 SSYellowstone atOakland,California, on 20 April 1918 during her builder'strials and before hercommissioning as USSYellowstone. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSYellowstone |
| Builder | Moore and Scott Shipbuilding Company,Oakland,California |
| Launched | 9 December 1917 |
| Completed | April 1918 |
| Acquired | 27 May 1918 |
| Commissioned | 21 September 1918 |
| Decommissioned | 24 May 1919 |
| Stricken | 24 May 1919 |
| Fate |
|
| Notes | Operated as SSYellowstone 24 May 1919 – 10 December 1920 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 6,171Gross register tons[1] |
| Displacement | 12,570 tons |
| Length | 416 ft 6 in (126.95 m) |
| Beam | 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m) (mean) |
| Depth | 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam, one shaft |
| Speed | 10knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 79 |
| Armament | none |
The firstUSSYellowstone (ID-2657) was acargo ship of theUnited States Navy that served duringWorld War I and its immediate aftermath.
TheMoore and Scott Shipbuilding Company inOakland,Californialaunched a steel-hulled, single-screw commercial cargo ship originally named SSPassatt, SSWar Boy, or SSWar Buoy[a] on 9 December 1917. Renamed SSYellowstone, she was completed in April 1918 and came under the control of theUnited States Shipping Board.[2][1][3]
The U.S. Navy's12th Naval District inspectedYellowstone with an eye toward using the ship as a depotcollier duringWorld War I and her assigned the identification number 2657. She steamed from California toPhiladelphia, where the Navy took control of her for operation with theNaval Overseas Transportation Service. She wascommissioned at theshipyard ofWilliam Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia as USSYellowstone (ID-2657) on 21 September 1918.[2][1][3]
Soon after her commissioning,Yellowstone moved toNew York City, where she arrived on 24 September 1918. She underwent repairs at theMorse Drydock and Repair Company yards inBrooklyn,New York, and suffered additional damage in a minor sideswiping collision with the British-registeredmerchant shipMoorish Prince on 13 October 1918. After repairs to the damage she suffered in her collision withMoorish Prince,Yellowstone shifted to Pier 5 atBush Terminal in Brooklyn on the morning of 15 October 1918 and over the next few days took on board 6,672 tons of general cargo – including automobiles andlocomotives – earmarked for American forces inFrance.[2]
On 27 October 1918,Yellowstone got underway inconvoy for France, "proceeding under confidential orders on [United States]Army transport duty to port of debarkation,"St. Nazaire. The war ended on 11 November 1918 whileYellowstone was en route to France. On 14 November 1918 she arrived atQuiberon Bay. She remained at anchor there until she received onward routing to St. Nazaire. There, she discharged her cargo and began taking on "return" cargo for transport to theUnited States, including "aeroplane parts." After shifting briefly to the St. Nazaire roadstead,Yellowstone departed the French coast, proceeding independently, on 27 November 1918.[2][1]
On 15 December 1918, only two days from New York,Yellowstone sighted a derelict three-mastedschooner and altered course to close. She discovered the water-loggedJoseph P. Cooper ofMobile,Alabama, abandoned with her decks and cabin awash and with her forerigging gone and herforecastle smashed in.Joseph P. Cooper looked like she had been adrift from six to eight weeks. After leaving the derelict,Yellowstone continued her passage and arrived at Pier 5, Bush Terminal, in Brooklyn on 17 December 1918. Shifting to Pier 1 at the end of December, she spent a week at anchor off theStatue of Liberty before returning to Bush Terminal and, later, shifting to the U.S. Army docks at Brooklyn. There, from 17 to 25 January 1919,Yellowstone took on board 5,150 tons of supplies and, on 25 January 1919, got underway for France.[2][1]
During the crossing,Yellowstone ran into a heavygale on 4 February 1919. She rolled considerably at the outset, shipping water and spray amidships, and labored heavily in the storm. On 9 February 1919, with the storm still showing no signs of abating,Yellowstone's steering gear failed. Soon both auxiliary systems – steam- and hand-powered – also failed. Pumping oil through waste pipes in an attempt to break the force of the waves,Yellowstone wallowed through the storm while her engineers worked to repair the casualty. By 12 February,Yellowstone was once again able to use her steering gear effectively.[2]
Yellowstone anchored at Quiberon Bay at 0953 on 14 February 1919. Her troubles were not over, however, as she grazed thejetty wall while entering thelocks at St. Nazaire. At 0545, the engineer officer reported to the captain that twoboilers were under water and the steam was cut off. AsYellowstone moored alongside the nearbyquay, her crew broke out atarpaulin and collision mat. Soon thereafter,Yellowstone, still with way on, nudged into the bridge walk of the lock. By 0630, under tow by a Frenchtug, she reached a safe basin, where she dropped both anchors and her crew began to take stock of the situation. Divers examining the damage reported that a hole, six inches (15 cm) in width, had been opened up inYellowstone's side, extending from a point 10 feet (3.0 meters) beneath thewaterline and about six feet (1.8 meters) in length.Drydocked on 11 March 1919,Yellowstone grazed the Frenchpassenger ship SSAlesia that morning, causing minor damage toAlesia's railings on herpromenade deck andboat deck.[2]
Undocked upon completion of her hull repairs on 6 April 1919,Yellowstone loaded a return cargo of structural iron for use asballast,barbed wire, and 6-inch (152-mm)artillery pieces. On 19 April 1919, she shifted from St. Nazaire toBrest, France, and got underway the next day for the United States. Mooring at Pier 3, Bush Terminal, Brooklyn, on 7 May 1919, she unloaded through mid-month.[2][1]
At noon on 24 May 1919, a United States Shipping Board crew reported aboardYellowstone, and, at 1247 that day,Yellowstone wasdecommissioned and simultaneously stricken from theNavy list and returned to the Shipping Board.[2][1][3][b]
Once again SSYellowstone, the ship entered commercial service under the control of the Shipping Board. On 10 December 1920,[c] she dragged her anchors due to high winds and ran hard aground offPonta Delgada onSão Miguel Island in theAzores. She was listed as "stranded" and a total loss, but her entire crew of 45 men was saved.[2][1]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
