USS Howick Hall (ID-1303)
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USS ''Howick Hall'' (ID-1303) was a cargo
steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
that was built in Scotland in 1910 and served in the
merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...
fleets of the United Kingdom, United States, Italy and Panama. She served in the United States Army in 1917–18 and then the United States Navy in 1918–19. The United States Maritime Commission bought her in 1941, and a
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air attack sank her in 1942. The ship was launched as ''Howick Hall'', and kept that name when she served in the US Army and US Navy. She was renamed ''Dovenden'' in 1929, ''Ircania'' in 1935 and ''Raceland'' in 1941. Her name was ''Raceland'' when she was sunk in 1942.


Building and first owner

William Hamilton and Company William Hamilton and Company was a British shipyard in Port Glasgow, Scotland. The company was bought by Lithgow Ltd., which later became Scott Lithgow and was nationalised as part of British Shipbuilders in 1977. During the Second World War th ...
built the ship in
Port Glasgow Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recen ...
on the
River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
, launching her on 1 October 1920 and completing her later that month. Her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . Her tonnages were and . She had a single screw, driven by three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine that was rated at 507
NHP Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
and gave her a speed of . Among cargo steamships she was unusual in having two
funnels A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construc ...
(smokestacks). Her derricks could lift up to 35 tons, which was unusually heavy for a ship of that era. The ship's first owners were Charles G Dunn and Company of Liverpool, who named all their ships after
English country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
s whose name ended in "Hall". She was named after Howick Hall in Northumberland. Dunn & Co registered her at Liverpool. Her United Kingdom
official number Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their flag state, country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats hav ...
was 131303 and her
code letters Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...
were HRTN.


US ownership

In 1915 the United States Steel Products Co. acquired ''Howick Hall'' and registered her in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. Her US official number was 212693 and her code letters were LDQF. She was managed by US Steel's Isthmian Steamship Company. In September 1917 the US Army acquired her. On 24 August 1918 took her over from the Army, commissioning her at
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, Maryland as USS ''Howick Hall'' with the identification number (ID) 1303. By 1917 she was equipped for wireless telegraphy, and by 1918 her call sign was KLT. ''Howick Hall'' made two voyages for 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 ...
. After being commissioned, she loaded cargo at Baltimore, steamed to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
and joined a convoy across the Atlantic. On 30 September she reached
Saint-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 ...
, France, where she discharged her cargo. She got back to Baltimore on 31 October. After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 she loaded cargo at
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 ...
. On 25 December 1918 she left Newport News and crossed the Atlantic to Le Verdon-sur-Mer, where she discharged her cargo. She then
bunkered ''bunkered'' is a Scottish golf magazine published by DC Thomson. Based in Dundee, Scotland, the magazine was launched in 1996 and is published eight times per year. It covers the entire spectrum of golf, with a particular emphasis on Scottis ...
at Bassens, and on 3 February 1919 left to return to the US. En route one of her crew developed spinal
meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...
, so on 21 February she stopped at Bermuda, where she and her crew were quarantined. She left Bermuda on 25 February and continued to Newport News. From Newport News she continued to Baltimore, arriving on 5 March 1919. On 13 March she was decommissioned and returned to her owners. On 13 May 1926 ''Howick Hall'' and the motor
tanker Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum ta ...
''Gulf of Venezuela'' collided in the
Ambrose Channel Ambrose Channel is the only shipping channel in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The channel is considered to be part of Lower New York Bay and is located several miles off the coasts of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Breezy Point, ...
. ''Howick Hall'' grounded on Roamer's Reef, but was only slightly damaged, and was refloated the same day.


''Dovenden''

''Howick Hall'' remained in US merchant service until October 1929, when the Exeter Shipping Co bought her, renamed her ''Dovenden'' and registered her in London. She kept her UK official number, but she was given the new code letters LFKH and four-letter call sign GQWN. The
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
caused a World slump in shipping, and she spent most of 1930 laid up. That October she went to Rotterdam, where she remained laid up for most of the next two years. In 1932 she changed owners twice, passing first to the McAllum Steamship Co and then Lambert Brothers. In 1935 she again changed hands twice. That January, Halford Constant bought her for £7,500. Later that year he sold her to an Italian company, Ditta Luigi Pittaluga Vapori.


''Ircania''

Ditta Luigi Pittaluga renamed her ''Ircania'' and registered her in Genoa. Her Italian code letters were IBLP. In the Second Italo-Ethiopian War she took supplies to
Massawa Massawa ( ; ti, ምጽዋዕ, məṣṣəwaʿ; gez, ምጽዋ; ar, مصوع; it, Massaua; pt, Maçuá) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak ...
. In 1937 she was acquired by the Società Anonima Cooperativa di Navigazione 'Garibaldi'. In June 1940 ''Ircania'' was in
Port of Jacksonville The Port of Jacksonville (Jaxport) is an international trade seaport on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The 14th largest container port in the United States, it carries about 18 million short tons of cargo each year and has an annu ...
, Florida when Italy entered the Second World War, so she remained in port. On 30 March 1941 the United States Coast Guard detained ''Ircania'' in Jacksonville. On 5 May Judge Louie Strum, of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, convicted all 39 members of her crew of sabotaging their own ship. He also convicted her
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, Nicola Marchese, and Chief Engineer, Feruccio Magni, of conspiracy. On 14 May, Strum sentenced Marchese and Magni to four years in prison and the 37 other crew members to two and a half years.


''Raceland''

On 14 July 1941 the
US Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and th ...
announced that the United States Maritime Commission had bought four Italian merchant ships, including ''Ircania''. The Commission renamed her ''Raceland'' and registered her in Panama. Her Panamanian call sign was HPYY. On 31 December 1941 the Commission appointed the
South Atlantic Steamship Company South Atlantic Steamship Company was the passenger and cargo founded in 1928 in Savannah, Georgia that ran the South Atlantic steamship Line. At the started by chartering foreign ships to run the lines in tramp trade. Later scheduled cargo service ...
to manage ''Raceland''. She loaded at
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
and Boston, and then crossed the Atlantic in Convoy SC 69, which left Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 February 1942 and reached Liverpool on 27 February. ''Raceland'' may have detached from SC 69 before it reached Liverpool, as she proceeded to Loch Ewe on the west coast of Scotland to join Convoy PQ 13. On 10 March 1942, PQ 13 left Loch Ewe for Murmansk. ''Raceland'' had a crew of 45 men, made up of 12 nationalities. On 28 March, German aircraft attacked PQ 13 south of Bear Island. ''Raceland'' was sunk at position . Her crew launched all four of her lifeboats, and all 45 men safely abandoned ship. On 29 March a storm sank the two smaller lifeboats, killing their occupants. This left 15 men in Lifeboat Number 1, commanded by ''Raceland''s
Chief Officer A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the ship ...
, Otto Hatlestad, and 18 in Lifeboat Number 2, commanded by ''Raceland''s Second Officer, Johan Johansen. After six days Hatlestad's boat reached
Sørøya Sørøya ( sme, Sállan) is Norway's fourth largest island in terms of area. The island is divided between Hasvik Municipality and Hammerfest Municipality. It is often claimed to be "one of the most beautiful" of the islands in Norway. In 2018 ...
in the north of
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 ...
, but by then six of the men in her had died. A seventh died after reaching land. The survivors were taken to the Norwegian mainland and hospitalised. Three of the survivors were Norwegian. Two, including Hatlestad, gave a propaganda interview for a pro-German radio broadcast. Hatlestad later returned to sea, working for the Germans. After 11 days Johansen's boat reached SørSandfjord, also in northern Norway. By then 13 of the men in her had died: variously from hypothermia,
salt poisoning Salt poisoning is an intoxication resulting from the excessive intake of sodium (usually as sodium chloride) in either solid form or in solution ( saline water, including brine, brackish water, eating salt, or seawater). Salt poisoning suffici ...
from drinking seawater, or suicide. The five survivors were suffering from frostbite, and most had to have digits or limbs amputated. The German authorities interned survivors in different camps, including two in
Marlag und Milag Nord Marlag und Milag Nord was a Second World War German prisoner-of-war camp complex for men of the British and Canadian Merchant Navy and Royal Navy. It was located around the village of Westertimke, about north-east of Bremen, though in some source ...
and one in Obermaßfeld.


References

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Bibliography

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External links

* – detailed website with content by descendants of some of ''Raceland''s crew * * – This source claims that the ship had two engines and two shafts. Every entry about the ship in '' Lloyd's Register'' contradicts this. {{DEFAULTSORT:Howick Hall (ID-1303) 1910 ships Cargo ships of the United States Navy Maritime incidents in 1926 Maritime incidents in March 1942 Merchant ships of Italy Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of the United States Ships built on the River Clyde Ships sunk by German aircraft Steamships of Italy Steamships of Panama Steamships of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United States World War I cargo ships of the United States World War I ships of the United Kingdom World War II merchant ships of Panama World War II shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean