SS ''Edward Luckenbach'' was the first of five new
cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
s to be built for the
Luckenbach Steamship Company by
Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation
Fore River Shipyard was a shipyard owned by General Dynamics Corporation located on Weymouth Fore River in Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location on Quincy Point in 1901. In ...
. The ship was launched in September 1916, delivered in November and briefly operated as such before being requisitioned for World War I service. The ship was one of the cargo vessels in the first large convoy transporting U.S. Army forces to France. After that convoy the ship served as a U.S. Army Chartered Transport (USACT) until converted by the Army to a troop ship and turned over to the Navy a few months before the war's end. The Navy commissioned the ship as USS ''Edward Luckenbach'' assigning the miscellaneous identification number ID-1662 in August 1918. The transport made one wartime voyage with continued voyages returning the Army to the U.S. until August 1919.
''Edward Luckenbach'' was returned to the company before mid September, 1919, resuming commercial service, mainly between New York and San Francisco. The ship sank 1 July 1942 after mistakenly enterering a defensive
minefield
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
north of
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and striking two mines.
Construction and acquisition
''Edward Luckenbach'', the first of five steam turbine driven cargo ships, was built as hull 248 and launched 14 September 1916 by Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation at
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...
for Luckenbach Steamship Company of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
[The five ships in order with Fore River hull number were ''Edward Luckenbach'' (248), (251), (264), (265) and (267).]
The ship had a central deck house and bridge with a single stack with two masts and eight king posts was "novel" at the time. Three single ended, oil fired, boilers each with four corrugated furnaces and a total heating area of provided steam for a single geared turbine with a high and low speed reduction gear designed for 4,000 shaft horsepower at 90 revolutions. At maximum 93 revolutions the shaft horsepower was rated at 4,500. The propeller was in diameter with an adjustable pitch between and set at .
[
''Edward Luckenbach'' was registered with U.S. Official Number 214560, signal LGMP at New York, New York, as a three deck ship, , , registry length, beam and depth.
]
Service history
''Edward Luckenbach'' was delivered to the Luckenbach Steamship Company on 28 November 1916 for commercial cargo operation.[ By early May of the next year a decision was made to send an Army to France with orders to sail by June 1917. The interned ships of Germany and her allies had been seized, but many were damaged by the interned crews with major repairs needed. The only choice was to requisition U.S. merchant vessels for Army charter use. ''Edward Luckenbach'' was among the fourteen vessels selected by industry experts after a survey of the U.S. registry with sufficient bunker capacity and speed for the service and which were quickly available. The ship was discharging cargo at Philadelphia and arrived at New York 31 May 1917 to be placed under Army charter.] On 17 July 1917 ''Edward Luckenbach'' departed New York in the fourth element, which had been delayed awaiting last minute dispatches and stores, of the first large convoys transporting the American Expeditionary Forces
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
(A.E.F.) to France.[Table showing ships by group]
After the initial convoy the ship served as the United States Army Chartered Transport USACT ''Edward Luckenbach'' until the just before the Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
after which she was transferred by the United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...
to the Navy. During that time a ship's cook deserted in New York and appealed his trial by court martial for desertion. The appeal was rejected as he was determined to be "a person serving with the Armies of the United States in the field" and subject to trial by military authorities.
U.S. Navy service
The Shipping Board transferred her to the U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
service on 29 August 1918. Assigned Identification Number (Id. No.) 1662, she was commissioned the same day as USS ''Edward Luckenbach''. The ship was assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service
Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...
and departed New York City on 18 September 1918 for Marseilles
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, France, carrying United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
. By the time she returned to New York on 22 November 1918, the war had been over for eleven days, so it was her only wartime voyage as a U.S. Navy ship. The ship was converted by the Army to a troop transport. As a troop transport the ship was rated at for transport of 17 officers and 2,244 enlisted personnel.[
On 18 December 1918, ''Edward Luckenbach'' was transferred to the ]Newport News
Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...
Division of the Cruiser and Transport Force The Cruiser and Transport Service was a unit of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet during World War I that was responsible for transporting American men and materiel to France.
Composition
On 1 July 1918, the Cruiser and Transport Force was ...
for postwar use as a troop transport. After conversion into a transport, she made three voyages in 1919 from New York and Newport News, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, with cargo for St. Nazaire, France, returning with patients, convalescents, troops, and casuals to the United States.[
''Edward Luckenbach'' was unable to continue her fourth voyage to Europe – this time from ]Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
, Virginia – because of engine trouble. She was lying disabled in mid-ocean in the Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
on 15 July 1919 when troop transport – herself four days outbound on a voyage from Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, to St. Nazaire, France – encountered her. ''Arizonan'' towed her toward Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts. The United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
cutter joined the two troop transports on the afternoon of 17 July 1919. On the morning of 19 July 1919, ''Ossipee'' took over the towing duty from ''Arizonan'', freeing ''Arizonan'' to continue on her voyage to France.[
After arriving at Boston under tow, ''Edward Luckenbach'' was decommissioned on 6 August 1919 and delivered to the Shipping Board the same day for return to Luckenbach Steamship Company.][
]
Later career
''Edward Luckenbach'' was among those released to owners in September 1919, to resume commercial service as a cargo ship. In 1921 the ship set a cargo ship record from New York to San Francisco with total elapsed time of 18 days with time in transit, excluding time in Los Angeles for cargo, of 15 days, 11 hours.
She ran aground at Block Island
Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washingt ...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, on 10 January 1930, but was refloated on 5 March 1930 and returned to service. On 17 February 1937, she was beached after she collided with the Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
cargo ship in the Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
at Rainier, Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. She eventually was refloated and again returned to service.
''Edward Luckenbach'' was delivered to the War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime Co ...
(WSA) for World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
operations on 3 March 1942 to be operated by Luckenbach as WSA's agent. On 1 July 1942 the ship mistakenly entered a defensive minefield five miles off Smith Shoal Light, about 11 miles (18 km) north-northwest of Key West, Florida
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
, struck two mines and sank. One crew member was killed. The ship sank with the superstructure above water and the 41 surviving crew and 12 man Navy Armed Guard re-board the next day. They weare transported to Key West by patrol craft. One of the first major salvage operations for was recovery of cargo from the wreck. The operation, involving other salvage ships, lasted from 28 March to 8 December 1943. ''Harjurand'' transported some 4,500 tons of the recovered ore to Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
, Florida to be used in the war effort.[The ''Harjurand'' DANFS apparently mistakenly notes the cause of the sinking was "torpedo".] The ship itself was declared a Constructive Total Loss (CTL).[
A large quantity of ]tungsten
Tungsten, or wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is a rare metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively as compounds with other elements. It was identified as a new element in 1781 and first isolat ...
was salvaged from the wreck, and the wreck was surveyed
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the land, terrestrial Two-dimensional space#In geometry, two-dimensional or Three-dimensional space#In Euclidean geometry, three-dimensional positions of ...
using the wire-drag technique to prevent it from being a hazard to navigation. The wreck is scattered over a wide area in of water.[
]
Footnotes
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edward Luckenbach (ID-1662)
1916 ships
Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts
World War I cargo ships of the United States
Ships sunk by mines
Cargo ships of the United States Navy
Unique transports of the United States Navy
Maritime incidents in 1919
Maritime incidents in 1930
Maritime incidents in 1937
Maritime incidents in July 1942