SS Empire Bittern

''Empire Bittern'' was a steamship, built as a livestock-carrying cargo ship in 1902 at Belfast, Ireland as ''Iowa'' for the White Diamond Steamship Company Ltd of Liverpool. The ship was sold to the Hamburg Amerika Linie and renamed ''Bohemia'' in 1913.

The German ship was seized by U.S. Customs at New York City at the start of American involvement in World War I, title transferred to the United States Shipping Board (USSB) and renamed ''Artemis''. She served as a USSB United States Army Chartered Transport USACT ''Artemis'' under time charter to the Army from 1917 to war’s end.Army's owned hulls or bareboat charter under full Army control and operation were termed U.S. Army Transport (USAT) with other chartered hulls during the First World War being distinguished as United States Army Chartered Transport (U.S.A.C.T.). Contemporary references the ship use USACT ''Artemis''. No such prefix was used for allocated ships without Army operation and crews during World War II. The ship's last Army chartered voyage arrived at New York on 23 February 1919. The ship was transferred to the Navy and commissioned 8 April 1919 as USS ''Artemis'' with the designation ID-2187. On 18 October 1919 the ship was decommissioned and transferred back to the USSB (later the United States Maritime Commission (USMC)). Converted to cargo only ''Artemis'' served as a merchant ship until about 1923. The ship was laid up still showing in the U.S. register until 1933 when listed among the ships dropped from the register due to abandonment for age and deterioration.

With the World War II emergency in shipping the ship was transferred to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1941, becoming one of the Empire ships, ''Empire Bittern''. The ship was operated for MoWT by Royal Mail Lines Ltd. and made several Atlantic crossings in convoy. In July 1944 ''Empire Bittern'' was sunk as a blockship in support of Operation Overlord.

Construction

''Iowa'' was a steel-hulled, cargo steamship, specially fitted for carrying livestock, and built as yard number 349 by Harland & Wolff Ltd at Belfast. She was launched on 5 July 1902 and completed on 11 November 1902. ''Iowa'', a three deck with shelter deck ship, measured , and was long, with a beam of and a depth of . She was powered by a pair of 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engines, made by the shipbuilders and which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke, totalling , driving twin screws and giving her a speed of . ''Iowa'' was unusual for steamship in carrying five masts.

Commercial service

''Iowa'' was built for the White Diamond Steamship Company Ltd of Liverpool, a British-based business with its origins in the White Diamond Line, founded in Boston, Massachusetts by Enoch Train in 1843. It specialised in the livestock trade, particularly between Boston and Liverpool, and was operated under the management of George Warren & Co Ltd. On 19 November 1902, ''Iowa'' sailed from Liverpool on her maiden voyage. In 1904 White Diamond deployed ''Iowa'' to open a new route between Galveston and Liverpool, bringing large cargos of cotton. George Warren was planning his retirement in 1912 and negotiated the sale of White Diamond, the Warren trading name, and its four ships to British shipowners Furness Withy, which already had a number of other trans-Atlantic cargo services.

Furness Withy considered ''Iowa'' too large for their services and sold her in 1913 to the Hamburg Amerika Line who renamed her ''Bohemia'', and intended to convert her to an emigrant carrier with a capacity of 1200 passengers in steerage class. The transformation was begun at Harland & Wolff's shipyard in Southampton, but cancelled in February 1914. After the outbreak of World War I on 28 July 1914, many German and Austrian ships took refuge in neutral ports, including the United States. ''Bohemia'' arrived in New York on 15 August, reportedly flying the British ensign and disguised as a White Star liner in order to deceive British patrols.

United States Shipping Board

After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, due to her German registry, ''Bohemia'' was seized by American customs authorities. Under a 30 June 1917 Executive Order the United States took possession and title to the seized enemy ships placing them in custody of the United States Shipping Board.

Wartime service

''Bohemia'' was renamed ''Artemis'', armed with a main battery of one and one gun, and placed in service as a USSB transport on time charter to the Army with no formal agreement beyond the time charter. The ship was manned by the USSB with full responsibility for operation.The Army's JAG determined the Army bore no responsibility for operation of the ship and that USSB was fully responsible.

The ship served as the United States Army Chartered Transport (U.S.A.C.T.) ''Artemis'' during World War I and for over three months after the war ended, including voyages carrying horses and mules. In at least one case the ship while in convoy used the guns to fire on a submarine but missed. Her guns were removed at Norfolk, Virginia, on 30 November 1918. On 22 January 1919 at St. Nazaire the ship grounded with the inquiry finding the ship's master made an error by anchoring too close to shore. The French tugs ''Nord'' and ''Commerce'', without request, attempted to tow the ship but cast off without explanation. The board and Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) found that such an unrequested and casual attempt did not warrant a claim for salvage and that any charges related to the grounding paid by the Army were the responsibility of the USSB. ''Artemis'' completed her last voyage as an Army chartered transport at New York City on 23 February 1919.

The Navy took control of ''Artemis'' at Fletcher's Drydock in Hoboken, New Jersey assigning the identification number (ID. No.) 2187 and placed the ship in commission on 8 April 1919 as the second ship bearing the name. The ship was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force sailing for France on 25 April reaching St. Nazaire on 8 May. ''Artemis'' departed France for Newport News, Virginia on 11 May arriving on 24 May. The ship made a second voyage from Norfolk, Virginia on 1 June returning with troops and a cargo of trucks to Newport News arriving on 26 June. A third voyage departed Norfolk on 2 July arriving St. Nazaire on 15 July and sailing from Brest on 21 July arriving at Norfolk on 3 August after which the ship underwent voyage repairs at Norfolk from 6–9 August. The ship's fourth and last voyage was to St. Nazaire arriving on 21 August and sailing for the return on 12 September arriving at pier 3, Army Base, Brooklyn, New York on 23 September 1919. ''Artemis'' was decommissioned on 18 October 1919 at pier 2, Army Base. During her career as a Navy transport, she had brought home 11,760 troops. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 October, and the ship was returned to the USSB.

Subsequent maritime career

''Artemis'' was repaired and fitted for cargo only use and after additional repair work was allocated to the France and Canada Steamship Corporation for service as an animal transport. At the time of the report, closing 30 June 1920, the ship had made several trans-Atlantic voyages in that capacity.

Laid up by 1923, ''Artemis'' remained inactive through the 1930s and into World War II, in the hands of the USSB and its successor, the USMC. The vessel was dropped from the U.S. register in 1933 noted as "Abandoned" defined as abandoned "due to age or deterioration."

World War II

Acquired by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1941, the ship was renamed ''Empire Bittern''. Her port of registry was London and she was operated under the management of Royal Mail Lines Ltd. ''Empire Bittern'' was a member of a number of convoys during World War II.

Convoy HX 189 departed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1942 and arrived at Liverpool on 20 May. ''Empire Bittern'' was to have joined the convoy, but did not sail, joining the following convoy, HX 190 instead. Convoy HX 190 departed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 17 May 1942 and arrived at Liverpool on 28 May.

On 23 July 1944, as part of Operation Overlord, ''Empire Bittern'' was sunk as an additional breakwater ship to reinforce Gooseberry 3 for Mulberry "B" at Gold Beach near Arromanches-les-Bains.

Official numbers and code letters

Official Numbers are national ship identifiers. ''Iowa'' had the British Official Number 115329 and used the Code Letters TRJC. ''Artemis'' had the United States Official Number 215315 and is recorded as having the Code Letters LHMG in 1930. ''Empire Bittern'' regained Official Number 115329 and used Code Letters BCGL.

Footnotes

References

*

External links

NavSource Online: USS Artemis (ID 2187) – ex-USAT Artemis
* ttps://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/usnshtp/ap/w1ap-t16.htm Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center: World War I Era Transports -- with One Smokestack and Five or Six Mastsbr>The D-Day Battlefields – The Mulberry Harbours

{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Bittern
1902 ships
Ships built in Belfast
Ships built by Harland and Wolff
Steamships of the United Kingdom
Passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Steamships of Germany
Passenger ships of Germany
Ships of the Hamburg America Line
World War I merchant ships of Germany
Maritime incidents in 1917
World War I auxiliary ships of the United States
Transports of the United States Navy
Steamships of the United States
Ministry of War Transport ships
Empire ships
Maritime incidents in July 1944
Operation Overlord
Livestock transportation vehicles