USS Housatonic (SP-1697): Difference between revisions
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| Ship country = |
| Ship country = |
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| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1864}} |
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1864}} |
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| Ship name = |
| Ship name =*''El Rio'' (1899—1918) |
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*''Housatonic'' (1918—1919) |
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| Ship namesake = The [[Housatonic River]] |
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*''El Rio'' (1919—1925) |
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*''Brazos'' (1925—1945)) |
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|Ship owner=*Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1899-1917) |
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*U.S. Navy (1917—1919) |
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*Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1919-1925) |
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*Clyde-Mallory Line (1925-1935) |
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*Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) (1935-1942) |
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|Ship operator= |
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| Ship namesake = (Navy) [[Housatonic River]] |
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| Ship ordered = |
| Ship ordered = |
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| Ship awarded = |
| Ship awarded = |
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| Ship builder = |
| Ship builder =[[Newport News Shipbuilding]], [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. |
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| Ship original cost = |
| Ship original cost = |
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| Ship yard number = |
| Ship yard number =24 |
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| Ship way number = |
| Ship way number = |
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| Ship laid down = |
| Ship laid down = |
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| Ship launched = |
| Ship launched =24 June 1899 |
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| Ship sponsor = |
| Ship sponsor = |
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| Ship christened = |
| Ship christened = |
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| Ship completed = 1899 |
| Ship completed =19 October 1899 |
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| Ship acquired = |
| Ship acquired = |
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| Ship commissioned = 25 January 1918 |
| Ship commissioned =(Navy) 25 January 1918 |
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| Ship decommissioned = 5 August 1919 |
| Ship decommissioned =(Navy) 5 August 1919 |
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| Ship in service = |
| Ship in service =1899 |
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| Ship out of service = |
| Ship out of service =1942 |
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| Ship renamed = |
| Ship renamed = |
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| Ship reclassified = |
| Ship reclassified = |
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| Ship struck = |
| Ship struck = |
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| Ship reinstated = |
| Ship reinstated = |
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| Ship homeport = |
| Ship homeport =New York, New York |
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| Ship motto = |
| Ship motto = |
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| Ship nickname = |
| Ship nickname = |
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| Ship honors = |
| Ship honors = |
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|Ship identification=*U.S. Official Number: 136761 |
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| Ship fate = |
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*Signal: KPJW |
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| Ship status = |
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*Signal: WHCB (1935—1942) |
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| Ship fate =Lost as ''Brazos'' in collision 1942. |
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| Ship notes = |
| Ship notes = |
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| Ship badge = |
| Ship badge = |
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| Header caption = |
| Header caption = |
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| Ship class = |
| Ship class = |
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| Ship type = |
| Ship type =*Freighter (1899-1942) |
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*(Navy) [[Minelayer]] (1918—1919)<ref name=SDUSN/> |
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| Ship tonnage = |
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| Ship |
| Ship tonnage =*{{GRT|4604}}, {{NRT|2918}}<ref name=MVUS1901/> |
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*{{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> |
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| Ship tons burthen = |
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| Ship displacement =7,620 tons |
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| Ship length = {{convert|405|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="rrb46"/> |
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| Ship |
| Ship length =*{{cvt|405|ft|1|in|m|1|abbr=on}} overall |
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*{{cvt|379|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} on water line |
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*{{convert|391.9|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[length between perpendiculars|registry]]<ref name=MVUS1901/> |
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| Ship beam =*{{convert|48.3|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=MVUS1901/> |
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| Ship height = |
| Ship height = |
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| Ship draught = |
| Ship draught = |
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| Ship draft = |
| Ship draft ={{cvt|22|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}} |
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| Ship depth = |
| Ship depth ={{convert|15.8|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=MVUS1901/> |
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| Ship hold depth = |
| Ship hold depth ={{convert|26|ft|m|abbr=on}} |
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| Ship decks = |
| Ship decks = |
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| Ship deck clearance = |
| Ship deck clearance = |
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| Ship ice class = |
| Ship ice class = |
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| Ship power = |
| Ship power = |
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| Ship propulsion = |
| Ship propulsion =Vertical, triple expansion steam |
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| Ship sail plan = |
| Ship sail plan = |
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| Ship speed = |
| Ship speed ={{cvt|15|knots|mph km/h}} |
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| Ship range = |
| Ship range = |
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| Ship endurance = |
| Ship endurance = |
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| Ship test depth = |
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| Ship boats = |
| Ship boats = |
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| Ship capacity = 830 mines (900 max)<ref name="rrb46"/> |
| Ship capacity =(Navy) 830 mines (900 max)<ref name="rrb46"/> |
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| Ship troops = |
| Ship troops = |
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| Ship complement = |
| Ship complement =(Navy) 18 officers, 20 chief petty officers, 400 men<ref name=SDUSN/> |
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| Ship crew = |
| Ship crew =*49<ref name=MVUS1901/> |
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| Ship time to activate = |
| Ship time to activate = |
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| Ship sensors = |
| Ship sensors = |
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| Ship EW = |
| Ship EW = |
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| Ship armament =*1 × [[5"/51 caliber gun]] |
| Ship armament =*(Navy)<ref name=SDUSN/> |
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*1 × [[5"/51 caliber gun]] |
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*2 × [[3"/ |
*2 × [[3"/50 caliber gun]]s |
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*2 machine guns |
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| Ship armour = |
| Ship armour = |
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| Ship armor = |
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The second '''USS ''Housatonic''''' was the [[Southern Pacific]] freighter ''El Rio'' temporarily converted for planting the [[World War I]] [[North Sea Mine Barrage]]. |
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]]. |
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''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. |
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''USS Housatonic'', a US Navy minelayer, was the former 4,664 gross ton commercial passenger-cargo ship ''El Rio''. The ''El Rio'' was built and launched on 14 November 1899 by the Newport New Ship Building & Dry Dock Company in Norfolk, Virginia. She was owned by the Southern Pacific Steamship Company, and built for passenger-cargo trade on the New York-New Orleans-Galveston, Texas run, and operated under the flag of the Morgan Line. Her dimensions were 380.5-feet in length, with a 48-foot beam, and she drew 23.9-feet of draft. Her working career spanned from 1899 through 1922. She had a Marconi Wireless radio and some of her early operators were J. A. Daggett, Samuel Kay and W. H. Davis. |
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==''El Rio''== |
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Other early officers of the ''El Rio'' were just learning the trade and one such officer was 3rd mate Rasmussen. Rasmussen had just attended the Uttmark’s Nautical Academy located on State Street in New York. Captain Uttmark started this school in 1882. He writes the following letter of thanks to Captain Fritz E. Uttmark: |
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''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> |
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==Big Four minelayers== |
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"I am sending you a few lines to express my gratitude and to thank you for your good teaching, also for the interest you took in teaching me during the four weeks' course in navigation. I was able to pass the examination as 2nd mate coastwise and 3rd mate on any tonnage of any ocean without any trouble. I now hold a position as 3rd mate on the ''SS El Rio'' of the Morgan Line. I will gladly recommend you to any one wishing to learn navigation, and wish you success with your school. Berent August Rasmussen, 734 51st Street, Brooklyn, NY" |
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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"/> |
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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"/> |
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The men of the ''El Rio'' took their ship seriously and took great pride in their accomplishments. Chief Engineer Bennett was not going to let another ship take their record, especially a ship from a competing line. In December of 1907 the Chief Engineer of the ''El Rio'' writes to the editor of the magazine "The American Marine Engineer" where he states: |
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* ''El Siglo'' became No. 1694 USS {{USS|Canandaigua|ID-1694|2}} |
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* ''El Dia'' became No. 1695 USS {{USS|Roanoke|ID-1695|2}} |
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"In the issue of October 1907, I note where the ''San Jacinto'' (Mallory Line) broke the record from Galveston, Texas to New York; time 5 days. I beg to differ with this, however, as the northbound record is held by the ''El Rio'' of the Morgan Line, 4 days, 18 hours and 22 minutes, dock to dock. The southbound record is held by the ''El Cid'' of the same line, 5 days, dock to dock. This record was made 4 years ago. H. G. Bennett, Chief Engineer, ''SS El Rio''." |
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* ''El Cid'' became No. 1696 USS {{USS|Canonicus|ID-1696|2}} |
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* ''El Rio'' became No. 1697 USS {{USS|Housatonic|SP-1697|2}} |
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The ''El Rio'' and three of her sister ships who were all owned by the Southern Pacific Steamship Company and operated under the Morgan Line flag were taken over by the Navy late in 1917 due to urgent shipping needs because of the war. These four Morgan Line ships were selected by the navy for use as minelayers because their designs were essentially identical, and similar to those of older ships that had entered the Navy in 1898. All four were later converted to transports and used as such to return troops from Europe to the U.S. during 1919. ''El Rio'' was renamed ''USS Housatonic'' and placed into commission as a United States Naval vessel on 25 January 1918, and given the task of laying sea mines.<ref>{{cite web |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=7 October 2018}}</ref> Her new commanding officer was Captain John W. Greenslade, USN. But first there would need to have extensive changes made to her hull in order to allow for the mine laying tunnel. |
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==Conversion== |
==Conversion== |
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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> |
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Work began in earnest on 25 November 1917 at the Tietjen & Lang’s shipyard in Hoboken, New Jersey under the direction of the Fletcher Company, and her hull was painted in the dazzle paint scheme whose purpose was to make the ship difficult to see from a U-boat Captain’s eye while at sea. |
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1918 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> |
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Gun platforms were added for two anti-aircraft guns forward and a 5”/51 caliber gun aft. The mine laying 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.<ref>Daniels, Josephus ''The Northern Barrage and Other Mining Activities'' (1920) Government Printing Office pp.70–71</ref> |
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Many new officers came aboard the ship and got their first taste of navy life, one such officer was Stewart Shirley Reynolds. He enlisted into the US Navy on 13 April 1917 as a Seaman in the USNRF. Reynolds was then attending the Phillips Academy in Andover, Maryland. He was commissioned as an Ensign on 20 November 1918. His first duty was aboard the ''USS Nevada'', and then transferred to the ''USS Housatonic'' where he participated in the laying of the North Sea Mine barrage. |
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Once this work was completed ''Housatonic'' steamed across the Atlantic to Scotland, from where she would operate from for the rest of World War I. The essential task of the ''Housatonic'' was to, with the help of her nine other fleet mates; build a barrier of mines across the North Sea in an effort to restrict the movements of German submarines. |
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The idea of a mine barrage across the North Sea was first proposed in the summer of 1916 by British Royal Navy Admiral Reginald Bacon, and was agreed at the Allied Naval Conference on 5 September 1917. The Royal Navy, and in particular Admiral Beatty as Commander in Chief of the Grand Fleet; was skeptical about the value of the operation and did not feel it justified the large logistical and manufacturing commitment required. But the Unites States was altogether more enthusiastic about the operation as the loss of trans-Atlantic shipping was a major domestic concern and this plan allowed the United States to play an active part in tackling this while playing to their industrial strength and with minimal risk of American casualties. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt appealed directly to President Woodrow Wilson to overcome opposition to the project from Vice Admiral William Sims, who commanded all United States naval forces in Europe. |
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But many in the navy knew that the mines available at the time were contact only and the logistical commitment to mine a 250-mile long field was nearly impossible. But by July of 1917 a new type of mine was developed one that used an electrical antennae-firing device. This would allow for a reduction from over 400,000 of the old contact type mines to about 100,000 of the new electrical type mines. Now the American and British navies had something they could work with. |
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By November 1917 the idea was ready for action and the two nations agreed to put things into motion to mine the North Sea. But first ships would be needed to lay mines with. Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss was given command of this vacant fleet. His first order of business was to put Captain Reginald R. Belknap in command of the Mine-force. Belknap was a stern disciplinarian and was experienced in the use of sea mines. Admiral Strauss used as his force flagship the ''USS Black Hawk'', skippered by Captain R. C Bulmer. |
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It would be seven months before the ten-ship fleet was ready for sea. But in the early spring of 1918 the new fleet arrived in Inverness, Scotland for duty. There in Inverness awaited all the mines that the fleet would need. |
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==Wartime service== |
==Wartime service== |
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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> |
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The small fleet of ten ships together formed Mine Squadron One, US Atlantic Fleet, and was responsible for the laying of the great North Sea Mine Barrage of 1918. |
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'''Mine Squadron One, U.S. Atlantic Fleet''' |
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Senior officers of the squadron, September 1918. |
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Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss, Force Commander. Captain Reginald R. Belknap, Commander Mine Squadron One; Commander Bruce L. Canaga, Aide to Commander Mine Squadron One; |
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Captain Henry V. Butler, C.O. USS ''San Francisco'', Squadron Flagship |
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Captain W. T. Cluverius, Commanding Officer USS ''Shawmut''; |
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Captain Clark D. Stearns, C.O. USS ''Roanoke''; |
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Captain Albert W. Marshall, C.O. USS ''Baltimore''. |
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Captain Thomas L. Johnson, C.O. USS ''Canonicus''; |
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Captain James H. Tomb, C.O. USS ''Aroostook''; |
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Captain John W. Greenslade, C.O. USS ''Housatonic''; |
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Commander Sinclair Gannon, C.O. USS ''Saranac''; |
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Commander William H. Reynolds, C.O. USS ''Canandaigua''; |
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Commander Daniel P. Mannix, C.O. USS ''Quinnebaug''; |
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During the next five-months the American ships laid 56,571 and the British ships laid 13,606 mines. By wars end the minefield was not completed but it did have an effect on the U-boats. It was said that the men in the ships were “Living on the edge of eternity.” These sailors were packed into ships that were filled to the rails with high explosives, at any given moment they could go up in a ball of flames. A typical day would be steaming out to position, forming a line three or five ships abreast at 500-yard intervals drop a mine with 300-pounds of TNT and then return to base like it was no big deal. Captain Belknap ran a very tight operation; he had too every man’s life depended on it. Belknap remarked later, “Precision and quickness of action while at sea were imperative, from start to finish.” During the mine laying expeditions the ''Housatonic'' twice had steering gear troubles, which added to the stress already upon the crew. Steaming in a tight formation loaded with enough explosives to wipe out the ship with a disabled steering system likely made life a bit sporting in the wheelhouse for the captain and coxswain. |
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Once on station the time that it took to lay the mines would last anywhere from four to seven hours. Staying in formation in bad weather and or darkness was a hair-raising experience. Captain Belknap in writing to his wife remarked, “Interesting as these trips are, no sane person would take two for pleasure.” Once the ships returned to Inverness after laying mines, relaxation was something that took a bit to work out. But throughout the operation men and officers were able to keep good spirits. |
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But the fear of death by an explosion was not the only worry aboard the ''Housatonic''. Just getting the mines down the tunnel off the stern of the ship and into the water carried its own risks. On 27 May 1918 Fireman 2c Roy H. Jolley was killed when he was crushed under the top arc of the rudder and the mine tunnel during a launching operation. Roy Herbert Jolley was born on 12 September 1893 and joined the navy on 17 April 1917 just eleven days after America entered the war. His sister, Florence Crawford of Watermill, NY was listed as his next of kin. |
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While operating as part of Mine Squadron 1 out of Inverness, Scotland, ''Housatonic'' from 7 June 1918 until the close of the war on 11 November 1918, planted the following: |
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* planted 769 mines during the 1st minelaying excursion on 7 June, |
* planted 769 mines during the 1st minelaying excursion on 7 June, |
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* planted 800 mines during the 2nd minelaying excursion on 30 June, |
* planted 800 mines during the 2nd minelaying excursion on 30 June, |
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* planted 820 mines during the 12th minelaying excursion on 13 October, and |
* planted 820 mines during the 12th minelaying excursion on 13 October, and |
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* planted 800 mines during the final 13th minelaying excursion on 24 October. |
* planted 800 mines during the final 13th minelaying excursion on 24 October. |
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''Housatonic'' then made three trips returning soldiers of the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] to the United States. |
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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> |
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By the end of the war the minefield had reached 230 miles long and 15–35 miles wide. Even though this field was not completed it was enough to make the stoutest German U-boat captains think twice about navigating it. At least four U-boats were sunk due to the field, which was equal to the number of U-boats sunk by American surface ships during the war. Additionally there were another four U-boats possibly sunk. |
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==Return to Southern Pacific== |
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The ''Housatonic'' returned to the U.S. following the November 1918 Armistice and was converted to a troop transport. ''Housatonic'' was then employed by the Cruiser and Transport Force, making three trips returning American servicemen home from France. ''Housatonic'' was decommissioned on 5 August 1919 and returned to her former owner, the Southern Pacific Steamship Company. She ended her working days in 1922. |
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''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> |
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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> |
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'''Officers and Warrant officers of the ''Housatonic'' serving under Captain John W. Greenslade during WWI were:''' |
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== Footnotes == |
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Lt. Commander Walter F. Jacobs, Executive Officer, USN |
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{{reflist|group=note}} |
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Lt. Commander Harry W. Lewis, Naval Reserve Force |
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Lt. Commander Glenn Albert Smith |
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Lt. Serguis M. Rilis, Naval Reserve Force |
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Lt. Frank Spoerr, Naval Reserve Force |
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Lt. (jg) John Wilson, USN |
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Ensign Edward Bertrand Collins, USN |
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Ensign (Temporary) Ernest J. Leonard, USN |
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Assistant Paymaster, Daniel M. Miller, USN |
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Acting Pay Clerk (Temporary) Theodore W. S. Runyon, USN |
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Assistant Surgeon William R. Levis, USN |
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Chief Warrant Officer Samuel MacDonald, Jr. |
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Warrant Machinist (Temporary) Albert A. Elliott, USN |
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==Commanding officers== |
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* 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> |
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==Big Four== |
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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">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> |
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* ''El Siglo'' became No. 1694 USS {{USS|Canandaigua|ID-1694|2}} |
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* ''El Dia'' became No. 1695 USS {{USS|Roanoke|ID-1695|2}} |
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* ''El Cid'' became No. 1696 USS {{USS|Canonicus|ID-1696|2}} |
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* ''El Rio'' became No. 1697 USS {{USS|Housatonic|SP-1697|2}} |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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[[History of the Southern Pacific]] |
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{{clear|left}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[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) |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Housatonic (SP-1697)}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Housatonic (SP-1697)}} |
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[[Category:1899 ships]] |
[[Category:1899 ships]] |
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[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]] |
[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]] |
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[[Category:Merchant ships of the United States]] |
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[[Category:Ships of the United States Navy]] |
[[Category:Ships of the United States Navy]] |
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[[Category:World War I mine warfare vessels of the United States]] |
[[Category:World War I mine warfare vessels of the United States]] |
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[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1942]] |
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Latest revision as of 04:04, 29 November 2024
_in_The_Boston_Harbor.jpg)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | (Navy) Housatonic River |
| Owner |
|
| 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 |
|
| Fate | Lost as Brazos in collision 1942. |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 7,620 tons |
| Length | |
| Beam | 48.3 ft (14.7 m)[2] |
| Draft | 22 ft 6 in (6.9 m) |
| Depth | 15.8 ft (4.8 m)[2] |
| 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)[5] |
| Complement | (Navy) 18 officers, 20 chief petty officers, 400 men[1] |
| Crew | 49[2] |
| Armament |
|
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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ 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."
See also
[edit]History of the Southern Pacific
References
[edit]- ^ 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
[edit]- USS Housatonic (ID # 1697), 1918-1919 (Naval Historical Center page Online Library of Selected Images archived as ShipScribe)