 Bali with Dutchneutrality markings in 1917 or 1918 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Namesake | 1917:Bali |
| Owner |
|
| Operator | 1918: US Navy |
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maats |
| Yard number | 56 |
| Laid down | 30 January 1916 |
| Launched | 6 January 1917 |
| Completed | 30 April 1917 |
| Acquired | by US Govt, 21 March 1918 |
| Commissioned | into US Navy, 27 March 1918 |
| Decommissioned | from US Navy, 30 May 1919 |
| Stricken | from US Navy, 30 May 1919 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk by aircraft, 9 June 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 6,694 GRT, 2,551 NRT, 9,805 DWT |
| Displacement | 13,765 tons |
| Length | 420.5 ft (128.2 m) |
| Beam | 54.7 ft (16.7 m) |
| Draught | 27 ft 7 in (8.41 m) |
| Depth | 33.5 ft (10.2 m) |
| Decks | 3 |
| Installed power | 436NHP; 3,600ihp |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | in US Navy, 77 |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | sister ship:Bintang |
USSBali was a Dutchcargosteamship that was built for Stoomvaart Mattschappij Nederland ("Netherland Line") in 1917. She served in theUnited States Navy, with theID numberID–2483, from March 1918 until May 1919. She supplied theAmerican Expeditionary Forces inFrance, and in 1919 she took food relief to Europe.
In 1932 Netherland Line sold her to a Greek owner, who renamed herMax Wolf. A German air raid in theBattle of France sank her in June 1940. Her wreck was scrapped after theSecond World War.
In 1916 and 1917Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij inRotterdam built a pair ofsister ships for Netherland Line.Bintang was launched in April 1916 and completed that October.[1]Bali was laid down as yard number 56 on 30 January 1916, but not launched until 6 January 1917. She was completed on 30 April 1917.[2]
Bali's registered length was 420.5 ft (128.2 m), her beam was 54.7 ft (16.7 m) and her depth was 33.5 ft (10.2 m). Hertonnages were 6,694 GRT, 2,551 NRT and 9,805 DWT. Her holds had capacity for 479,000 cubic feet (13,600 m3) of grain or 437,000 cubic feet (12,400 m3) of baled cargo. She also had berths for fourfirst class passengers.[2]
Bali had a singlescrew, driven by a three-cylindertriple-expansion steam engine. This was rated at 436NHP[3] or 3,600ihp, and gave her a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h).[2]
Netherland LineregisteredBali atAmsterdam. Hercode letters were NGJR.[3] By 1918 she was equipped forwireless telegraphy. Hercall sign was PIK.[4]
On 21 March 1918 theUnited States Customs Service seizedBali underangary atNew York.[5] She was one of 89 Dutch ships seized in US ports under Proclamation 1436, which PresidentWoodrow Wilson had issued the previous day.[6]
On 23 March the ship was inspected atNew York Navy Yard. On 27 March she wascommissioned as USSBali (ID–2483). She was assigned to theNaval Overseas Transportation ServiceArmy Account.[5]
Within two hours of being commissioned,Bali was loading cargo.By 16:30 hours she had completedbunkering, and two hours later she left port in an attempt to catch up with aconvoy that had left five hours earlier. However, she developed engine problems, and she anchored offTompkinsville, Staten Island for repairs.[5]
On 9 AprilBali resumed hertransatlantic crossing with a later convoy, but still failed to maintain speed well enough to keep up, so on 16 April she put in toHalifax,Nova Scotia for repairs. On 28 April she resumed her voyage, on 14 May she reachedBrest, France. The next day she reachedSaint-Nazaire, but the port was crowded, so she had to wait for a berth, and was abler to discharge only part of her cargo. On 6 June she went up theLoire estuary toNantes, where Germanprisoners of war were being used to unload ships. She discharged the rest of her cargo, and on 15 June returned down the Loire. The next day she joined a westbound convoy, which called briefly at Brest. On 18 June she left France, and on 2 July she reachedHoboken, New Jersey.[5]
Bali loaded 6,759 tons of general cargo, and on 18 July she left port. The next day she reachedHampton Roads,Virginia and moored alongsideUSS Mississippi atNorfolk Navy Yard. There,Bali was fitted with one5-inch/51-caliber gun that had been removed from the battleshipArkansas, and one6-pounder that had been removed from thecruiserRaleigh. On the morning of 21 July she left the Navy yard and joined a convoy, which left that afternoon for France.[5]
At sea in theNorth Atlantic on 8 August,Bali observed a steamship tostarboard sounding asubmarine warning and opening fire on a "suspicious object" in the water.Bali opened fire with her forward gun, but neither ship scored any hits. She anchored inQuiberon Bay on 10 August, continued toLa Pallice, and then reachedBordeaux on 13 August. She discharged her cargo, left Bordeaux on 21 August and reached New York on 5 September.[5]
Bali was sent to Hoboken on 6 September, where she loaded 6,887 tons of general cargo and her engine was repaired. After a trial trip on 16 September, she left on 18 September for France. On 5 October she reachedVerdon Roads, where she discharged part of her cargo to a barge. On 9 October she berthed at Bordeaux to finish unloading. She waited a number of days for a return convoy to be formed. She departed west again on the afternoon of 24 October and reached New York on 7 November.[5]
Word of the impending armistice with theCentral Powers delayed the installation ofstalls for her to transport horses. However, three days after theArmistice of 11 November 1918, she docked at the Bush Docks inHoboken, New Jersey, where she was modified to carry 600 horses. She then embarked the animals and loaded 2,551 tons of general cargo. On 30 November she left for France. On 14 December she reached Verdon Roads on 14 December, and then went up theGironde estuary, reaching Bordeaux on 16 December. There she discharged her cargo and loaded steel rails forballast. Two days after Christmas 1918 she returned down the Gironde to start her return voyage to the US.[5]
Bali anchored in Hampton Roads late on 11 January 1919, and moored atNewport News, Virginia, the next day. Workmen came aboard and removed the horse stalls on 13 and 14 January. On the afternoon of 15 January she entered the shipyardNewport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, where her guns were removed.[5]
On 23 January she moved to the Engineer Depot dock atLambert's Point, where she unloaded her steel rail ballast. On 28 January berthed off Sewall's Point. The next day, aflood tide and strong breeze caused her to drag her anchors and drift down on the cargo shipBonafan. The collision caused little damage to either ship, andBali steamed away under her own power. After bunkering on 31 January, she sailed forBaltimore on 3 February.[5]
On 1 February 1919Bali was transferred from the NOTS Army Account to theShipping Board Account. On 4 February she reached Baltimore. There she loaded 7,458 tons ofUS Food Administration flour, peas, and beans for European relief, and had "otter gear" installed forminesweeping. On 14 February she left Baltimore, and on 7 March she reachedCopenhagen, where she discharged her cargo.[5]
On 20 March she leftDenmark for England. She went via theKiel Canal andHeligoland, and on 23 March reachedGreat Yarmouth to await apilot. She continued toHarwich, and was inPlymouth from 25 to 29 March. She returned to the US in ballast, reached New York on 10 April, and moored atJersey City, New Jersey that afternoon. She moved to the Morgan Pier on 17 April and Shewan's Drydock on 19 April, where she was repaired on 19 and 20 April.[5]
On 22 AprilBali moved to theWest Shore Railroad Dock, where she loaded a cargo oflard and flour. She left on 29 April, called briefly atFalmouth for orders on 11 May, and reachedHamburg on the morning of 16 May.[5]
On the morning of 24 MayBali reached Amsterdam. On 27 May she entered the Amsterdamsche Drydock Company'sdry dock. At Amsterdam on 30 May 1919 she was simultaneously decommissioned, struck from theNavy list, and returned to her owners.[5]
Bali resumed civilian service with Netherland Line. On 22 March 1932 Georges Potolo acquired her, renamed herMax Wolf, and registered her inIthaca, in theIonian Islands ofGreece. Her Greek code letters were JHWF, but by 1934 they were replaced with the four-letter call sign SVQI.[7][8]
In the Second World War a German air raid on 9 June 1940 sankBali in theSeine, killing two of her crew. Sources disagree as to whether she sank atRouen[2] or was beached nearBerville-sur-Seine.[5] During the subsequentGerman occupation of France, theLuftwaffe used her wreck fortarget practice. After the war, according to one source, her wreck was beached on 16 August 1946 to be scrapped.[2] According to other sources, she was scrapped about 1951.[5]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in June 1940 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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