War Shell, a 1190 net ton steam cargo ship built at Toledo, Ohio, in 1917 was renamed Lake Shore by the United States Shipping Board soon after completion. She was acquired by the Navy at the end of December 1917 and commissioned as USS Lake Shore (ID # 1792) in January 1918. Serving with the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, she carried a cargo of coal from Norfolk, Virginia, to Boston, Massachusetts, in February-March 1918, then crossed the Atlantic to Scotland with a load of mines and coal. After spending May and June operating along the U.S. east coast, Lake Shore made three more trips to Scotland and France with mines. She returned to the United States in February 1919 and was decommissioned and turned over to the Shipping Board the next month. Sold to private owners in 1923, she was renamed Olympic and employed along the U.S. West Coast until 1940. The ship was reacquired by the Navy in 1942 and commissioned in July of that year as USS Taganak (AG-45). After serving in the Pacific during the rest of World War II she was sold in 1946 and was subsequently a commercial steamer under the names Glento, Pilhamm and Lulu. She was scrapped in 1960.
This page features our only view of the cargo ship War Shell, which served as USS Lake Shore in 1918-1919 and USS Taganak in 1942-1946.
For World War II era views of this ship, see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
For World War II era views of this ship, see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 23 October 2001
Text revised and links added 8 June 2003