USS West Haven (ID-2159)
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USS ''West Haven'' (ID-2159) was a steel– hulled freighter that served the United States Navy in World War I, and later servedin convoys in the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
in World War II. Originally named ''War Flame'', ''West Haven'' completed two supply voyages for the Navy in World War I, and two relief missions in the immediate postwar period before being decommissioned. Between the wars, ''West Haven'' was in commercial service as ''West Haven'' and operated for several different companies. In 1929 her name was changed to ''Marian Otis Chandler'' and in 1938 to ''Onomea''. Following the outbreak of World War II, ''Onomea'' was acquired by the British Ministry of War Transport, renamed ''Empire Leopard'' and placed into convoy service on the North Atlantic, delivering vital supplies from the United States to Britain. In November 1942, while operating with
Convoy SC-107 Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack of ...
, ''Empire Leopard'' was torpedoed and sunk by , commanded by U-boat ace
Siegfried von Forstner Korvettenkapitän Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner (19 September 1910 – 13 October 1943) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He and his entire crew of were killed ...
.


Construction and design

''West Haven'' was built as ''War Flame'' in Seattle, Washington in 1917 at Plant No. 1 of the
Skinner & Eddy The Skinner & Eddy Corporation, commonly known as Skinner & Eddy, was a Seattle, Washington-based shipbuilding corporation that existed from 1916 to 1923. The yard is notable for completing more ships for the United States war effort during Worl ...
Corporation. A product of the United States Shipping Boards emergency wartime shipbuilding program, ''War Flame'' was laid down on 13 August 1917 and launched on 1 November 1917 in what was then apparently a new world keel-to-launch record of just 67 working days (81 calendar days)."55-Day Launching Breaks World Record"
'' New York Times'', 21 April 1918. Note that this article does not refer directly to ''West Haven'', but the record referred to as set "five months previous" appears to refer to ''West Haven'', as this was the only Skinner & Eddy ship to be launched in under 70 days on that approximate date (see ''Pacific Ports Annual'' pp. 64–65 for confirmation).
The ship was completed an additional 43 working (54 calendar) days later on 24 December 1917—a keel-to-delivery time of 110 working days (135 calendar days), establishing a new company record.''Pacific Ports Annual'', pp. 64–65. When completed, ''War Flame'' had a
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 ...
nage of 8,480 tons (8,800 nominal) and a gross register tonnage of 5,520 tons (5,600 nominal). The ship had an overall length of 423 feet 9 inches, a beam of 54 feet and a draft of 24 feet 2 inches.Jordan, p. 404. Note that statistics for these ships may differ slightly depending on the reference. ''War Flame'' was powered by a three- cylinder
triple expansion A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
supplied by the Puget Sound Machinery Depot of Seattle, with cylinders of 25, 42 and 72 inches respectively and a
stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
of 48 inches, which drove a single screw propeller and delivered a service speed of 11
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.


Service history


U.S. Navy service, 1918–1919

After completion, ''War Flame'' was handed over on 24 December 1917 to the U.S. Navy, who named the ship ''West Haven''. On 18 June 1918, the vessel was commissioned into service at New Orleans as USS ''West Haven'' (ID-2159) 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)."West Haven"
'' Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'', Naval History and Heritage Command website.
Laden with general Army supplies, ''West Haven'' departed New Orleans on 3 July and steamed to
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 ...
, where she joined a convoy sailing for Europe. She arrived at Bordeaux, France, on 12 August 1918 and unloaded her cargo over the ensuing days. Departing Bordeaux on the 21st, ''West Haven'' arrived at New York on 5 September. After shifting to Philadelphia the same day, the vessel there took on board 5,125 tons of general Army supplies before departing on 17 September and steaming to Norfolk, whence she got underway on 23 September in a convoy bound for France. After discharging her cargo at Brest, ''West Haven'' departed that French port on 3 November. While the vessel was steaming home, the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918 ending World War I. However, the return of peace did not change the ship's duties, as there remained the postwar task of reconstructing Europe which had been devastated by the war. Following a brief layover in New York, ''West Haven'' loaded 7,075 tons of general Army cargo at
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
and sailed on 5 December, bound for France. The ship made La Pallice on 2 January 1919, discharged her cargo over the ensuing days, picked up a return Army cargo, and sailed for Norfolk on the 26th. En route home, she ran low on fuel and was forced to reduce her speed to three and one-half knots. She finally reached Bermuda on 28 February. After topping up her bunkers, ''West Haven'' arrived at Norfolk on 4 March to load 673 tons of cargo for her fourth and final voyage for NOTS. Departing 28 March, she arrived at La Pallice on 12 April where she discharged her cargo. Moving on to Brest, ''West Haven'' loaded 2,306 tons of captured
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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 ...
, aviation supplies and 375 tons of steel rail ballast for the return journey. Departing for New York on 17 May, ''West Haven'' made an intermediate stop on 23 May at
Ponta Delgada, Azores Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality ('' concelho'') and economic capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67 ...
, probably to refuel, before continuing on to her destination."Transport Brings In Ship Damaged By Fire"
'' New York Times'', 8 June 1919.
Some days later, ''West Haven'' came across the stricken British steamer ''Beechleaf''. The 10,000-ton cargo carrier had been in transit from
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
to Ireland with a cargo of
fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...
when her engines and steering gear were disabled by a fire which killed one crewman and severely burned another. ''West Haven'' took the disabled vessel in tow to
Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was the light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and ...
, arriving 7 June, before continuing on to New York where she berthed the following day. Soon after arriving at New York on 8 June, ''West Haven'' was placed in line for demobilization. She was accordingly decommissioned on 21 January 1920, simultaneously struck from the Navy List and returned to the USSB.


Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Steamship service, early 1920s

After decommissioning from the Navy, ''West Haven'' was returned to the USSB and sold in 1920 to the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Steamship Corporation, which appears to have put the vessel into service as a coastal freighter, operating between the west and east coasts of the U.S."Shipping and Mails"
''New York Times'', 3 June 1920.

'' Los Angeles Times'', 1 April 1922 (subscription required).
In November 1921, ''West Haven'' sailed from the east coast to Los Angeles with the unusual deck cargo of a fifty-ton Lawler racing yacht, ''Idalia'', owned by C. B. Eyer of the Golden State Woolen Mills. At Los Angeles Harbor, the yacht was lifted from ''West Haven''s deck by slings suspended from shear legs at the docks of the
Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Company Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division was a shipyard in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. Before applying its last corporate name, the shipyard had been called Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company and Todd Shipyards, Los Angeles ...
, after which ''West Haven'' was moved away and the yacht lowered into the water. ''Idalia''s arrival in this unusual manner was hailed as an innovation likely to give "great stimulus to the yachting spirit" of Los Angeles."Yacht Brought On Ship: Pleasure Craft Carried on Deck to Local Harbor"
, ''Los Angeles Times'', 18 November 1921 (subscription required).
In September 1922, ''West Haven'' was repossessed by the USSB after the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Steamship Corporation went bankrupt. No further records of the ship's movements appear until 1929, indicating that the USSB may have laid the vessel up through the 1920s because of the postwar oversupply of shipping.


LASSCO and Matson Line service, late 1920s–1930s

In February 1929, ''West Haven'' was sold by the USSB to 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 ...
(LASSCO), who at this time were in the process of expanding their line from four ships to ten.Drake, Waldo
"Shipping News and Activities at Los Angeles Harbor"
, ''Los Angeles Times'', 19 April 1929 (subscription required).
LASSCO renamed the ship ''Marian Otis Chandler'' after the wife of LASSCOs founder, Harry Chandler, and placed the vessel into service once again as a coastal freighter. In a repeat performance of ''West Haven''s rescue of the stricken freighter ''Beechleaf'' in June 1919, ''Marian Otis Chandler'' participated in the rescue of another vessel on the high seas, the USSB freighter ''West Hardaway'', in December 1929. After battling gales for three weeks in the North Atlantic, ''West Hardaway'' had run out of fuel and was drifting helpless when ''Marian Otis Chandler'' arrived on the scene to tow the vessel 500 miles to Halifax, Nova Scotia. ''West Hardaway'', which had been on a voyage from
Grangemouth Grangemouth ( sco, Grangemooth; gd, Inbhir Ghrainnse, ) is a town in the Falkirk council area, Scotland. Historically part of the county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk ...
, Scotland to
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 ...
, sustained some damage in the episode."Tows Steamer 500 Miles: One Shipping Board Vessel Brings In Another Buffeted by Gales"
''New York Times'', 28 December 1929.
In June 1930, ''Marian Otis Chandler'' was placed into service between Los Angeles and Hawaii after the LASSCO liner ''City of Honolulu'' was badly damaged in a fire.Drake, Waldo
"Shipping News and Activities at Los Angeles Harbor"
, ''Los Angeles Times'', 2 June 1930 (subscription required).
''Marian Otis Chandler'' continued making runs to Hawaii until early 1931, when she resumed coastal service. Over the next few years she operated from Los Angeles to west coast ports such as Seattle and
Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen () is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 census. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. Aberdeen is occasi ...
;
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and St. Helens, Oregon; and to east coast ports including
Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...
and Philadelphia.Examples
"Other 6 – No Title"
, ''Los Angeles Times'', 1932-26-04

, ''Los Angeles Times'', 1932-11-25; [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/384259981.html?dids=384259981:384259981&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=May+23%2C+1931&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Other+6+--+No+Title&pqatl=google "Other 6 – No Title"] , ''Los Angeles Times'', 1931-05-23
"Other 18 – No Title"
''Los Angeles Times'', 1931-02-11; Cave, Wayne B.

, ''Los Angeles Times'', 1935-02-18; [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/386249071.html?dids=386249071:386249071&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Feb+12%2C+1931&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Other+10+--+No+Title&pqatl=google "Other 10 – No Title"] , ''Los Angeles Times'', 1931-02-12 (subscription required).
By about 1934, ''Marian Otis Chandler'' appears to have been shifted back to making regular runs to Hawaii. In 1937, the Los Angeles Steamship Company was wound up and its assets sold to the parent company, the Matson Line. The Matson Line continued to operate ''Marian Otis Chandler'' in the Hawaiian trade into the late 1930s.Examples
"Other 4 – No Title"
, ''Los Angeles Times'', 1934-05-29; Drake, Waldo

, ''Los Angeles Times'', 1935-03-23; Drake, Waldo: [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/393075731.html?dids=393075731:393075731&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+09%2C+1935&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=SHIPPINGN+NEWS+And+Activities+at+LOS+ANGELES+HARBOR&pqatl=google "Shipping News and Activities at Los Angeles Harbor"] , ''Los Angeles Times'', 1935-07-09
"Other 41 – No Title"
, ''Los Angeles Times'', 1936-06-04

, ''Los Angeles Times'', 1936-08-11; Drake, Waldo: [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/396794111.html?dids=396794111:396794111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+27%2C+1937&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=SHIPPING+NEWS+And+Activities+at+LOS+ANGELES+HARBOR&pqatl=google "Shipping News and Activities at Los Angeles Harbor"] , 1937-07-27 (subscription required).
In 1938, Matson renamed the ship ''Onomea''.Jordan, p. 404, see the entry for ''Onomea''.West Haven
''miramarshipindex.org.nz''.


World War II

In 1940, ''Onomea'' was acquired by the British Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in order to help alleviate the shipping shortage caused by losses to German U-boats. Renamed ''Empire Leopard'', the ship spent the next two years in convoy service between the United States and Britain, in the Battle of the Atlantic. Between February 1941 and August 1942, ''Empire Leopard'' completed five round trips across the Atlantic, carrying vital supplies of steel, sulphur and other goods from the United States to the British industrial cities of Liverpool and Kingston upon Hull, Hull.Arnold Hague Convoy Database
''convoyweb.org''. Click "Ship Search" link and enter the name Empire Leopard.
After crossing from Liverpool to the United States in February–March 1941, ''Empire Leopard'' picked up a cargo of steel at
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
and joined Convoy HX-130 at Halifax, Nova Scotia bound for Liverpool and Hull, arriving at the latter destination in late June. Returning to Hampton Roads, Virginia in July, ''Empire Leopard'' loaded a cargo of sulphur and completed her second round trip to Britain with Convoy SC-50, arriving at Hull on 8 November. ''Empire Leopard''s third round trip was completed from New York with Convoy SC-67 in February 1942, this time with a cargo of general goods bound for the Tyne River, Tyne, England. The fourth was made from Philadelphia to Hull with Convoy SC-82 in April–May 1942 with a cargo of steel and general supplies. ''Empire Leopard''s fifth and final successful round trip between Britain and the United States was completed from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Hull in August 1942, sailing in Convoy SC-95 with a cargo of steel and general goods. Two ships in this latter convoy were sunk by U-boats during the crossing.


Final voyages

Following the discharge of her cargoes at Hull, ''Empire Leopard'' made her final voyage to North America via Methil and Loch Ewe, Scotland to Botwood, Newfoundland and Labrador, Botwood, Newfoundland via St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's in September–October 1942. At Botwood, the ship took on a cargo of 7,410 tons of zinc concentrates and munitions and sailed for St. John's on 24 October, arriving 26 October. At St. John's, ''Empire Leopard'' joined another 44 merchant ships and a small number of escorts preparing to sail for Liverpool as
Convoy SC-107 Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack of ...
. The convoy departed for Liverpool on 30 October. On 2 November 1942, Convoy SC-107 was intercepted by the Nazi Germany, German Wolfpack (naval tactic), wolf pack ''Veilchen'' ("Violet"). U-boat ace
Siegfried von Forstner Korvettenkapitän Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner (19 September 1910 – 13 October 1943) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He and his entire crew of were killed ...
commanding was the first to score a kill. At around 4:10 am, ''U-402'' fired two torpedoes, sinking the cargo ships ''List of shipwrecks in November 1942#2 November, Dalcroy'' and ''List of shipwrecks in November 1942#2 November, Rinos''. ''U-402'' struck again a few hours later, firing two torpedoes at 8:03 am, one of which hit and sank ''Empire Antelope'' and the other hitting ''Empire Leopard'', which caused the ship to explode. All the crew on board ''Empire Antelope'' were rescued, but of the 34 crew and seven gunners aboard ''Empire Leopard'', only three crew members survived. The survivors from both vessels were picked up by the British rescue ship ''Stockport'' and transferred to Reykjavík, arriving there on 8 November. Wolf pack ''Vielchen'' sank more than a dozen ships from Convoy SC-107 (including, coincidentally, SS West Lianga, ''Hobbema'', a sister ship of ''Empire Leopard'') before being driven off by Consolidated Liberator, Liberator aircraft from No. 120 Squadron RAF a few days later.Allied Ships Hit by U-boats – Empire Leopard
''uboat.net''. See also related links on this page.
Turner, p. 148.


References


Bibliography

*Jordan, Roger H. (2006): ''The World's Merchant Fleets, 1939: The Particulars And Wartime Fates of 6,000 Ships'', Naval Institute Press, . *Pacific Ports Inc. (1919): ''Pacific Ports Annual'', Fifth Edition, 1919, pp. 64–65, 402–405, Pacific Ports Inc. *Turner, John Frayn (2002): ''Fight for the Sea: Naval Adventures from World War II'', p. 148, Naval Institute Press, . * {{DEFAULTSORT:West Haven, USS 1917 ships Ships built by Skinner & Eddy Auxiliary ships of the United States Navy Standard World War I ships Merchant ships of the United States Steamships of the United States Empire ships Ministry of War Transport ships Maritime incidents in November 1942 Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean