SS ''West Hosokie'' was a

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

– hulled

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 ...

built in 1918 as part of the World War I emergency wartime shipbuilding program organized 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 ...

. On completion in August 1918, ''West Hosokie'' was immediately commissioned into the U.S. Navy as the

auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxil ...

USS ''West Hosokie'' (ID-3695), and made several voyages on the Navy's behalf before decommissioning in July 1919. She then entered merchant service as SS ''West Hosokie''. In 1928, ''West Hosokie'' was acquired by the

Los Angeles Steamship Company The Los Angeles Steamship Company or LASSCO was a passenger and freight shipping company based in Los Angeles, California. Description The company, formed in 1920, initially provided fast passenger service between Los Angeles and San Francisco. I ...

, renamed SS ''Constance Chandler'', and placed into service as a coastal freighter on the

west coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

of the United States. By 1930 she was operating for the Matson Line, participating in the

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

trade between the U.S. and

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

. She was renamed SS ''Liloa'' in 1938. In 1944, ''Liloa'' was turned over to the Soviet Union and renamed SS ''Belorussia''. ''Belorussia'' was scrapped in 1960.

Construction and design

''West Hosokie'' was built in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

in 1918 at the No. 1 Plant of the Skinner & Eddy Corporation—the 14th in a series of 24 Design 1013

s built by Skinner & Eddy for the USSBs emergency wartime shipbuilding program."General Cargo Ships Built in Pacific Coast Shipyards"
, ''shipbuildinghistory.com''. The ship was laid down on June 11, launched 54 working (65 calendar) days later on 15 August and completed on 29 August—a total time under construction of 65 working (79 calendar) days,''Pacific Ports Annual'', pp. 64-65. putting ''West Hosokie'' into the record books as the fourth-fastest built seagoing ship of the war, and the second fastest ship (behind sister ship ''West Lianga'') of more than 5,500

deadweight ton Deadweight tonnage (also known as deadweight; abbreviated to DWT, D.W.T., d.w.t., or dwt) or tons deadweight (DWT) is a measure of how much weight a ship can carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, Sailing ballast#Water ...

s.Hurley, p. 93. ''Pacific Ports Annual'', pp. 64-65. Note that Hurley's figure of 78 days for ''West Lianga'' differs from the company's own, which is 80 days. Assuming the company's figure is correct, ''West Hosokie'' would be the fastest-built ship of above 5,500 tons of the war. It may be however that Hurley's figure is for the date of completion of the ship while the company's is for the date of delivery. ''West Hosokie'' had a design deadweight tonnage of 8,800 tons and gross register tonnage of 5,600. She had an overall length of 423 feet 9 inches, a beam of 54 feet and a mean draft of 24 feet."''West Hosokie''"
'' Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'', Naval History and Heritage Command website. The ship was powered by a Curtis geared

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating e ...

,Silverstone, p. 169. driving a single screw propeller and delivering a speed of 11.5

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot may also refer to: Places * Knot, Nancowry, a village in India Archaeology * Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life. * Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot Arts, entertainme ...

Service history

U.S. Navy service, 1918-19

Upon delivery to the Navy on 29 August, ''West Hosokie'' was commissioned the same day for operation with 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 ...

(NOTS) as USS ''West Hosokie'' (ID-3695). USS ''West Hosokie'' commenced her first voyage for the Navy on September 7, when she sailed for

Arica, Chile Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the capital ...

to load a cargo of

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

, which was duly delivered to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

on 12 November—the day after Armistice Day. On 20 November ''West Hosokie'' departed for

Newport News, Virginia 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 ...

to load a cargo of Army supplies earmarked for delivery to the U.S. Army in France. She then proceeded to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

to load some additional cargo before departing for France on 15 December. After arriving at Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France, ''West Hosokie'' unloaded her cargo and shipped an Army return cargo bound for

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States, departing 14 February 1919. Pausing briefly at the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

for provisions and fuel, ''West Hosokie'' continued on to Philadelphia, where she arrived 10 March. After discharging her cargo, the ship departed for New York, where more Army supplies bound for France were loaded prior to her departure once again on 10 April. Arriving at

St. Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. T ...

, ''West Hosokie'' discharged her cargo and loaded Army

ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unite ...

materials for the return journey to the U.S. Crossing the Atlantic once more, ''West Hosokie'' reached Newport News on 20 June. She was simultaneously decommissioned, struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

and returned to control of the U.S. Shipping Board on 2 July 1919.

Merchant service

Following her Naval decommission, ''West Hosokie'' was placed into merchant service by the USSB as SS ''West Hosokie''. Little is known about the ship's movements in the early 1920s, but she made a voyage from

Antwerp, Belgium Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

to New York in August 1920, suggesting she may have been engaged in transatlantic service."Shipping and Mails"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', August 26, 1920. On April 26, 1929, ''West Hosokie'' was purchased from the USSB by the

(LASSCO), and placed into service as a coastal freighter on the

of the United States. Renamed SS ''Constance Chandler'' after the socialite daughter of LASSCOs founder,

Harry Chandler Harry Chandler (May 17, 1864 – September 23, 1944) was an American newspaper publisher and investor who became owner of the largest real estate empire in the U.S. Early life Harry Chandler was born in Landaff, New Hampshire, the eldest of four ...

, the ship would maintain a steady service well into the 1930s between west coast ports such as

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

;

; and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Balboa,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She also made numerous voyages via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

(where she sometimes ported at Colón) to east coast destinations including

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and New York.Search results for "Constance Chandler" 1928-1934
''news.google.com.'' See numerous "Shipping and Mail" type entries for the ''New York Times'' and ''Los Angeles Times''. In 1930, LASSCO was taken over by the Matson Line, which maintained ''Constance Chandler'' on her existing routes. On 10 July 1932, about 50 miles off Cristobal, Panama, ''Constance Chandler'' caught fire in one of her cargo holds. The fire burned for 15 hours before being brought under control, after which the ship was towed 20 miles to port for repairs."Plane Directs Ships to Rescue Of Vessel Afire Off Cristobal"
''

'', July 11, 1932 (subscription required)."Ship Fights Fire 15 Hours; Towed 20 Miles to Port"
'' Chicago Daily Tribune'', July 11, 1932 (subscription required). Almost a year later, on 9 June 1933, the ship suffered a collision with the steamer ''Andrea'' off the Golden Gate, San Francisco."Ships in Crash Off Golden Gate"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', June 10, 1933 (subscription required). ''Constance Chandler'' escaped serious damage in the accident and was able to renew service a few days later."Shipping News and Activities at Los Angeles Harbor"
''

'', June 26, 1933 (subscription required). By 1934, in addition to her existing operations, ''Constance Chandler'' had begun making regular trips for the Matson Line to

, transporting

from the island's plantations to the continental United States."Shipping News and Activities at Los Angeles Harbor"
''Los Angeles Times'', February 18, 1935 (subscription required). See als
Search results for "Constance Chandler", 1934-1935
''news.google.com'' for numerous "Shipping and Mails" type entries for the ''Los Angeles Times''. In 1938, ''Constance Chandler'' was renamed SS ''Liloa'', but continued to work for the Matson Line in her usual capacity.McKellar
p. 479a
After America's entry into World War II in December 1941, no more information about the ship's movements appears in contemporary newspaper records, presumably because of a news blackout, but one of the ship's last recorded journeys was a voyage from Hawaii to Australia in January 1941 to pick up a cargo of

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

."Shipping News and Activities at Los Angeles Harbor"
''Los Angeles Times'', January 14, 1941.

Under Soviet Union flag

On 13 January 1945, ''Liloa'' was sold to the Soviet Union, renamed SS ''Belorussia'' and commissioned to the Far East State Shipping Company. During

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 ...

the ship was used for export and import carriages between Union ports and allies ports in Pacific Ocean. The ship was mentioned as a transport ship in Soviet Union Pasific Ocean Navy Fleet list from 9 of August to 3 September 1945. She was transferred to the balance of the Black Sea State Shipping Company on 9 of June 1947. She was decommissioned, deleted from the ship's lists of Ministry of Maritime fleet of the USSR on 11 of April 1962 and transferred to "Glavvtorchermet" (Main organization for the Second use of Black Metals, - Mainsecondblackmet) for dismantling and scrapping. The ship was scrapped in 1968."''West Hosokie'' (ID-3695)"
''navsource.org''.
/ref>

References

Bibliography

;Books *Hurley, Edward N. (1920): ''The New Merchant Marine'', p. 93, The Century Co., New York. *Pacific Ports Inc. (1919): ''Pacific Ports Annual'', Fifth Edition, 1919, pp. 64–65, 402–405, Pacific Ports Inc. *Silverstone, Paul H. (2006): ''The New Navy, 1883-1922'', Routledge, . * ;Journals *McKellar, Norman L. (1962): "Steel Shipbuilding under the U.S. Shipping Board, 1917–1921, ''The Belgian Shiplover''
p. 479a
No. 89, September–October 1962. {{DEFAULTSORT:West Hosokie SS 1918 ships Design 1013 ships Ships built by Skinner & Eddy World War I auxiliary ships of the United States Merchant ships of the United States