USS ''President Lincoln'' was a

troop transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Formerly the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

steamer ''President Lincoln'' of the Hamburg-American Line, it was built by

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...

in Belfast in 1907. Seized in New York harbor in 1917, it was turned over to the Shipping Board and transferred to the Navy for operation as a troop transport. Having been damaged severely by her German crew, the ''President Lincoln'' underwent extensive repairs and conversion at Robin's Dry Dock and Repair Company in Brooklyn, New York before being re-commissioned as a Navy troop transport at Brooklyn on 25 July 1917. Commander

Yates Stirling, Jr. Yates Stirling Jr. (April 30, 1872 – January 27, 1948) was a decorated and controversial rear admiral in the United States Navy whose 44-year career spanned from several years before the Spanish–American War to the mid-1930s. He was awarded ...

was then placed in command.

Service history

The ''President Lincoln'' made five voyages from New York to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Transporting approximately 23,000 American troops to

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French m ...

and St. Nazaire, four cycles were completed without incident: October–November 1917, December 1917-January 1918, February–March, and March–May. She sailed from New York on her fifth and final trip to Europe on 10 May 1918. Arriving at Brest on the 23rd, she disembarked troops, and — escorted by destroyers — got underway on the 29th with troopships , and for the return voyage to the U.S. At sundown on 30 May 1918, having passed through the so-called "danger zone" of submarine activity, the destroyers left the convoy to proceed alone. At about 09:00 on 31 May 1918, the ''President Lincoln'' was struck by three

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es from the

submarine , and sank about 20 minutes later. Of the 715 people aboard, 26 men were lost with the ship, and a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Edouard Izac Edouard Victor Michel Izac (December 18, 1891 – January 18, 1990) was a lieutenant in the United States Navy during World War I, a Representative from California and a Medal of Honor recipient. Born in Cresco, Iowa, Izac grew up in a rural se ...

was taken aboard ''U–90'' as prisoner. Survivors were rescued from lifeboats late that night by destroyers and . They were taken to France, arriving at Brest on 2 June.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at Naval Historical Center

at navsource.org
Youtube video dedicated to USS ''President Lincoln'' with numerous images of the ship
USS President Lincoln

{{DEFAULTSORT:President Lincoln World War I transports of the United States Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I Ships built in Belfast Ships of the Hamburg America Line Ocean liners 1907 ships World War I shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Maritime incidents in 1918 Ships built by Harland and Wolff

Service history

References

Further reading

External links