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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Photo # NH 103197:  USS Suwanee in port, 1919

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIP TYPES --

WORLD WAR I ERA TRANSPORTS --
Converted Freighters of Miscellaneous and Unidentified Types

Seventeen U.S. Navy's WWI era converted freighters transports were of notably different design than those listed on other pages, or cannot be typed on the basis of dimensions and photographs. Similar characteristics link one sub-grouping of three ships and another three subgroups containing one pair each. The remaining eight, among them five ex-German vessels, were apparently all "singletons".

Ten of the seventeen had initial Navy service as cargo ships before being converted to transports between late 1918 and the spring of 1919. The other seven were acquired following the end of fighting and only served in the transport role.

This page features a table (with links to individual ships) of World War I era U.S. Navy transports converted from freighters of miscellaneous and unidentified types, plus a photograph of each ship in this group.


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.


Ships in this group:

SEVENTEEN SHIPS, of varying or unidentified appearance and characteristics. mast, kingposts and smokestack arrangement, as well as deck line configuration and other details, are useful for identifying individual ships and sub-groupings. These vessels are listed below in order of length:


Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-M-F-M-M

One ship, built by the Maryland Steel Company at Sparrows Point, Maryland, in 1903 as S.S. Maine. Later acquired by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company and renamed. Midships superstructure extends to the hull sides.
  • Virginian, USN 1919-1919 (ex-American S.S. Virginian, 1903).
    7914 Gross Tons; Length 492.0'; Breadth 58.3'

     USS Virginian, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): K-M-K-KF-K-K-M-KS

    One ship, built by Bremer-Vulcan shipyard, Vegesack, Germany in 1913. Coding for this ship's arrangement is unusually complex, as her topsides are cluttered with a "forest" of tall kingposts, all also used as ventilators.
  • Suwanee, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Mark, 1913).
    6579 Gross Tons; Length 471.1'; Breadth 59.2'

     USS Suwanee, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-K-KF-M-K

    One ship, built by the Neptun shipyard at Rostock, Germany in 1912. Split superstructure. Forward pair of kingposts are incorporated in the superstructure face.
  • Montpelier, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Bochum, 1912).
    6161 Gross Tons; Length 460.0'; Breadth 58.0'

     USS Montpelier, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): Unknown

    One ship, built by the Vulkan shipyard at Stettin, Germany in 1912 and later owned by the Government of Peru. The only photograph we have of this ship does not allow a good evaluation of her appearance.
  • Callao, USN 1919-1919 (ex-S.S. Sierra Cordoba, 1912).
    8226 Gross Tons; Length 439.1'; Breadth 56.0'

     S.S. Callao, circa 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-KF-M. These ships had flush-deck hulls, and a split midships superstructure. While in USN service, Radnor's port midships kingpost was extended to form a signal mast).

    Two ships, built by the Sun Shipbuilding Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1918.
  • Radnor, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Radnor, 1918).
    7699 Gross Tons; Length 450'; Breadth 57.5'
  • Lancaster, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Lancaster, 1918).
    7699 Gross Tons; Length 450'; Breadth 57.5'
    No image is available (or known to exist) of USS Lancaster

     USS Radnor, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-K-F-M

    One ship, built by Blohm and Voss at Hamburg, Germany in 1907. This ship had a very long combined poop and midships island, separated by a short well from her raised forecastle.
  • Santa Elena, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Santa Elena, 1907).
    7415 Gross Tons; Length 430.9'; Breadth 54.8'

     USS Santa Elena, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-M-F-M-M

    One ship, built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Newport News, Virginia, in 1916. This ship had a flush main deck, with low bulwarks at the bow and amidships, plus four tall masts.
  • Edgar F. Luckenbach, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Edgar F. Luckenbach, 1916).
    7923 Gross Tons; Length 425.0'; Breadth 57.3'

     USS Edgar F. Luckenbach, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-KF-M (see Notes (1) and (2) below)

    Three ships, built by the Union Iron Works/Bethlehem Steel Company at San Francisco, California, in 1917-1918. These ships had a split superstructure amidships. Notes:
    (1) As completed Liberator's masts were of kingpost height, but were raised by 1919, when she served as a transport. A light signal mast was fitted aft of her smokestack, which was shorter and thinner than in Tiger and Peerless.
    (2) In USN service (but not when completed), Tiger had a light mast atop her pilothouse.
    (3) Both Tiger and Peerless had a large letter "S" on each side of her smokestack.
  • Liberator, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Liberator, 1918).
    7951 Gross Tons; Length 410.0'; Breadth 56.0'
  • Peerless, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Eagle, 1917).
    6273 Gross Tons; Length 410.0'; Breadth 56.0'
  • Tiger, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Tiger, 1917).
    6273 Gross Tons; Length 410.0'; Breadth 56.0'

     USS Liberator, 1919:



    Picture Data

     S.S. Eagle, later USS Peerless:

    Picture Data

     USS Tiger, 1919:



    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-F-M. Note: as completed El Oriente appears to have also had a pair of kingposts just forward of the superstructure face.

    Two ships, built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Newport News, Virginia:
  • El Oriente, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. El Oriente, 1910).
    6008 Gross Tons; Length 405.6'; Breadth 53.1'
  • El Sol, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. El Sol, 1910).
    6008 Gross Tons; Length 405.6'; Breadth 53.1'
  • Note: USS El Occidente had identical tonnage and dimensions to El Oriente and El Sol. Also built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in 1910, she served as a Navy cargo ship in 1918-1919, but was not employed as a transport.

     USS El Oriente, 1919:

    Picture Data

     USS El Sol, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-F-M.
    Two ships, built by the Cramp Shipyard at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1913 for operation by the W.R. Grace Steamship Company. Based on date of construction and dimensions, it is presumed that both were of identical configuration. The dimensions of Santa Clara (and presumably Santa Cecilia) were identical to those of five other W.R. Grace ships presented in another page of this presentation, but had flush deck hulls with low bulwarks at the bow and amidships, and no kingposts.

  • Santa Clara, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Santa Clara, 1913).
    6300 Gross Tons; Length 404.6'; Breadth 53.9'
  • Santa Cecilia, USN 1919-1919 (ex-American S.S. Santa Cecilia, 1913).
    6462 Gross Tons; Length 404.6'; Breadth 53.9'
    We have no photographs of this ship, and know of none.

     USS Santa Clara, 1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-K-F-M. This ship had a very long midships island, with her masts located near its ends. Relatively short wells separated her island from the forecastle and poop.

    One ship, built by the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California, 1916.
  • Eurana, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Eurana, 1916).
    5915 Gross Tons; Length 399.7'; Breadth 56.2'

     USS Eurana, circa 1918-1919:

    Picture Data



    Arrangement of kingposts, masts and smokestacks (funnels): M-F-M

    One ship, built by Bremer-Vulcan shipyard, Vegesack, Germany in 1912:
  • Shoshone, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Wasgenwald, 1912).
    4707 Gross Tons; Length 353.1'; Breadth 48.7'

     S.S. Shoshone, circa 1919:

    Picture Data



    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


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    Page made 29 March 2007
    New ships added 16 August 2007