking and repairs, she departed for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on the afternoon of 18 November 1918.
Postwar service
Undergoing further repairs and alterations first at the Shewan and later at the Morse Drydock company yard, Arizonan was taken in hand for conversion to a troop transport, her armament being removed at the Morse Drydock yard. Reassigned to the Cruiser and Transport ForceCruiser and Transport Force
The Cruiser and Transport Service was a unit of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet during World War I that was responsible for transporting American men and materiel to France.- Composition :...
on 14 December 1918, Arizonan remained at the Morse yard until late in January 1919 before shifting to one of the U.S. Army's major terminals, Bush Terminals, at Brooklyn, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to load additional gear in line with her recent metamorphosis into a troopship.
Subsequently underway on the afternoon of 26 February 1919, Arizonan streamed paravane
Paravane (weapon)
The paravane is a form of towed underwater "glider". It was developed by Cdr Usborne and Lt Burney financed by Sir George White, founder of the Bristol Aeroplane Company....
s soon after sighting the European coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
on 11 March 1919, indicative of the precautions taken against any naval mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
s which might still be in French waters. She reached Bassens
Bassens, Gironde
Bassens is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, France, a northeastern suburb of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
where the U.S. Army had built a port facility during the war, on the evening of 12 March 1919. She discharged her cargo there, then moved to Pauillac
Pauillac
Pauillac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-Wine:The commune consists of only 3000 acres of vineyards in the Haut-Médoc between the villages of Saint-Julien to the south and Saint-Estèphe to the north, but is home to three of Bordeaux's five...
, France, where she embarked "doughboy
Doughboy
Doughboy is an informal term for an American soldier, especially members of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. The term dates back to the Mexican–American War of 1846–48....
s" for their trip home to the United States after their World War I service in France. She returned to Bush Terminals at Brooklyn on 3 April 1919.
Arizonan left Bush Terminals on 11 July 1919 for her fourth voyage to Europe as a troop transport. On 15 July 1919, during her outbound voyage, she encountered the disabled Naval Overseas Transportation Service troop transport USS Edward Luckenbach (ID-1662)
USS Edward Luckenbach (ID-1662)
USS Edward Luckenbach was a cargo ship and troop transport that served in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1919.SS Edward Luckenbach was built as a commercial cargo ship in 1916 at Quincy, Massachusetts, by Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation for Luckenbach Steamship Company of New York City...
and towed her 425 nautical miles (787 kilometers) back toward Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
cutter
United States Coast Guard Cutter
Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...
USCGC Ossipee
USCGC Ossipee (WPR-50)
USCGC Ossipee was a United States Coast Guard cutter that saw service in both World War I and World War II.-Coastal Patrol:...
joined the two troop transports on the afternoon of 17 July 1919. On the morning of 19 July 1919, Ossipee took over the towing duty from Arizonan, freeing Arizonan to continue on her voyage to France. Arizonan ultimately made port at St. Nazaire on the morning of 30 July 1919.
Completing her loading of return cargo — accomplished with an unusual labor force consisting of French stevedore
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
s and German prisoners-of-war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
— by 19 August 1919, Arizonan embarked a comparatively small group of passengers (14 U.S. Army officers, six field clerks, and four enlisted men) and got underway that morning for the United States. Reaching Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, on 2 September 1919, Arizonan finished discharging cargo and disembarking her passengers by 11 September 1919 and shifted to the Shewan's yard later that day. She then moved to Hoboken on the afternoon of 17 September 1919. Over the ensuing days, workmen removed and dismantled the trappings of a troopship.
As Arizonan lay moored alongside the U.S. Navy troop transport USS Pretoria
USS Pretoria (1897)
USS Pretoria was a United States Navy troop transport in commission in 1919.SS Pretoria, a sister ship of SS Graf Waldersee and SS Patricia, was built in 1897 as a commercial passenger ship at Hamburg, Germany, by Blohm + Voss for Hamburg-Amerikanische Paketfahrt A.G.. The U.S...
at Pier 9, Army Docks, Hoboken, she was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 29 September 1919. Her name was struck from the Navy List
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
that same day.
Commercial service from 1919
Returned to the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, the ship operated under the flagMaritime flag
A maritime flag is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced...
of that company as SS Arizonan until she was transferred to 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...
ese ownership sometime during 1927 or 1928. She disappears from mercantile records soon after that, suggesting that she was scrapped at the end of the 1920s.