| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | West Arvada |
| Owner | United States Shipping Board |
| Builder | Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division |
| Launched | 17 October 1918 |
| Out of service | 16 September 1919 |
| Fate | Wrecked atTerschelling, the Netherlands on 16 September 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Steamship |
| Tonnage | 6,044 GRT |
| Length | 124 m (406 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 16 m (52 ft 6 in) |
| Crew | 48[1] |
SSWest Arvada was a 124-metre (406 ft 10 in)-long American cargosteamship. She was built byTodd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division and owned byUnited States Shipping Board. During the night of 15–16 September 1919, the ship sank due tonaval mines nearTerschelling, the Netherlands. One Polish crew member died.
The leaking fuel oil from the ship caused many bird deaths. Washed up cotton was sold in 1922. Until 1926, salvage operations were carried out to get cotton from the wreck. Although the position of the wreck was published at the time, it could not be found by divers in 2010.
The steel cargo ship was built in 1918 byTodd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division with theyard number 12 and owned byUnited States Shipping Board. She was 124 metres (406 ft 10 in) long and had a width of 16 m (52 ft 6 in). She had tonnage of 6,044 gross register tons (GRT). The vessel was propelled by a single screw engine and had a speed of 10.5knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph). The ship was registered with theOfficial number 217763.[2]
In September 1919 she was on voyage fromGalveston, United States toBremen, Germany, with a cargo of 22,000 bales ofcotton with a value of 21 millionguilder under command of S. Crosby. During the night of 15 to 16 September 1919 she was sailing through aminefield around 16 miles (26 km) northeast ofTerschelling, the Netherlands.[3] The second mine the boat struck set fire to the ship's oil and the cotton. The crew went into lifeboats and were picked up by thetugboatVolharding that was the first to reach the ship. Two more mines exploded and ten persons were thrown overboard.[1] The shipBrandaris came from the Terschelling Rescue Committee, which had received a message at 1:45am viaScheveningen that a ship was sinking. TheBrandaris took over the 37 people and brought them to Terschelling.[4] 47 people were saved.[1] One Polishstoker was reported missing, who probably fell overboard during the last mine explosion. His body was later found in the water and buried at the old cemetery under lighthouseBrandaris.[4] During the morning the masts and chimney were still visible above the water.[5]
The leaking fuel oil from the ship caused many bird deaths.[4]
A lot of cotton washed ashore. In 1922, 400 salvaged bales of cotton were sold for 81,000guilders, of which the salvagers received 21,000 guilders.[4] A diving investigation was initiated to see whether a salvage operation was worth it. It turned out that thestern had been destroyed by the explosion and a large part of the cargo had floated away. The foreholds were still closed with cotton inside. The British salvage company Reno Marine Salvage Corporation worked for two years until late 1925 to salvage the cotton with the vesselGundreda and later with the vesselResource.[6][7] After a new research by a diver in 1926, it turned out thebow was damaged due to a storm. The water had expanded the cotton, and it was said that the only way to get it out was to blow up the bow withdynamite.[6] In July 1926 ano cure no pay salvage contract for Dros-Doeksen [nl] was concluded byLloyds inLondon.[8] Between July and September 1926 the vesselsNoordsvaarder andTexel salvaged 200 bales of cotton.[9]
In October 1926 severalbuoys were placed at the wreck site, partly to warn other ships.[10] In 2010 divers from Terschelling made several attempts to find the ship, but were unable to find the wreck.[4]
