.jpg) USSTexan as atroop transport in 1919. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSTexan |
| Owner | American-Hawaiian Steamship Company |
| Operator | United States Shipping Board |
| Builder | New York Shipbuilding Corporation,Camden,New Jersey |
| Launched | 16 August 1902 |
| Completed | 1902 |
| Acquired | 18 March 1918 |
| Commissioned | 23 March 1918 |
| Decommissioned | 22 August 1919 |
| In service | 1902, 1919 (American-Hawaiian Steamship Company) |
| Identification | ID-1354 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk in commercial service 11 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship andtroop transport |
| Tonnage | 8,615Gross register tons |
| Displacement | 18,000tons |
| Length | 484 ft 5 in (147.65 m) |
| Beam | 57 ft (17 m) |
| Draft | 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam engine |
| Speed | 13.5knots (maximum) |
| Complement | 70 |
| Armament |
|
USSTexan (ID-1354) was aUnited States Navycargo ship andtroop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.
Texan was built in 1902 atCamden,New Jersey, by theNew York Shipbuilding Corporation as thepassenger ship SSTexan for theAmerican-Hawaiian Steamship Company. TheUnited States Shipping Board acquired her on 18 March 1918 forWorld War I service and transferred her to the U.S. Navy atNew York City the same day. Assigned theNaval Registry Identification Number (ID. No.) 1354, she wascommissioned as USSTexan on 23 March 1918.
Assigned to theNaval Overseas Transportation Service after being refitted for naval service,Texan loaded general military supplies and departed on 9 April 1918 in aconvoy forFrance.Texan arrived atBrest, France, on 24 April 1918 and, after discharging hercargo, began the return voyage to New York on 19 May 1918. Upon her arrival there, she underwent voyage repairs and then loaded supplies, including 405tons ofammunition and 10locomotives destined forMarseille, France.Texan departed with a convoy on 18 June 1918 and arrived at Marseille on 7 July 1918.Texan made another round-trip voyage to Marseille in September 1918. On 23 October 1918 she sank the American sail BargeJ. H. Rutter in a collision in theNorth River.[1][2] She made another round trip toLe Verdon-sur-Mer, France, in November and December 1918 before returning to New York on 4 January 1919.
On 18 January 1919,Texan was transferred to theCruiser and Transport Force and began operating as a troop transport, bringing troops of theAmerican Expeditionary Force home to theUnited States from France until 7 August 1919, when she was reassigned to the5th Naval District.
Texan wasdecommissioned on 22 August 1919 and returned to the United States Shipping Board for return to the American Hawaiian Steamship Company.
Texan returned to commercial service as SSTexan. DuringWorld War II she was on a commercial voyage whenGermansubmarineU-126torpedoed, shelled and sank her offCape San Antonio,Cuba, on 11 March 1942. Nine men were lost, and 38 survived.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.21°34′N76°28′W / 21.567°N 76.467°W /21.567; -76.467
