USS West Apaum
![]() West Apaum painted in dazzle camouflage during sea trials on 20 June 1918
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History | |
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Owner | United States Shipping Board |
Builder |
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Yard number | 23[3] |
Laid down | 19 March 1918[2] |
Launched | 23 May 1918[2] |
Completed | 19 June 1918[2] |
Acquired | 20 June 1918[4] |
Commissioned | 20 June 1918[5] |
Decommissioned | 25 July 1919[5] |
Identification | Official number: 216500 [1] |
Fate | Scrapped, 1933[1] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Design 1013 ship |
Tonnage | 5,537 GRT[1] |
Displacement | 12,226 t[5] |
Length | |
Beam | 54 ft 0 in (16.46 m)[5] |
Draft | 22 ft 2.25 in (6.7628 m)[5] |
Depth of hold | 29 ft 9 in (9.07 m)[5] |
Propulsion | 1 × triple-expansion steam engine,[1] 2,700 hp (2,000 kW) |
Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) (1918)[5] |
Complement | 81[5] |
Armament |
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USS West Apaum (ID-3221) was a cargo ship in the United States Navy during World War I. She had been built as SS West Apaum for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the West boats, a series of steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States.
West Apaum sailed on three voyages for the US Navy, two after the
Design and construction
The "West" ships were cargo ships of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the
West Apaum (Skinner & Eddy No. 23, USSB No. 88)
The ship was 5,537
Military career
USS West Apaum (ID-3221) was
West Apaum departed
West Apaum unloaded her railroad goods, loaded 2,214 long tons (2,250 t) of Army cargo, and headed for the United States on 13 December. She arrived at Hampton Roads on 3 January 1919. West Apaum made two more voyages to France under Navy control. On her final voyage, she carried airplane materials to France and returned 5,000 long tons (5,100 t) of Army ordnance to New York on 11 July. On 25 July, West Apaum was decommissioned and returned to the USSB.[5]
Civilian career
Little is known about West Apaum's subsequent civilian career. In the first quarter of 1927, it is known that West Apaum was sailing on a New York – Rotterdam route.[9][10] While in this service, The New York Times, in one of just a few mentions the ship received in contemporary news coverage, reported on the transfer of one of West Apaum's crew members to the United States Lines ocean liner Republic at sea. The crewman had fallen into an open hatchway and had fractured his skull. The two ships, located some 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) west of New York, came within 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) of each other and the injured man was loaded onto a boat from Republic in the heavy seas. The crewman, though successfully transferred to Republic, died several hours later.[11][12]
By early 1929, West Apaum had been laid up, and was under consideration by the USSB for the installation of pulverized coal-fired boilers for testing purposes,[13] but lost out on the honor to West Alsek.[14] No further information on West Apaum's career is available, but it is known that she was abandoned by the USSB in 1933,[5] and scrapped in the second quarter of that year.[1]
Notes
- ^ Skinner & Eddy was an emergency shipyard that only operated from 1916 until about 1920.
- ^ The other three ships tied for tenth-fastest were West Alsek and West Gotomska—both also constructed by Skinner & Eddy, and Lake Gardner. See: Hurley, p. 93.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "West Apaum (2216500)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
- ^ OCLC 2449383.
- ^ a b c Colton, Tim. "Skinner & Eddy, Seattle WA". Shipbuilding History. The Colton Company. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
- ^ Naval Historical Center, Navy Department. 14 March 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "West Apaum". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
- ^ Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.
- ^ a b Hurley, pp. 92–93.
- ^ United States House of Representatives, Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations, p. 624.
- ^ "Movements of steamships". The Washington Post. 21 January 1927. p. 8.
- ^ "Movements of steamships". The Washington Post. 1 April 1927. p. 12.
- ^ "Sick man picked up at sea". The New York Times. 6 January 1927. p. 28.
- ^ "Tells Legion plans for Paris meeting". The New York Times. 8 January 1927. p. 8.
- ^ "Plan pulverized coal on more freighters". The New York Times. 13 March 1928. p. 59.
- ^ "West Alsek to get coal pulverizers". The New York Times. 21 February 1929. p. 55.
Bibliography
- OCLC 18696066.
- OCLC 751444.
- Naval Historical Center. "West Apaum". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
- OCLC 64558341.
External links
- Photo gallery of West Apaum at NavSource Naval History