| History | |
|---|---|
 Dutch East Indies United States | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Southwestern Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.,San Pedro |
| Cost | $2,000,000 |
| Yard number | 25 |
| Laid down | 20 October 1920 |
| Launched | 30 June 1921 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Earl L. Miller |
| Commissioned | 10 August 1921 |
| Maiden voyage | 31 August 1921 |
| Homeport |
|
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk, 19 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 412.0 ft (125.6 m) |
| Beam | 53.3 ft (16.2 m) |
| Depth | 31.0 ft (9.4 m) |
| Installed power | 2,800ihp, 556Nhp |
| Propulsion | Hooven, Owens & Rentschler 3-cylindertriple expansion |
| Speed | 11knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
Silvanus was asteamtanker built in 1920–1921 by theSouthwestern Shipbuilding & Drydock Company ofSan Pedro for theAnglo-Saxon Petroleum Company with the intention of transporting oil and petroleum products betweenDutch East Indies and various destinations in Europe and theFar East. The tanker was employed in this capacity through the first part of 1926. In April 1926Silvanus collided with the tankerThomas H. Wheeler in theMississippi River, resulting in the explosion and death of 26 seamen.Silvanus was declared a total loss and sold at auction to the newly formed Petroleum Navigation Company of Texas. The tanker was rebuilt and renamedPapoose and started operating in March 1927.[1] In March 1942, she was attacked by GermanU-boatU-124 off the coast ofNorth Carolina. The ship drifted for several days and eventually sank in 200 feet (61 m) of water offOregon Inlet.[1][2]
In 1920 Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of theRoyal Dutch Shell Company, decided to expand their oil carrying fleet by placing orders with a number of United States West Coast shipyards. In August 1920 it was reported that one such order for three tankers of approximately 8,400deadweight tonnage each was entered with the Southwestern Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.[3]
Silvanus was the second of these three vessels (the other two being SSScopas and SSSemiramis), and had herkeel laid at the shipbuilder's yard on 20 October 1920, and launched on 30 June 1921, with Mrs. Earl L. Miller, wife of the Pacific coast manager of the Royal Dutch Shell, being the sponsor.[4] The tanker was built on theIsherwood principle oflongitudinal framing providing extra strength to the body of the vessel. The vessel was built according to blueprints provided by the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co., had two decks and was constructed on thethree-island principle. The tanker had a cargo pump room located amidships and was able to carry up to 60,000 barrels of oil. The vessel had her machinery situated aft, was equipped with wireless apparatus and had electric lights installed along the decks.
As built, the ship was 412.0 feet (125.6 m) long (between perpendiculars) and 53.3 feet (16.2 m)abeam, and had a depth of 31.2 feet (9.5 m).[5]Silvanus was assessed at 5,789 GRT and 3,378 NRT and had deadweight tonnage of approximately 8,400.[5] The vessel had a steelhull and a single 556nhptriple-expansion steam engine, with cylinders of 27-inch (69 cm), 45-inch (110 cm) and 74-inch (190 cm) diameter with a 48-inch (120 cm)stroke, that drove a single screw propeller, and moved the ship at up to 11 knots (13 mph; 20 km/h).[5] The steam for the engine was supplied by three single-endedScotch marine boilers fitted for oil fuel.
After successful completion of sea trials on 9 August, the tanker was delivered to Dutch Shell representatives the next day and put under control of Nederlandsch-Indische Tankstoomboot Maatschappij, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Shell, which controlled and operated the company's vessels in the East Indies.
After the tanker was delivered, she remained in San Pedro for the next two weeks, before sailing out for loading atSan Francisco. She reached her destination on 28 August, and immediately proceeded toMartinez to load full cargo of kerosene for delivery to China.[6] Upon undergoing her final inspection, and loading the cargo,Silvanus departed San Francisco on 31 August, bound forShanghai.[7] After an uneventful voyage, the ship reachedTianjin on 1 October.[8] The tanker then proceeded to visit ports of Shanghai,Singapore andBalikpapan, and returned to San Francisco on 12 December viaVictoria andSeattle, thus successfully completing her maiden voyage.[9] She then sailed from San Francisco on 24 December for Shanghai to commence her service in East Asia.[10] The tanker reached her destination at the end of January and immediately proceeded to Australia via Singapore, arriving atMelbourne on 10 March 1922.[11] After discharging her cargo, the tanker departed on 14 March for Balikpapan, the major oil producing center in the Dutch East Indies.[12] From thereSilvanus departed with a full cargo of oil on 4 April, and arrived atThames Haven on 13 May.[13] Subsequently,Silvanus spent the remainder of 1922 transporting fuel oil betweenAbadan andSuez, before departing in early January 1923 back to Singapore and Balikpapan. From there, she again sailed for Australia, arriving atAdelaide on 21 February 1923 with a cargo of oil,kerosene andmotor spirit.[14] The ship then went back to Balikpapan and from there sailed out for Thames Haven, reaching it on 7 May.[15] She subsequently sailed out forPort Arthur where she loaded oil and departed on 3 June bound for Indian ports.[16] The tanker reachedBombay on 15 July via theSuez Canal.[17]
34°17′N76°39′W / 34.283°N 76.650°W /34.283; -76.650
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1926 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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