SS Samuel Huntington
Samuel Huntington was a standard liberty ship, similar to SS John W. Brown, seen here.
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Samuel Huntington |
Namesake | Samuel Huntington |
Owner | United States Maritime Commission |
Operator | San Francisco, California |
Builder | Permanente Metals Corp. |
Yard number | |
Way number | 4 |
Laid down | 20 January 1942 |
Launched | 26 April 1942 |
Completed | 18 May 1942 |
Identification | MC Hull #248 |
Fate | Bombed and sunk off Anzio, 29 January 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type |
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Tonnage | 7,181 GRT |
Length | |
Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
Capacity |
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Troops | 350; 504 POWs |
Complement | |
Armament |
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SS Samuel Huntington was an American
Construction
Samuel Huntington was laid down on 20 January 1942 by Permanente Metals Corp. on ship way number four at their
Service history
Ten days after her delivery, Samuel Huntington departed
Sailing from Cape Town on 6 September, Samuel Huntington sailed around the
Samuel Huntington arrived at Paramaribo on 27 November, and sailed three days later for Trinidad.[3] After arriving at that Caribbean port on 1 December, the Huntington waited for a week before sailing in convoy TAG-27 to Guantanamo Bay with 12 other ships.[4] After arriving at Guantanamo Bay on 12 December, the convoy, dropping four ships, reformed as convoy GN.27 headed for New York City and departed the same day. The Huntington, calling at a U.S. port for the first time in seven months, arrived at New York on 19 December.[5]
The Huntington departed New York as a part of
After calling at Belfast Lough in early April, Samuel Huntington made her way to Liverpool to join Convoy ON 181 to New York. Departing on 30 April as one of 48 merchant ships in the convoy, the liberty ship made port at New York on 17 May.[9] The convoy reported no submarine activity, and about two-thirds of the convoy were able to take target practice on icebergs during the voyage.[10]
Samuel Huntington next departed New York on 13 June for
After making her way to Hampton Roads, Samuel Huntington departed for
The Huntington—in Convoy UGS-27, a 115-ship convoy
Sinking
At sunset on 29 January,
After the second explosion, Samuel Huntington settled to the bottom, but because the bottom had been only 3 feet (0.91 m) below her keel, most of the ship remained above the water.[16] U.S. Navy salvage ship Weight came alongside the Huntington and trained two deck water guns and a 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) water hose to douse the fires. When the task seemed accomplished, Weight pulled away. The fires flared up again four hours later and Weight returned to fight the conflagration again. After tending to other ships damaged during the raid, Weight returned a third time.[20] By the early morning hours on 30 January, any hope of salvaging Samuel Huntington or her cargo ended when the fires reached her load of canned gasoline. The resulting explosion completely destroyed the ship and again rained shrapnel on nearby ships. When the smoke cleared, no trace of the Huntington remained.[16]
Notes
- ^ Colton, Tim. "Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond No. 2 Yard, Richmond CA". ShipbuildingHistory.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ Charles, "Appendix B", p. 358–360.
- ^ a b c d e f "Port Arrivals/Departures: Samuel Huntington". Arnold Hague's Ports Database. Convoy Web. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ "Convoy TAG.27". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008. Another steamer, the American F. Q. Barstow joined the convoy from Curaçao.
- ^ "Convoy GN.27". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Convoy SC.118". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "U-Boat Operations: Convoy Battles: SC-118". The U-Boat War 1939–1945. uboat.net. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Allied Ships hit by U-boats: Henry R. Mallory". The U-Boat War 1939–1945. uboat.net. Retrieved 5 July 2008. SS Henry R. Mallory had also served as a troop transport in World War I as USS Henry R. Mallory (ID-1280).
- ^ "Convoy ON.181". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ "Convoy ON 181: Commodore Nicholson's Narrative". WarSailors.com. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ "Convoy UGS.10". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- OCLC 60621086. Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-07-05. Date of attack: Horodysky, T. (4 September 2006). "Chronological List of U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged during 1943". American Merchant Marine at War. USMM.org. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ "Convoy GUS.12". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ "Convoy GUS.19". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ "Convoy UGS.27". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ ]
- ^ Colledge p. 328. For number (and names) of casualties, see: Kindell, Don (21 April 2007). "Royal Navy Casualties, killed and died, January 1944". Casualty Lists of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, 1922-present. Naval-History.Net. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
- ^ "3 killed, 1 missing in Anzio bombing of liberty ship". The Washington Post. 4 August 1944. p. 2.
- ^ Butenschoen, George W. (2000). "The Sailors Log". World War II Landing Craft Tanks. Archived from the original on 28 May 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ "Weight". DANFS.
References
- Charles, Roland W. (April 1947). Troopships of World War II. Washington, D.C.: Army Transportation Association. OCLC 1871625.
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Naval Historical Center. "Weight". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
External links
- Convoy Battles: SC-118, an account of the battle involving Samuel Huntington′s January 1943 convoy]