USS Housatonic (SP-1697): Difference between revisions

History
Name	El Rio (1899—1918); Housatonic (1918—1919); El Rio (1919—1925); Brazos (1925—1945));
Namesake	(Navy) Housatonic River
Owner	Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1899-1917); U.S. Navy (1917—1919); Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1919-1925); Clyde-Mallory Line (1925-1935); Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) (1935-1942);
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding, Norfolk, Virginia.
Yard number	24
Launched	24 June 1899
Completed	19 October 1899
Commissioned	(Navy) 25 January 1918
Decommissioned	(Navy) 5 August 1919
In service	1899
Out of service	1942
Homeport	New York, New York
Identification	U.S. Official Number: 136761; Signal: KPJW; Signal: WHCB (1935—1942);
Fate	Lost as Brazos in collision 1942.
General characteristics
Type	Freighter (1899-1942); (Navy) Minelayer (1918—1919);
Tonnage	4,604 GRT, 2,918 NRT; 4,497 GRT, 2,703 NRT as Brazos 1927—1942;
Displacement	7,620 tons
Length	405 ft 1 in (123.5 m) overall; 379 ft 9 in (115.7 m) on water line; 391.9 ft (119.5 m) registry;
Beam	48.3 ft (14.7 m)
Draft	22 ft 6 in (6.9 m)
Depth	15.8 ft (4.8 m)
Depth of hold	26 ft (7.9 m)
Propulsion	Vertical, triple expansion steam
Speed	15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Capacity	(Navy) 830 mines (900 max)
Complement	(Navy) 18 officers, 20 chief petty officers, 400 men
Crew	49
Armament	(Navy); 1 × 5"/51 caliber gun; 2 × 3"/50 caliber guns; 2 machine guns;

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The second USS Housatonic was the Southern Pacific Steamship Company freighter El Rio. The ship was one of four company ships temporarily converted for planting the World War I North Sea Mine Barrage.

El Rio was built for the Morgan Line in 1899 and served as a freighter until the United States Shipping Board took control of the vessel in 1917 for conversion to wartime naval use. After return to commercial service the ship resumed normal freight operations. In 1925 the ship was sold to the Clyde-Mallory Lines and renamed Brazos. In 1935 the vessel was sold to Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) continuing freight service until sunk in a collision in 1942.

El Rio

El Rio was launched as hull number 24 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Newport News, Virginia on 24 June 1899 and completed 19 October 1899 for the Morgan Line.^{[note 1]} The 4,604 GRT ship was assigned U.S. Official Number 136761, signal KPJW with home port of New York, New York.^[6]^[2] El Rio was intended for service between New York City and Gulf of Mexico seaports of New Orleans and Galveston, Texas. The Morgan Line was incorporated into the Southern Pacific system.^[7]

Big Four minelayers

The United States converted eight civilian steamships as minelayers for the 100,000 mines manufactured for the barrage. British Rear Admiral Lewis Clinton-Baker described the North Sea mine barrage as the "biggest mine planting stunt in the world's history."^[5]

The largest of the converted minelayers were four freighters owned by Southern Pacific Steamship Company. Southern Pacific Transportation Company had evolved from the First transcontinental railroad to become the dominant transportation provider in California. Owners of the original Central Pacific Railroad were known as the Big Four. Sailors similarly referred to these former Southern Pacific ships as the Big Four.^[5]

El Siglo became No. 1694 USS Canandaigua
El Dia became No. 1695 USS Roanoke
El Cid became No. 1696 USS Canonicus
El Rio became No. 1697 USS Housatonic

Conversion

The United States Shipping Board took control of the ship from Southern Pacific Steamship Company in 1917. Housatonic was fitted out for United States Navy service at Tietjen & Lang's shipyard at Hoboken, New Jersey. Work began on 25 November 1917. Gun platforms were added for two anti-aircraft guns forward and a 5"/51 caliber gun aft. The minelaying conversion enabled her to carry mines on three decks, and included six Otis elevators individually capable of transferring two mines every 20 seconds from the storage decks to the launching deck. Stern ports were cut for launching the mines and the rudder quadrant was raised to give adequate clearance. Watertight subdivision was improved by strengthening existing bulkheads and building two new bulkheads to divide the largest compartments so the ship might stay afloat if only one compartment were flooded. Quarters were enlarged to accommodate messing and berthing arrangements for a crew of about 400. The main machinery was overhauled and auxiliary machinery was added for the elevators, for heating the berthing spaces, for refrigerated food storage, for additional fresh water distilling capacity, for magazine sprinklers and galley and washroom plumbing, and enlarged electric generators for lighting and radio communications. Existing coal bunkers on the third deck were replaced with a bunker in the hold forward of the boiler room with chutes to load coal over the mines. Larger boats and heavier anchors required larger davits and anchor windlass, and the mines required specialized handling machinery.^[8]

1918 Navy data after conversion show the ship as being 405 ft 1 in (123.5 m) length overall, 379 ft 9 in (115.7 m) length on water line, beam of 48 ft 3 in (14.7 m), depth of hold 26 ft (7.9 m), mean draft of 22 ft 6 in (6.9 m) and displacement of 7,620 tons. Gross and net tonnage are identical to the merchant vessel registry with 4,604 GRT and 2,918 NRT. Propulsion was by a vertical, triple expansion steam engine with three double ended boilers providing steam with 4,000 ihp giving a speed of 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h). Bunker capacity was 943 tons. Electric power was by four 15 kW 110 V direct current General Electric generating sets. Crew is shown as 18 officers, 20 chief petty officers and 400 men.^[1]

Wartime service

USS Housatonic was commissioned on 25 January 1918 with Captain John Greenslade, USN, in command . While operating as part of Mine Squadron 1 out of Inverness, Scotland, from 7 June until the close of the war on 11 November 1918, Housatonic laid a total of 9,339 mines:^[5]

planted 769 mines during the 1st minelaying excursion on 7 June,
planted 800 mines during the 2nd minelaying excursion on 30 June,
planted 840 mines during the 3rd minelaying excursion on 14 July,
planted 830 mines during the 4th minelaying excursion on 29 July,
planted 320 mines during the 5th minelaying excursion on 8 August,
planted 810 mines during the 7th minelaying excursion on 26 August,
planted 820 mines during the 8th minelaying excursion on 7 September,
planted 830 mines during the 9th minelaying excursion on 20 September,
planted 860 mines during the 10th minelaying excursion on 27 September,
planted 840 mines during the 11th minelaying excursion on 4 October,
planted 820 mines during the 12th minelaying excursion on 13 October, and
planted 800 mines during the final 13th minelaying excursion on 24 October.

Housatonic then made three trips returning soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces to the United States.

John Greenslade was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal while aboard Housatonic.^[9]

Return to Southern Pacific

Housatonic decommissioned 5 August 1919 and was returned to the Southern Pacific Steamship Company.^[10] El Rio was renamed Brazos in 1925 for operation with Clyde-Mallory Lines.^[11] Brazos on 21 December 1932 had been involved in a collision determined to have been caused by mutual fault in fog off Galveston with Eglantine, a vessel owned by the United States, resulting in a lawsuit by Clyde-Mallory Lines regarding a two-year limitation period for such suits resulting in an appellate court ruling that the two year limitation should have applied. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that decision.^[12]^[13]

In 1935 the ship began operations with Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) with a signal letter change to WHCB.^[14]^[15] Brazos continued operating until lost in a collision 13 January 1942.^[6]^[11]^[16] The collision with HMS Archer, an escort carrier transporting aircraft from Norfolk, Virginia to Kingston, Jamaica and suffering from steering and gyrocompass failures, occurred about two and a half hours before midnight. Archer spotted the freighter and put engines in reverse but too late to avoid a collision. Both ships suffered damage with Brazos sinking and Archer eventually requiring tow and repairs in Charleston. All the freighter's crew was taken aboard Archer, two having suffered injury.^[11]^[16]^[17]^[18] ^{[note 2]}

Footnotes

^ Five ships for the Morgan Line had been built as hulls 2 through 6 between 1891 and 1893 with hull number 5 being an earlier El Rio. That ship was one of the three converted to become an auxiliary cruiser, USS Dixie (1893).
^ The reference, "A history of HMS Archer" incorrectly states that Brazos was a "Peruvian merchantman."

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Construction & Repair Bureau (Navy) (1 November 1918). Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 454–459. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Thirty-Third Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States, Year ended June 30, 1901. Washington, D.C.: Treasury Department, Bureau of Navigation. 1901. p. 327. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ Merchant Vessels of the United States, Year ended June 30, 1927. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation. 1927. p. 28. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ Lloyds. "Lloyd's Register 1942-43". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Belknap, Reginald Rowan The Yankee mining squadron; or, Laying the North Sea mining barrage (1920) United States Naval Institute pp.46–47,74&110
^ ^a ^b Colton, Tim (15 December 2020). "Newport News Shipbuilding". ShipbuildingHistory. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ Luce, G. W. (February 1921). "Sunset Gulf—The 100 Per Cent Route". Southern Pacific Bulletin. 10 (2). San Francisco: Southern Pacific: 16–18. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ Navy Department, Office Of Naval Records And Library, Historical Section (1920). The Northern Barrage and Other Mining Activities (Report). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. pp. 70–71. Retrieved 26 April 2021.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Captain Greenslade". MilitaryTimes.
^ Naval History And Heritage Command (20 July 2015). "Housatonic II (SP-1697)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Brazos SS (1925~1935) Brazos SS (+1942)". The Wrecksite. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ "Clyde-Mallory Lines v. Eglantine, 317 U.S. 395 (1943)". Circuit Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. 2 June 1942. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ "Clyde-Mallory Lines v. The Eglantine, 317 U.S. 395 (1943)". U.S. Supreme Court. 4 January 1943. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ Lloyds. "Lloyd's Register 1933-34". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ Lloyds. "Lloyd's Register 1935-36". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b "U.S. FRIGHTERS SUNK IN COLLISION JAN. 13; Brazos, a 4,497-Ton Vessel, and Unidentified Ship Struck 150 Miles From Hatteras 35 IN THE CREW ALL SAVED Master of Brazilian Rescue Craft Tells of Trying to Salvage the Ciltvaira". The New York Times. New York, N.Y.: 10 23 January 1942. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ "Three N.E. Men on Ship Sunk in Crash". The Boston Globe: 12. 23 January 1942. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ Drury, Tony (16 February 2021). "A history of HMS Archer". The Royal Navy Research Archive. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

External links

USS Housatonic (ID # 1697), 1918-1919 (Naval Historical Center page Online Library of Selected Images archived as ShipScribe)

[6] Five ships for the Morgan Line had been built as hulls 2 through 6 between 1891 and 1893 with hull number 5 being an earlier El Rio. That ship was one of the three converted to become an auxiliary cruiser, USS Dixie (1893).

[20] The reference, "A history of HMS Archer" incorrectly states that Brazos was a "Peruvian merchantman."

[SDUSN-1] Construction & Repair Bureau (Navy) (1 November 1918). Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 454–459. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

[MVUS1901-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Thirty-Third Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States, Year ended June 30, 1901. Washington, D.C.: Treasury Department, Bureau of Navigation. 1901. p. 327. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[3] Merchant Vessels of the United States, Year ended June 30, 1927. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation. 1927. p. 28. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[4] Lloyds. "Lloyd's Register 1942-43". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[rrb46-5] Belknap, Reginald Rowan The Yankee mining squadron; or, Laying the North Sea mining barrage (1920) United States Naval Institute pp.46–47,74&110

[SBH-7] Colton, Tim (15 December 2020). "Newport News Shipbuilding". ShipbuildingHistory. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[SPBLuce-8] Luce, G. W. (February 1921). "Sunset Gulf—The 100 Per Cent Route". Southern Pacific Bulletin. 10 (2). San Francisco: Southern Pacific: 16–18. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[NBOMA-9] Navy Department, Office Of Naval Records And Library, Historical Section (1920). The Northern Barrage and Other Mining Activities (Report). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. pp. 70–71. Retrieved 26 April 2021.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[10] "Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Captain Greenslade". MilitaryTimes.

[DANFS-11] Naval History And Heritage Command (20 July 2015). "Housatonic II (SP-1697)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[WRST-12] "Brazos SS (1925~1935) Brazos SS (+1942)". The Wrecksite. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[13] "Clyde-Mallory Lines v. Eglantine, 317 U.S. 395 (1943)". Circuit Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. 2 June 1942. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[14] "Clyde-Mallory Lines v. The Eglantine, 317 U.S. 395 (1943)". U.S. Supreme Court. 4 January 1943. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[15] Lloyds. "Lloyd's Register 1933-34". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

[16] Lloyds. "Lloyd's Register 1935-36". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

[NYT142-17] "U.S. FRIGHTERS SUNK IN COLLISION JAN. 13; Brazos, a 4,497-Ton Vessel, and Unidentified Ship Struck 150 Miles From Hatteras 35 IN THE CREW ALL SAVED Master of Brazilian Rescue Craft Tells of Trying to Salvage the Ciltvaira". The New York Times. New York, N.Y.: 10 23 January 1942. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[18] "Three N.E. Men on Ship Sunk in Crash". The Boston Globe: 12. 23 January 1942. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

[19] Drury, Tony (16 February 2021). "A history of HMS Archer". The Royal Navy Research Archive. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[note 1]

[6]

[7]

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[note 2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{otherships|USS Housatonic}}
+{{other ships|USS Housatonic}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
 {|{{Infobox ship begin}}
 {{Infobox ship image
@@ Line 5: / Line 6: @@
 | Ship caption =
 }}
-{{Infobox Ship Career
+{{Infobox ship career
 | Hide header         =
 | Ship country        =
 | Ship flag           = {{USN flag|1864}}
-| Ship name           = USS ''Housatonic'' (SP-1697)
+| Ship name           =*''El Rio'' (1899—1918)
+*''Housatonic'' (1918—1919)
-| Ship namesake       = The [[Housatonic River]]
+*''El Rio'' (1919—1925)
+*''Brazos'' (1925—1945))
+|Ship owner=*Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1899-1917)
+*U.S. Navy (1917—1919)
+*Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1919-1925)
+*Clyde-Mallory Line (1925-1935)
+*Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) (1935-1942)
+|Ship operator=
+| Ship namesake       = (Navy) [[Housatonic River]]
 | Ship ordered        =
 | Ship awarded        =
-| Ship builder        = built in 1899 by [[Newport News Shipbuilding]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia]].
+| Ship builder        =[[Newport News Shipbuilding]], [[Norfolk, Virginia]].
 | Ship original cost  =
-| Ship yard number    =
+| Ship yard number    =24
 | Ship way number     =
 | Ship laid down      =
-| Ship launched       =
+| Ship launched       =24 June 1899
 | Ship sponsor        =
 | Ship christened     =
-| Ship completed      = 1899
+| Ship completed      =19 October 1899
 | Ship acquired       =
-| Ship commissioned   = 25 January 1918
+| Ship commissioned   =(Navy) 25 January 1918
-| Ship decommissioned = 5 August 1919
+| Ship decommissioned =(Navy) 5 August 1919
-| Ship in service     =
+| Ship in service     =1899
-| Ship out of service =
+| Ship out of service =1942
 | Ship renamed        =
 | Ship reclassified   =
@@ Line 32: / Line 42: @@
 | Ship struck         =
 | Ship reinstated     =
-| Ship homeport       =
+| Ship homeport       =New York, New York
 | Ship motto          =
 | Ship nickname       =
 | Ship honors         =
+|Ship identification=*U.S. Official Number: 136761
-| Ship fate           =
+*Signal: KPJW
-| Ship status         =
+*Signal: WHCB (1935—1942)
+| Ship fate           =Lost as ''Brazos'' in collision 1942.
 | Ship notes          =
 | Ship badge          =
@@ Line 45: / Line 57: @@
 | Header caption           =
 | Ship class               =
-| Ship type                = [[Minelayer]] (in 1918)<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship type                =*Freighter (1899-1942)
+*(Navy) [[Minelayer]] (1918—1919)<ref name=SDUSN/>
-| Ship tonnage             =
-| Ship displacement        = 7,000 tons<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship tonnage             =*{{GRT|4604}}, {{NRT|2918}}<ref name=MVUS1901/>
+*{{GRT|4497}}, {{NRT|2703}} as ''Brazos'' 1927—1942<ref>{{cite book |year=1927 |title=Merchant Vessels of the United States, Year ended June 30, 1927 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7SMpAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA28 |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://wrecksite.eu/docBrowser.aspx?HW6LXhnd/r19MRPLUSEgspuew== |title=Lloyd's Register 1942-43 |author=Lloyds |publisher=Lloyd's Register |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref>
-| Ship tons burthen        =
+| Ship displacement        =7,620 tons
-| Ship length              = {{convert|405|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="rrb46"/>
-| Ship beam                = {{convert|48|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship length              =*{{cvt|405|ft|1|in|m|1|abbr=on}} overall
+*{{cvt|379|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} on water line
+*{{convert|391.9|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[length between perpendiculars|registry]]<ref name=MVUS1901/>
+| Ship beam                =*{{convert|48.3|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=MVUS1901/>
 | Ship height              =
 | Ship draught             =
-| Ship draft               = {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship draft               ={{cvt|22|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
-| Ship depth               =
+| Ship depth               ={{convert|15.8|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=MVUS1901/>
-| Ship hold depth          =
+| Ship hold depth          ={{convert|26|ft|m|abbr=on}}
 | Ship decks               =
 | Ship deck clearance      =
@@ Line 61: / Line 76: @@
 | Ship ice class           =
 | Ship power               =
-| Ship propulsion          =
+| Ship propulsion          =Vertical, triple expansion steam
 | Ship sail plan           =
-| Ship speed               = 15 [[Knot (unit)|knots]]<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship speed               ={{cvt|15|knots|mph km/h}}
 | Ship range               =
 | Ship endurance           =
-| Ship test depth          =
 | Ship boats               =
-| Ship capacity            = 830 mines (900 max)<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship capacity            =(Navy) 830 mines (900 max)<ref name="rrb46"/>
 | Ship troops              =
-| Ship complement          =
+| Ship complement          =(Navy) 18 officers, 20 chief petty officers, 400 men<ref name=SDUSN/>
-| Ship crew                = 21 officers and 400 men<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship crew                =*49<ref name=MVUS1901/>
 | Ship time to activate    =
 | Ship sensors             =
 | Ship EW                  =
-| Ship armament            = 1 x [[5"/51 caliber gun]]<br />2 x [[3"/23 caliber gun]]s<ref name="rrb46"/>
+| Ship armament            =*(Navy)<ref name=SDUSN/>
+*1 × [[5"/51 caliber gun]]
+*2 × [[3"/50 caliber gun]]s
+*2 machine guns
 | Ship armour              =
 | Ship armor               =
@@ Line 84: / Line 101: @@
 |}
-The second '''USS ''Housatonic''''' was the [[Southern Pacific]] freighter ''El Rio'' temporarily converted for planting the [[World War I]] [[North Sea Mine Barrage]].  [[Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company]] launched ''El Rio'' at [[Newport News, Virginia]] in 1899 for service between [[New York City]] and [[Gulf of Mexico]] seaports of [[New Orleans]] and [[Galveston, Texas]].  The [[United States Shipping Board]] took control of the ship from Southern Pacific Steamship Company in 1917.
+The second '''USS ''Housatonic''''' was the [[Southern Pacific|Southern Pacific Steamship Company]] freighter '''''El Rio'''''. The ship was one of four company ships temporarily converted for planting the [[World War I]] [[North Sea Mine Barrage]].
+''El Rio'' was built for the Morgan Line in 1899 and served as a freighter until the [[United States Shipping Board]] took control of the vessel in 1917 for conversion to wartime naval use. After return to commercial service the ship resumed normal freight operations. In 1925 the ship was sold to the [[Clyde-Mallory Lines]] and renamed '''''Brazos'''''. In 1935 the vessel was sold to [[Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines]] (Agwilines) continuing freight service until sunk in a collision in 1942.
+==''El Rio''==
+''El Rio'' was launched as hull number 24 by [[Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company]] at [[Newport News, Virginia]] on 24 June 1899 and completed 19 October 1899 for the [[Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad|Morgan Line]].<ref group=note>Five ships for the Morgan Line had been built as hulls 2 through 6 between 1891 and 1893 with hull number 5 being an earlier ''El Rio''. That ship was one of the three converted to become an auxiliary cruiser, {{USS|Dixie|1893|}}.</ref> The {{GRT|4604}} ship was assigned U.S. Official Number 136761, signal KPJW with home port of New York, New York.<ref name=SBH>{{cite web |last=Colton |first=Tim |title=Newport News Shipbuilding |publisher=ShipbuildingHistory |date=December 15, 2020 |url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/newportnews.htm |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref><ref name=MVUS1901>{{cite book |year=1901 |title=Thirty-Third Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States, Year ended June 30, 1901 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Treasury Department, Bureau of Navigation |page=327 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQlBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA327 |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref> ''El Rio'' was intended for service between [[New York City]] and [[Gulf of Mexico]] seaports of [[New Orleans]] and [[Galveston, Texas]]. The Morgan Line was incorporated into the Southern Pacific system.<ref name=SPBLuce>{{cite journal |last=Luce |first=G. W. |date=February 1921 |title=Sunset Gulf—The 100 Per Cent Route |journal=Southern Pacific Bulletin |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=16–18 |location=San Francisco |publisher=Southern Pacific |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fxc9AAAAYAAJ&pg=RA14-PA16 |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref>
+==Big Four minelayers==
+The United States converted eight civilian steamships as minelayers for the 100,000 mines manufactured for the barrage. British [[Rear Admiral]] [[Lewis Clinton-Baker]] described the North Sea mine barrage as the "biggest mine planting stunt in the world's history."<ref name="rrb46"/>
+The largest of the converted minelayers were four freighters owned by Southern Pacific Steamship Company.  Southern Pacific Transportation Company had evolved from the [[First transcontinental railroad]] to become the dominant transportation provider in California.  Owners of the original [[Central Pacific Railroad]] were known as the [[Big Four (Central Pacific Railroad)|Big Four]].  Sailors similarly referred to these former Southern Pacific ships as the Big Four.<ref name="rrb46"/>
+* ''El Siglo'' became No. 1694 USS {{USS|Canandaigua|ID-1694|2}}
+* ''El Dia'' became No. 1695 USS {{USS|Roanoke|ID-1695|2}}
+* ''El Cid'' became No. 1696 USS {{USS|Canonicus|ID-1696|2}}
+* ''El Rio'' became No. 1697 USS {{USS|Housatonic|SP-1697|2}}
 ==Conversion==
-She was fitted out for [[United States Navy]] service at Tietjen & Lang's shipyard at [[Hoboken, New Jersey]].  Work began on 25 November 1917.  Gun platforms were added for two [[3"/23 caliber gun|anti-aircraft guns]] forward and a [[5"/51 caliber gun]] aft.  The [[minelayer|minelaying]] conversion enabled her to carry [[naval mines|mines]] on three decks, and included six [[Otis Elevator Company|Otis]] [[elevator]]s individually capable of transferring two mines every 20 seconds from the storage decks to the launching deck.  Stern ports were cut for launching the mines and the rudder quadrant was raised to give adequate clearance.  [[Watertight subdivision]] was improved by strengthening existing bulkheads and building two new bulkheads to divide the largest compartments so the ship might stay afloat if only one compartment were flooded.  Quarters were enlarged to accommodate messing and berthing arrangements for a crew of about 400.  The main machinery was overhauled and auxiliary machinery was added for the elevators, for heating the berthing spaces, for refrigerated food storage, for additional fresh water distilling capacity, for magazine sprinklers and galley and washroom plumbing, and enlarged electric generators for lighting and radio communications.  Existing coal bunkers on the third deck were replaced with a bunker in the hold forward of the boiler room with chutes to load coal over the mines.  Larger boats and heavier anchors required larger davits and anchor windlass, and the mines required specialized handling machinery.<ref>Daniels, Josephus ''The Northern Barrage and Other Mining Activities'' (1920) Government Printing Office pp.70-71</ref>
+The United States Shipping Board took control of the ship from Southern Pacific Steamship Company in 1917. ''Housatonic'' was fitted out for [[United States Navy]] service at Tietjen & Lang's shipyard at [[Hoboken, New Jersey]].  Work began on 25 November 1917.  Gun platforms were added for two [[3"/23 caliber gun|anti-aircraft guns]] forward and a [[5"/51 caliber gun]] aft.  The [[minelayer|minelaying]] conversion enabled her to carry [[naval mines|mines]] on three decks, and included six [[Otis Elevator Company|Otis]] [[elevator]]s individually capable of transferring two mines every 20 seconds from the storage decks to the launching deck.  Stern ports were cut for launching the mines and the rudder quadrant was raised to give adequate clearance. [[Watertight subdivision]] was improved by strengthening existing bulkheads and building two new bulkheads to divide the largest compartments so the ship might stay afloat if only one compartment were flooded.  Quarters were enlarged to accommodate messing and berthing arrangements for a crew of about 400.  The main machinery was overhauled and auxiliary machinery was added for the elevators, for heating the berthing spaces, for refrigerated food storage, for additional fresh water distilling capacity, for magazine sprinklers and galley and washroom plumbing, and enlarged electric generators for lighting and radio communications.  Existing coal bunkers on the third deck were replaced with a bunker in the hold forward of the boiler room with chutes to load coal over the mines.  Larger boats and heavier anchors required larger davits and anchor windlass, and the mines required specialized handling machinery.<ref name=NBOMA>{{cite report |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/n/northern-barrage-other-mining-activities.html |title=The Northern Barrage and Other Mining Activities |author=Navy Department, Office Of Naval Records And Library, Historical Section |year=1920 |pages=70–71 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Government Printing Office |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref>
+Navy data after conversion show the ship as being {{cvt|405|ft|1|in|m|1}} length overall, {{cvt|379|ft|9|in|m|1}} length on water line, beam of {{cvt|48|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}}, depth of hold {{cvt|26|ft|m}}, mean draft of {{cvt|22|ft|6|in|m|1}} and displacement of 7,620 tons. Gross and net tonnage are identical to the merchant vessel registry with {{GRT|4604}} and {{NRT|2918}}. Propulsion was by a vertical, triple expansion steam engine with three double ended boilers providing steam with 4,000{{nbsp}}ihp giving a speed of {{cvt|15|knots|mph km/h}}. Bunker capacity was 943 tons. Electric power was by four 15{{nbsp}}kW 110{{nbsp}}V direct current [[General Electric]] generating sets. Crew is shown as 18 officers, 20 chief petty officers and 400 men.<ref name=SDUSN>{{cite book |last=Construction & Repair Bureau (Navy) |title=Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels |date=November 1, 1918 |location=Washington D.C. |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |pages=454–459 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P0ZHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA454 |accessdate=27 April 2021}}</ref>
 ==Wartime service==
-USS ''Housatonic'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 25 January 1918 with [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[John Greenslade]], [[USN]], in command.  While operating as part of Mine Squadron 1 out of [[Inverness, Scotland]], from 7 June until the close of the war on 11 November 1918, ''Housatonic'':<ref name="rrb46">Belknap, Reginald Rowan ''The Yankee mining squadron; or, Laying the North Sea mining barrage'' (1920) United States Naval Institute pp.46-47,74&110</ref>
+USS ''Housatonic'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 25 January 1918 with Captain [[John Greenslade]], [[USN]], in command .  While operating as part of Mine Squadron 1 out of [[Inverness, Scotland|Inverness]], Scotland, from 7 June until the close of the war on 11 November 1918, ''Housatonic'' laid a total of 9,339 mines:<ref name="rrb46">Belknap, Reginald Rowan ''The Yankee mining squadron; or, Laying the North Sea mining barrage'' (1920) United States Naval Institute pp.46–47,74&110</ref>
 * planted 769 mines during the 1st minelaying excursion on 7 June,
 * planted 800 mines during the 2nd minelaying excursion on 30 June,
@@ Line 103: / Line 136: @@
 * planted 820 mines during the 12th minelaying excursion on 13 October, and
 * planted 800 mines during the final 13th minelaying excursion on 24 October.
-''Housatonic'' then made three trips returning soldiers of the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] to the United States before decommissioning on 5 August 1919 for return to Southern Pacific Steamship Company.
+''Housatonic'' then made three trips returning soldiers of the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] to the United States.
+John Greenslade was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal while aboard ''Housatonic''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Captain Greenslade|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/citation.php?citation=56067|publisher=MilitaryTimes}}</ref>
-==Commanding Officers==
-* John Greenslade was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal while aboard ''Housatonic''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Captain Greenslade|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/citation.php?citation=56067|publisher=MilitaryTimes}}</ref>
+==Return to Southern Pacific==
-==Big Four==
+''Housatonic'' decommissioned 5 August 1919 and was returned to the Southern Pacific Steamship Company.<ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/housatonic-ii.html |title=Housatonic II (SP-1697) |author=Naval History And Heritage Command |date=July 20, 2015 |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=Naval History And Heritage Command |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref> ''El Rio'' was renamed ''Brazos'' in 1925 for operation with Clyde-Mallory Lines.<ref name=WRST>{{cite web |title=''Brazos'' SS (1925~1935) ''Brazos'' SS (+1942) |publisher=The Wrecksite |date= |year= |url=https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?256271 |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref> ''Brazos'' on 21 December 1932 had been involved in a collision determined to have been caused by mutual fault in fog off Galveston with ''Eglantine'', a vessel owned by the United States, resulting in a lawsuit by Clyde-Mallory Lines regarding a two-year limitation period for such suits resulting in an appellate court ruling that the two year limitation should have applied. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that decision.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clyde-Mallory Lines v. Eglantine, 317 U.S. 395 (1943) |publisher=Circuit Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit |date=June 2, 1942 |url=https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-clyde-mallory-lines |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Clyde-Mallory Lines v. The Eglantine, 317 U.S. 395 (1943) |publisher=U.S. Supreme Court |date= January 4, 1943 |url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/317/395/ |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref>
-In the words of British [[Rear Admiral]] [[Lewis Clinton-Baker]], the North Sea mine barrage was the "biggest mine planting stunt in the world's history."  The United States converted eight civilian steamships as minelayers for the 100,000 mines manufactured for the barrage.  The largest of these were four freighters owned by Southern Pacific Steamship Company.  Southern Pacific Transportation Company had evolved from the [[First Transcontinental Railroad]] to become the dominant transportation provider in California.  Owners of the original [[Central Pacific Railroad]] were known as the [[Big Four (Central Pacific Railroad)|Big Four]].  Sailors similarly referred to these former Southern Pacific ships as the Big Four.<ref name="rrb46"/>
-* ''El Siglo'' became No. 1694 USS {{USS|Canandaigua|ID-1694|2}}
+In 1935 the ship began operations with Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) with a signal letter change to WHCB.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wrecksite.eu/docBrowser.aspx?F5zgd/4gzhox10n6bdWTTw== |title=Lloyd's Register 1933-34 |author=Lloyds |publisher=Lloyd's Register |accessdate=27 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://wrecksite.eu/docBrowser.aspx?MXa3fxIWaLOoMFrF05IoKQ== |title=Lloyd's Register 1935-36 |author=Lloyds |publisher=Lloyd's Register |accessdate=27 April 2021}}</ref> ''Brazos'' continued operating until lost in a collision 13 January 1942.<ref name=SBH/><ref name=WRST/><ref name=NYT142>{{cite journal |date=January 23, 1942 |title=U.S. FRIGHTERS SUNK IN COLLISION JAN. 13; ''Brazos'', a 4,497-Ton Vessel, and Unidentified Ship Struck 150 Miles From Hatteras 35 IN THE CREW ALL SAVED Master of Brazilian Rescue Craft Tells of Trying to Salvage the ''Ciltvaira'' |journal=The New York Times |volume= |issue= |page=10 |location=New York, N.Y. |doi= |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/01/23/archives/us-frighters-sunk-in-collision-jan-13-brazos-a-4497ton-vessel-and.html |accessdate=26 April 2021}}</ref> The collision with {{HMS|Archer|D78|6}}, an [[escort carrier]] transporting aircraft from [[Norfolk, Virginia]] to [[Kingston, Jamaica]] and suffering from steering and gyrocompass failures, occurred about two and a half hours before midnight. ''Archer'' spotted the freighter and put engines in reverse but too late to avoid a collision. Both ships suffered damage with ''Brazos'' sinking and ''Archer'' eventually requiring tow and repairs in Charleston. All the freighter's crew was taken aboard ''Archer'', two having suffered injury.<ref name=WRST/><ref name=NYT142/><ref>{{cite journal |date=January 23, 1942 |title=Three N.E. Men on Ship Sunk in Crash |journal=The Boston Globe |page=12 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24640703/brazos-the-boston-globe-jan-23-1942/ |accessdate=27 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Drury |first=Tony |title=A history of HMS ''Archer'' |publisher=The Royal Navy Research Archive |date=16 February 2021 |url=http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/ARCHER.htm |accessdate=27 April 2021}}</ref> <ref group=note>The reference, "A history of HMS ''Archer''" incorrectly states that ''Brazos'' was a "Peruvian merchantman."</ref>
-* ''El Dia'' became No. 1695 USS {{USS|Roanoke|ID-1695|2}}
-* ''El Cid'' became No. 1696 USS {{USS|Canonicus|ID-1696|2}}
+== Footnotes ==
-* ''El Rio'' became No. 1697 USS {{USS|Housatonic|SP-1697|2}}
+{{reflist|group=note}}
 ==See also==
+[[History of the Southern Pacific]]
-{{portal|left=yes|United States Navy}}{{clear|left}}
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+==External links==
+*[https://www.shipscribe.com/usnaux/ww1/ships/id1697.htm USS ''Housatonic'' (ID # 1697), 1918-1919] (Naval Historical Center page Online Library of Selected Images archived as ShipScribe)
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Housatonic (SP-1697)}}
 [[Category:1899 ships]]
 [[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]]
+[[Category:Merchant ships of the United States]]
 [[Category:Ships of the United States Navy]]
+[[Category:World War I mine warfare vessels of the United States]]
+[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1942]]