USS Pretoria (1897)

USS ''Pretoria'' was a transatlantic liner that was launched in Germany in 1897 and spent most of her career with Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). She was the second of a class of four HAPAG sister ships that were built in the United Kingdom and Germany between 1896 and 1899.

In 1919 HAPAG surrendered ''Pretoria'' to the United States as part of Germany's World War I reparations to the Allies. She became a United States Navy troop ship and was used to repatriate American Expeditionary Forces troops from Europe.

Later in 1919 she was transferred from the US government to the UK Shipping Controller. She was scrapped in 1921.

Building

''Pretoria'' was the second of HAPAG's four P-class ocean liners, which were built in the latter half of the 1890s. Harland and Wolff launched the first of them, , in 1896. AG Vulcan Stettin launched the last of the four, , in 1899. Blohm & Voss in Hamburg built the second and third of the sisters, launching ''Pretoria'' in 1897 and in 1898.

''Pretoria'' was launched on 9 October 1897 and completed in February 1898. Her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . She had berths for 162 first classpassengers, 197 second class and 2,382 third class, and her tonnage was and 14,130 tons displacement.

''Pretoria'' had twin propellers, each driven by a four-cylinder quadruple-expansion steam engine. Between them her twin engines were rated at 1,000 NHP and gave her a speed of .

HAPAG registered ''Arcadia'' in Hamburg. Her code letters were RKTS.

German service

''Pretoria'' made her maiden voyage in 1898. She left Hamburg on 12 February and reaching New York on 24 February.

In March 1899 HAPAG announced that the regular route for ''Pretoria'' and her three sisters would be Hamburg – Cherbourg – Plymouth – New York. HAPAG also announced a reduction in its transatlantic fares. On ''Pretoria'' and her sisters the rate for a first class cabin was reduced from $65 to $50, and that for a second class cabin was reduced from $47.50 to $38.

On 9 October 1908 in fog in the North Sea southwest of Texel in the Netherlands, ''Pretoria'' collided with the German cargo steamship ''Nipponia''. ''Nipponia'' sank, and her captain and 12 members of his crew were lost.

In 1910 ''Pretoria'' was refitted as a two-class ship. First class was abolished, second class was increased to 400 berths and third class to 2,200 berths. The refit increased her tonnage to and .

By 1913 ''Pretoria'' was equipped for wireless telegraphy. Her call sign was DDT.

On the night of 12–13 June 1914, in fog about 180 miles from the Nantucket lightvessel, ''Pretoria'' collided with the American Line ship ''New York''. ''Pretoria'' tore a hole in ''New York''s hull and left ''Pretoria''s port anchor embedded in ''New York''s structure. The hole was above the water line, and ''New York'' was able to complete her voyage to New York unaided. American Line alleged ''Pretoria'' was off-course. ''Pretoria''s Captain Dugge denied this.

''Pretoria'' returned to Hamburg for repairs. While she was in Hamburg the First World War began. ''Pretoria'' remained in Hamburg for the duration.

US service

On 28 March 1919 HAPAG surrendered ''Pretoria'' to the US Navy. The next day at Cowes, Isle of Wight she was commissioned as USS ''Pretoria''. On 17 April she left Brest, France for New York carrying 300 officers and 1,785 men of the American Expeditionary Forces and 41 civilian passengers. The troops included the 151st Field Artillery Regiment of the Minnesota Army National Guard. ''Pretoria'' reached New York on 26 April, two days ahead of schedule.

On 6 June 1919 ''Pretoria'' reached New York carrying 2,986 troops of the 36th Infantry Division. On 12 July she reached New York carrying troops including the 1st Censor and Press Company, which included the staff of the '' Stars and Stripes'' newspaper.

On 12 August 1919 ''Pretoria'' left Brest carrying members of the 3rd Infantry Division, including the 8th Machine Gun Battalion. Two days later a private of the 104th Wagon Train attempted suicide by jumping overboard. Another private made fast a rope, jumped overboard with the rope and rescued him. On 19 August a fire was discovered in one of ''Pretoria''s bunkers. Soldiers helped the crew to move coal away from the fire, which was extinguished the next day.

UK service

On 6 September 1919 it was announced that as soon as the United States Department of War had no further use for ships seized from German ports under the Treaty of Versailles, they would be returned to the Inter-Allied Council. The council would decide whether to return the ships to their German owners or redistribute them among the Allies. ''Pretoria'' was among the ships affected, along with , , '' Kaiserin Auguste Victoria'', '' Mobile'', ''Patricia'', , ''Santa Elena'' and .

On 25 November 1919 ''Pretoria'' was transferred from the US Navy to the United States Shipping Board. Later she was transferred to the UK Shipping Controller, who contracted Ellerman Lines to manage her. In the first week of January 1920 in New York Harbor she suffered three fires in as many days. The third was on 4 January, when she was moored at Staten Island Pier waiting to sail in cargo. The fire broke out in her forward hold, and caused damage estimated at $100,000.

''Pretoria'' was scrapped in November 1921.

References

External links

*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pretoria (1897)
1897 ships
Maritime incidents in 1908
Maritime incidents in 1914
Ocean liners
Passenger ships of Germany
Passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Ships built in Hamburg
Ships of the Hamburg America Line
Steamships of Germany
Steamships of the United States
Transports of the United States Navy
World War I passenger ships of Germany