USAHS Algonquin

''Algonquin'' was an ocean liner built in 1926 for the Clyde-Mallory Line. She was involved in a collision in 1929 and rescued survivors from another in 1935. Repaired after a fire in 1940, she was requisitioned for use as a troopship and later a hospital ship. She served until 1946 when she was laid up, finally being scrapped in 1957.

History

''Algonquin'' was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia. She was yard number 317 and was launched on 9 September 1926 and completed in December that year. ''Algonquin'' was built for the Clyde Mallory Line and her port of registry was New York.

On 18 December 1929, ''Algonquin'' was in collision with in the Ambrose Channel, off New York in thick fog. ''Fort Victoria'' was hit on the port side by the bows of ''Algonquin'', which was on a voyage from Galveston, Texas to New York. Both ships issued distress calls and all on board ''Fort Victoria'' were rescued before that ship sank.

On 24 January 1935, the SS ''Mohawk'' was involved in a collision with the SS ''Talisman'' after her automatic steering gear failed. ''Mohawk'' sank within an hour. ''Algonquin'' and rescued 107 survivors between them but 46 people were killed.

In July 1940, ''Algonquin'' caught fire and sank while docked at New York. The ship was salvaged and repaired, then transferred to the Puerto Rico Line on return to service in 1941. In January 1942, she was requisitioned and put into service as a troopship. Her port of registry was changed to Charleston, South Carolina. In July 1943, ''Algonquin'' was requisitioned by the United States Army Transport Service. She was refitted by the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company, Mobile, Alabama and entered service at the end in January 1944. Her maiden voyage as a hospital ship was from New Orleans, Louisiana to Gibraltar, then Oran, Algeria and Bizerte, Tunisia ending in Naples, Italy. On her return to Charleston, she was sent to Merrill-Stevens Drydock & Repair Company, Jacksonville, Florida for repairs, spending most of April there.

In May 1944, ''Algonquin'' made another voyage to Gibraltar and Bizerte, returning at the end of the month. The following month, the trip was repeated, with an additional call at Naples. In July and August, ''Algonquin'' was operating between Bizerte and Naples. On 15 August, she was one of twelve hospital ships supporting Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. In mid-September ''Algonquin'' returned to Charleston, then departed for Oran on 22 September. She then spent some time operating between Livorno, Italy, Marseilles, France, Naples and Oran, returning to Charleston on 22 February 1945. Between May and September, ''Algonquin'' made four return trips between the United States and Europe, with one arrival in New York harbor on 2 July.Associated Press, "Two Hospital Ships Arrive in New York", ''The San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 3 July 1945, Volume 51, page 2. Her return voyage in September was to her new port of registry, New York. Two more return trips to Marseilles and Naples were made and then ''Algonquin'' was drydocked in December for conversion to trooping duties again. On completion of the work in January 1946, she was employed to repatriate American troops and Italian war brides from Europe.

''Algonquin'' was withdrawn from service in June 1946 and laid up in the James River. She was scrapped in 1957 at Baltimore, Ohio, arriving on 10 January.

Description

''Algonquin'' was a ocean liner. She was long, with a beam of and a draught of . She was propelled by two steam turbines which drove a single propeller through single reduction gearing. The twin turbines could propel her at .

Official Numbers and Code Letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. ''Algonquin'' had the US Official Number 226126 and the Code Letters MGJF. In 1934, her Code Letters were changed to KGDL.

References

External links

Photo of SS ''Algonquin''

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1926 ships
Ocean liners
Steamships of the United States
Merchant ships of the United States
Maritime incidents in 1929
Maritime incidents in 1935
Troop ships
Hospital ships of the United States Army
Transport ships of the United States Army