USS Texan (ID-1354)
Encyclopedia
USS Texan (ID-1354) was a United States Navy
cargo ship
and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.
Texan was built in 1902 at Camden
, New Jersey
, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation as the passenger ship
SS Texan for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
. The United States Shipping Board
acquired her on 18 March 1918 for World War I
service and transferred her to the U.S. Navy at New York City
the same day. Assigned the Naval Registry Identification Number
(ID. No.) 1354, she was commissioned
as USS Texan on 23 March 1918.
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service after being refitted for naval service, Texan loaded general military supplies and departed on 9 April 1918 in a convoy
for France
. Texan arrived at Brest
, France, on 24 April 1918 and, after discharging her cargo
, began the return voyage to New York on 19 May 1918. Upon her arrival there, she underwent voyage repairs and then loaded supplies, including 405 ton
s of ammunition
and 10 locomotive
s destined for Marseilles, France. Texan departed with a convoy on 18 June 1918 and arrived at Marseilles on 7 July 1918. Texan made another round-trip voyage to Marseilles in September 1918 and one to Le Verdon-sur-Mer
, France, in November and December 1918 before returning to New York on 4 January 1919.
On 18 January 1919, Texan was transferred to the Cruiser and Transport Force
and began operating as a troop transport, bringing troops of the American Expeditionary Force
home to the United States
from France until 7 August 1919, when she was reassigned to the 5th Naval District.
Texan was decommissioned
on 22 August 1919 and returned to the United States Shipping Board for return to the American Hawaiian Steamship Company.
Texan returned to commercial service as SS Texan. During World War II
she was on a commercial voyage when a German
submarine
torpedo
ed and sank her off Cape San Antonio
, Cuba
, on 11 March 1942.
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.
Texan was built in 1902 at Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, 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...
, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation as the passenger ship
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
SS Texan 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...
. 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....
acquired her on 18 March 1918 for 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...
service and transferred her to the U.S. Navy at 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...
the same day. Assigned 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.) 1354, she was 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...
as USS Texan on 23 March 1918.
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service after being refitted for naval service, Texan loaded general military supplies and departed on 9 April 1918 in a 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...
for 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...
. Texan arrived at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, France, on 24 April 1918 and, after discharging her 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:...
, began the return voyage to New York on 19 May 1918. Upon her arrival there, she underwent voyage repairs and then loaded supplies, including 405 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s of 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...
and 10 locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s destined for Marseilles, France. Texan departed with a convoy on 18 June 1918 and arrived at Marseilles on 7 July 1918. Texan made another round-trip voyage to Marseilles in September 1918 and one to Le Verdon-sur-Mer
Le Verdon-sur-Mer
Le Verdon-sur-Mer is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, France, in November and December 1918 before returning to New York on 4 January 1919.
On 18 January 1919, Texan was transferred to the Cruiser and Transport Force
Cruiser 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 :...
and began operating as a troop transport, bringing troops of 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...
home to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from France until 7 August 1919, when she was reassigned to the 5th Naval District.
Texan 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 22 August 1919 and returned to the United States Shipping Board for return to the American Hawaiian Steamship Company.
Texan returned to commercial service as SS Texan. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she was on a commercial voyage when a German
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...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sank her off Cape San Antonio
Cape San Antonio, Cuba
Cape San Antonio, , is a cape which forms the western extremity of Cuba. It extends into the Yucatán Channel.-References:*Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1997....
, 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 11 March 1942.