The U.S. Navy employed five former coastal passenger steamers (one of them a veteran of Great Lakes' operation) to transport personnel between the British Isles and France during World War I and in the months following the 11 November 1918 Armistice. Of these, just USS Yale is included in the 1919 Secretary of the Navy's Report listing of 125 ships employed on trans-Atlantic transport duties, since she carried troops during her own homeward-bound voyage in 1919. The four others had UK-France service as U.S. Navy ships, but seem not to have executed Atlantic transport missions.
In addition to these five, the Navy employed several coastal
passenger steamships in a variety of roles. These can be subdivided
as follows:
The lists below include all of these ships, all of which of over 1000 gross tons. Not covered are the many smaller coastal, river and sheltered water passenger steamers that the Navy also had in service during this time.
This page features larger coastal and river passenger steamers that were employed by the World War I era U.S. Navy for transport and other duties. Where available, a photograph of each ship is also provided.
TWENTY-ONE SHIPS with typical American coastal and river passenger steamer characteristics: VERY LONG SUPERSTRUCTURES and ONE or TWO SMOKESTACKS. They are subdivided below into several sub-groupings.
Click each ship name to access that ship's complete Online Library entry.
Click the small photographs to prompt a larger view of the same image, and the words "Picture Data" to access the Picture Data Sheet for that image.
THREE SHIPS (one transport and two minelayers) -- Two Smokestacks:
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
TWO SHIPS (both employed as transports) -- Two Smokestacks:
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
TWO SHIPS (both employed as transports) -- Two Thin Smokestacks and Higher Superstructure:
![]() Picture Data |
later USS Nopatin: ![]() Picture Data |
TWO SHIPS (originally operated on the Great Lakes) -- Two Smokestacks:
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
TWO SHIPS (originally operated on the Great Lakes) -- One Smokestack:
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data | '
TWO SHIPS (both converted to minelayers) -- Flush-Deck Hull and One Tall Smokestack:
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
THREE SHIPS -- Former coastal passenger steamers of differing appearance:
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
FIVE SHIPS -- Former river and harbor passenger steamers:
We have no photographs concerning the steamers Fenimore and Iro.
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
![]() Picture Data |
NOTES:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 5 April 2007
New ship added 20 December 2010