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Photo # NH 103144: USS Manchuria underway in 1919

U.S. NAVY TEMPORARY AUXILIARY SHIPS, 1917-1919

WORLD WAR I ERA TRANSPORTS --
with One Smokestack and Four Masts

Nine of the U.S. Navy's "plumb"-bow WWI era transports had one smokestack and four masts. Three were veterans of the U.S. merchant marine and the rest were former German commercial steamers. Half of the group entered Navy service in 1919, while the rest served both during and after the conflict.

Seven of these nine ships had blocky superstructures close to, or below, one-third of overall ship length, reflecting their commercial employment in the combined passenger and cargo trades. These vessels were of similar, though hardly identical appearance. Two others had lower and somewhat longer superstructures.

One ship, at over 20,000 gross tons, was quite large by the standards of single-smokestack vessels. Six were in the 13,000 - 14,000 gross ton range, while two measured 10,000 tons or less.

This page features a table (with links to individual ships) of World War I era U.S. Navy passenger liner type transports with one smokestack and four masts, plus one photograph of each ship in this group.


Click the small photographs to prompt a larger view of the same image with a descriptive header.


Ships in this group:

NINE SHIPS with ONE SMOKESTACK and FOUR MASTS, subdivided as follows:

One quite large ship:
  • Troy, USN 1919-1919 (ex-American S.S. Minnesota, 1904).
    • 20,566 Gross Tons, Length 622.0', Beam 73.5', Comm. 27 Feb 19, Decom. 15 Sep 19, ID # 1614
    This ship's superstructure was relatively short.

    .

     USS Troy, 1919:

    		 .


    Two relatively large sister ships, built in the United States:

  • Manchuria, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Manchuria, 1904).
    • 13,639 Gross Tons, Length 600.0', Beam 65.3', Comm. 25 Apr 18, Decom. 11 Sep 19, ID # 1633
  • Mongolia, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Mongolia, 1911).
    • 13,639 Gross Tons, Length 600.0', Beam 65.3', Comm. 8 May 18, Decom. 11 Sep 19, ID # 1615

    .

     USS Manchuria, 1919:

     S.S. Mongolia, 1913:


    		 .


    One relatively large ship, built in the United Kingdom:

  • Nansemond, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Pennsylvania, 1896).
    • 13,333 Gross Tons, Length 559.4', Beam 62.2', Comm. 20 Jan 19, Decom. 16 Sep 19, ID # 1395
    This ship's superstructure was relatively short.

    .

     USS Nansemond, 1919:

    		 .


    Three relatively large ships, built in Germany:

  • Graf Waldersee, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Graf Waldersee, 1898).
    • 13,193 Gross Tons, Length 561.2', Beam 62.2', Comm. 28 Mar 19, Decom. 25 Nov 19, ID # 4040
  • Pretoria, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Pretoria, 1897).
    • 13,234 Gross Tons, Length 561.0', Beam 62.2', Comm. 29 Mar 19, Decom. 25 Nov 19, No ID #
  • Patricia, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Patricia, 1899).
    • 14,466 Gross Tons, Length 560.3', Beam 62.3', Comm. 28 Mar 19, Decom. 18 Sep 19, No ID #
    These ships had relatively short superstructures.

     USS Graf Waldersee, 1919:

    Note: Armistice markings and bulwark at bow

     USS Pretoria, 1919:

     USS Patricia, April 1919:


    Two medium-size ships, both built in Germany:

  • Antigone, USN 1917-1919 (ex-German S.S. Neckar, 1900).
    • 9835 Gross Tons, Length 499.3', Beam 58.1', Comm. 5 Sep 17, Decom. 24 Sep 19, ID # 3007
  • Susquehanna, USN 1917-1919 (ex-German S.S. Rhein, 1899).
    • 10,058 Gross Tons, Length 501.0', Beam 58.1', Comm. 5 Sep 17, Decom. 16 Sep 19, ID # 3016

    .

     USS Antigone, circa 1919:

     USS Susquehanna:

    		 .

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