USS Martha Washington
USS Martha Washington inbound to Hampton Roads, Virginia, from Brest, France, 1918.
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History | |
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Austria-Hungary | |
Name | SS Martha Washington |
Namesake | Martha Washington |
Owner | Austro-American Line |
Port of registry | Trieste, Austria-Hungary |
Route | Trieste–New York |
Builder |
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Launched | 1908 |
Fate | Interned in the United States, 1914 |
United States | |
Name | USAT Martha Washington |
Acquired | 6 April 1917 |
Fate | transferred to the U.S. Navy, November 1917 |
United States | |
Name | USS Martha Washington (ID-3019) |
Acquired | November 1917 |
Commissioned | 2 January 1918 |
Decommissioned | 18 November 1919 |
Stricken | 18 November 1919 |
Fate | Transferred to the War Department for use by the U.S. Army |
United States | |
Name | USAT Martha Washington |
Acquired | after 18 November 1919 |
Fate | Sold to Cosulich Line, 1922 |
Italy | |
Name | Tel Aviv |
Owner |
|
Port of registry | Trieste, Italy |
Renamed | 1932: Tel Aviv |
Fate | Scrapped, 1934 |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 8,312 GRT[2] |
Displacement | 12,700 tons |
Length | 460 ft (140.2 m) |
Beam | 56 ft (17.1 m) |
Draft | 24 ft 6 in (7.5 m) |
Propulsion | steam engine powered by screw propeller made by Rankin & Blackmore[1] |
Speed | 17.2 knots (31.9 km/h) |
Troops | 3,380 |
Complement | 949 |
Armament |
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USS Martha Washington (ID‑3019) was a
Early career
Martha Washington was launched in 1908 by Russell & Co. of Port Glasgow, Scotland for the Austro-American Line (formal name: Unione Austriaca di Navigazione).[3] The liner sailed between Trieste and New York City.[2]
On the evening of 20 November 1911, while steaming in the Ionian Sea from Patras and headed for New York, Martha Washington came under fire from an Italian battleship for a period of ten minutes, with shells falling within one ship length (approximately 500 ft or 150 m) of the liner. According to the captain of the liner, the Italians, fighting against Turkey in the Italo-Turkish War, mistook Martha Washington for a Turkish ship. The ship was allowed to pass unharmed after the crew used a signal lamp to communicate her identity to the Italians.[4]
At the outbreak of World War I, Martha Washington was interned at Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1914.[3]
World War I
After the United States entered the war, Martha Washington was taken over by the
Transporting troops to France
Two months of round‑the‑clock effort restored the ship to seaworthiness and modified her as a troop transport. Martha Washington sailed on eight wartime voyages carrying troops to France, embarking a total of 24,005 passengers.
Martha Washington next departed Newport News on 30 April 1918 with Powhatan. Rendezvousing with the two transports was a convoy sailing from New York consisting of
Departing Newport News once again for France on 10 July, Martha Washington, accompanied by Aeolus, Powhatan, and Matsonia, joined with the New York contingent—Navy transports
With Manchuria, Henderson, Aeolus,
After embarking 3,029 troops,
Beginning what would be her final wartime crossing, Martha Washington sailed with Aeolus and Italian steamer
On her final voyage she arrived at Brest on 14 August and received new orders to transport an American relief mission to
Later career
In November 1922, Martha Washington was sold to the
Notes
- ^ "Screw Steamer MARTHA WASHINGTON built by Russell & Co in 1908 for Unione Austriaca di Navigazione, Trieste, Passenger".
- ^ a b c "Unione Austriaca (Austro-Americana) / Cosulich Line". 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f "Martha Washington". DANFS.
- ^ "Italian warship shelled the liner" (PDF). The New York Times. 6 December 1911. p. 14. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
- ^ Gleaves, p. 240.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, p. 605.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, p. 606.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, p. 608.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, p. 610.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, pp. 612–13.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, pp. 614–15.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, p. 559.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, p. 617.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, p. 619.
References
- OCLC 18696066.
- OCLC 976757.
- Naval Historical Center. "Martha Washington". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links
- Media related to Martha Washington (ship, 1908) at Wikimedia Commons
- Photo gallery of Martha Washington at NavSource Naval History