SS ''Santa Rosa'' (later SS ''Oregonian'') was a passenger/cargo ocean liner in service for the Grace Line and later the

American-Hawaiian Steamship Company The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company was founded in 1899 to carry cargos of sugar from Hawaii to the United States and manufactured goods back to Hawaii. Brothers-in-law George Dearborn and Lewis Henry Lapham were the key players in the foun ...

. The vessel also saw military transport service during both World War I and World War II. Built at William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company in Philadelphia, the vessel was completed in January 1917. She was named ''Santa Rosa'' and entered commercial service for the Grace Line. (Two later vessels would also carry the name ''Santa Rosa'' for Grace Line.) After the United States entered World War I, the vessel was requisitioned by the US Army in August 1917 and became the USAT ''Santa Rosa''. In March 1919 she was transferred to the US Navy for use as a transport and commissioned USS ''Santa Rosa'' (ID-2169). In October she was returned to her owners and resumed civilian service for the Grace Line. On 26 December 1922, ''Santa Rosa'' ran aground at

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

, South Carolina; she was refloated on 31 December 1922. In 1925 she was sold to the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company and renamed SS ''Oregonian''. She served her new owners in Pacific inter-coastal service for 17 years. On September 13, 1942, ''Oregonian'' was in the Barents Sea approximately 198 miles WNW of Bear Island as a civilian vessel in

convoy PQ 18 Convoy PQ 18 was an Arctic convoy of forty Allied freighters from Scotland and Iceland to Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union in the war against Nazi Germany. The convoy departed Loch Ewe, Scotland on 2 September 1942, rendezvoused with more ships an ...

. Although armed, the convoy was immediately overwhelmed with attacks from U-boats, torpedo planes, and bombers, all launched from

German-occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

. ''Oregonian'' took three aerial torpedoes to her starboard side. Immediately the ship listed to starboard, rolled over, and sank. Twenty-two crew members and seven Armed Guard were killed, including her master, Harold Dowling. The fourteen surviving crew members were rescued by escort ships and eventually repatriated to the US aboard . ''Oregonian''s wreck is located at

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Rosa, SS World War I auxiliary ships of the United States World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Ocean liners Transports of the United States Navy Transport ships of the United States Army 1916 ships Maritime incidents in 1922 World War II shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean Maritime incidents in September 1942 Ships sunk by German aircraft Ships built by William Cramp & Sons