 West Gate had similar design and measurements to herColumbia River Shipbuilding sister shipWest Corum(pictured above) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSWest Gate (ID-3216) |
| Builder | |
| Yard number | 3[1] |
| Laid down | asWar Agate[2] |
| Launched | 27 January 1918[2] |
| Completed | April 1918[2] |
| Acquired | 29 May 1918[3] |
| Commissioned | 29 May 1918[3] |
| Identification | U.S.official number: 216174[2] |
| Fate | Sunk in collision, 7 October 1918 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Steam merchant ship |
| Tonnage | 5,799 GRT[2] |
| Displacement | 12,185 t[3] |
| Length | |
| Beam | 54 ft (16.5 m)[3] |
| Draft | 24 ft 1 in (7.34 m) (mean)[3] |
| Depth of hold | 29 ft 9 in (9.07 m)[3] |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h)[2] |
| Complement | 74[3] |
| Armament |
|
USSWest Gate (ID-3216) was acargo ship for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War I. The ship was laid down asSSWar Agate, but she waslaunched in January 1918 asSSWest Gate instead.
SSWest Gate was one of thesteam-poweredWest boats that were built for theUnited States Shipping Board (USSB). They were steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States for the World War I war effort. She was the 3rd ship built by theColumbia River Shipbuilding Company in Portland, Oregon. She wascommissioned into theNaval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) of theUnited States Navy in April 1918.
After experiencing engine trouble on her first attempt at a transatlantic crossing,West Gate was unsuccessfully attacked by two German submarines in early July 1918 while returning to port for repairs. After successfully completing her trip to France, she began her second transatlantic trip in early October. In the early morning hours of 7 October,West Gate's steering gear jammed andAmerican, another Navy cargo ship, collided with theWest Gate, sinking her. Seven men lost their lives in the accident.
The ship waslaid down at theColumbia River Shipbuilding Company of Portland, Oregon under the nameWar Agate as part of an order for theBritish Admiralty.[1] Had she been sold to them, theWar Agate would have been operated by theCunard Line.[3] However, the USSB commandeered and received title to all private shipbuilding projects in progress in mid-1917, which included the still-incompleteWar Agate.[4] The ship was renamedWest Gate by the time of herlaunching on 27 January 1918. She was one of theWest ships, which werecargo ships of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the West Coast of the United States for the USSB for emergency use during theFirst World War. All of theWest ships were given names that began with the wordWest,[5] andWest Gate was the 3rd of some 30West ships built at Columbia River Shipbuilding.[1]
West Gate was 5,799 gross register tons (GRT), and was 410 feet 1 inch (124.99 m) long (between perpendiculars)[2] and 54 feet (16.5 m)abeam. She had a steelhull thatdisplaced 12,185 t with ameandraft of 24 feet 1 inch (7.34 m).[3] Herhold was 29 feet 9 inches (9.07 m) deep.[3]West Gate's power plant consisted of a singlesteam turbine driving a singlescrew propeller which moved the ship at up to 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h).[2]
After her April 1918 completion,[2]West Gate was handed over to theUnited States Navy for use in the NOTS. She wascommissioned atNorfolk, Virginia, as USSWest Gate (ID-3216) the same day.[3]
After making her way toNew York,West Gate took on 6,700 tons of cargo that included locomotives, steel rails, and othermateriel for theUnited States Army and departed in a convoy for France on 28 June. The ship soon developed engine trouble and dropped out of the convoy to head toSt. John's, Newfoundland, for repairs. While headed to St. John's in moderate seas under a cloudy sky,West Gate was attacked by two German submarines at 19:15 on 3 July. One U-boat surfaced in front of the cargo ship, crossing tostarboard. AsWest Gate quickly turned to port to evade the U-boat, a second U-boat surfaced one point to starboard. WhileWest Gate's radio operator sent out a preemptiveSOS, her gunners opened fire on the two submarines. Though her gunners made hits on neither boat, both were bracketed with fire, quickly submerged, and apparently departed the scene.West Gate arrived at St. John's at 18:00 on 7 July without any further contact with enemy vessels.[3]
After four days of repairs,West Gate departed St. John's for France and arrived at theGironde estuary on 22 July. She shifted toSaint-Nazaire three days later where she unloaded her cargo.West Gate departed on 21 August forNewport News, Virginia, where she arrived on 10 September. Later in the month, she headed to New York for major engine repairs.[3]
After taking on 7,187 long tons (7,302 t) of Army materiel, she departed forBordeaux on 4 October in a convoy escorted by cruiserDenver. On the night of 6/7 October—noted in theDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships as "particularly dark and rainy"—the ships were having trouble maintaining their stations in the convoy.West Gate was sailing in the first column to the starboard of the guide ship,Sagua.[3]
At 02:28 on 7 October, while about 250 nautical miles (460 km) south ofHalifax,[6]West Gate's steering gear engine jammed, sending the ship veering sharply to theport. The crew put the ship's engines at half speed to try to drop out of the convoy.Lieutenant Spencer, the chief engineer, and his assistant,Lieutenant (j.g.) Hillery, headed to the machinery spaces to see about effecting repairs. At 02:30, men on the bridge sighted the red light from the oncomingAmerican, which had been steaming behind and to the port ofWest Gate. Though the bridge ordered the engines raised to "full speed ahead" to avoid the collision, there was no time for the engines to respond beforeAmerican's bow cut into the starboard side ofWest Gate, near thepoop deck.[3][7]
West Gate's engines were shut down whileAmerican backed out of the tangle.[Note 1]West Gate quickly began to settle and the order to abandon ship was issued. The chief engineer and his assistant, Spencer and Hillery, remained belowdecks long enough to extinguish the boilers and open safety valves to prevent the explosion of the boilers. They finished the task just before the aftbulkhead gave way to the inrushing seawater. Both arrived on deck in time to board lifeboat number 2, which had been held as long as possible for men in the after part of the ship.[3]
Chief Gunner's Mate Michael B. Wallrath, who had assisted in lowering three lifeboats while he remained on board, jumped overboard after seeing to it that all the boats were away. Wallrath was pulled into lifeboat number 6 just before a wave capsized it and drowned two of its occupants.[3]Lieutenant commander R. B. Vandervoort,USNRF,West Gate's commanding officer, remained on board until he felt sure that the entire crew had departed the sinking ship. When he climbed up on the deckhouse to cut free a life raft and leave the ship, he discovered six men huddled on deck. Vandervoort was able to get the six on the life raft, but the suction caused byWest Gate's final plunge pulled him away and below the surface. After he managed to get back to the surface, he clung to floating wreckage for two hours until pulled aboard the very raft he had missed earlier. Vandervoort and the six men aboard the raft were rescued by one ofAmerican's lifeboats at 06:00, after some 3½ hours in the water.[3]
A total of seven men fromWest Gate, two from lifeboat six and five others probably killed in the initial collision, lost their lives in the accident.[3] The U.S. Navy awarded Chief Gunner's Mate Wallrath a Letter of Commendation for his actions during the sinking ofWest Gate.[8]
40°35′N63°48′W / 40.583°N 63.800°W /40.583; -63.800
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1918 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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