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Photo # NH 43045: USS George Washington, March 1919

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

WORLD WAR I ERA TRANSPORTS --
with Two Smokestacks and Four Masts

Seven WWI era U.S. Navy transports had two smokestacks and four masts. Five were taken into service during the war. Three of these were former German passenger liners seized in 1917 and commissioned later in that year. One of them was torpedoed and sunk during the conflict. Two U.S. flag liners were placed in commission in 1918, after initially operating with civilian crews under U.S. Army charter. The remaining two ships, which had spent the war in Germany, were taken over early in 1919 to convey U.S. service personnel home from Europe.

These seven ships varied significantly in size, with the largest having nearly twice the tonnage as the smallest. They can be readily separated into three groups: three large ex-German ships of over 20,000 gross tons; two ex-German ships of about 16,000 gross tons; and two American liners of about 12,000 tons.

Two of the larger ships were somewhat similar in appearance, though stack spacing and other design elements were different. The third ship had an additional superstructure level. The middle group were also fairly close in appearance, while the smaller American liners were nearly identical. The ships commissioned in 1917-1918 wore Navy-type color schemes: grey overall, with most having pattern camouflage during much of 1918. The 1919 acquisitions were both painted in civilian colors during their Naval service.

This page features a table (with links to individual ships) of World War I era U.S. Navy transports with two smokestacks 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:

SEVEN SHIPS -- TWO SMOKESTACKS and FOUR MASTS --

Three Large Ships:

  • George Washington, USN 1917-1919 (ex-German S.S. George Washington, 1908).
    • 25,570 Gross Tons, Length 699.1', Beam 78.2', Comm. 6 Sep 17, Decom. 28 Nov 19, ID # 3018
  • America, USN 1917-1919 (ex-German S.S. Amerika, 1905).
    • 22,622 Gross Tons, Length 668.8', Beam 74.3', Comm. 6 Aug 17, Decom. 26 Sep 19, ID # 3006
  • Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, USN 1919-1919 (ex-German S.S. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, 1905).
    • 24,581 Gross Tons, Length 677.5', Beam 77.3', Comm. 27 Mar 19, Decom. 23 Dec 19, ID # 1472

     USS George Washington, 1919:

     USAT America, circa 1919:

     USS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria:


    Two Medium-sized Ships:

  • Covington, USN 1917-1918 (ex-German S.S. Cincinnati, 1908).
    • 16,339 Gross Tons, Length 582.3', Beam 65.4', Comm. 28 Jul 17, Lost 2 Jul 18, ID # 1409
  • Mobile, USN 1919-1918 (ex-German S.S. Cleveland, 1909).
    • 16,971 Gross Tons, Length 588.9', Beam 65.4', Comm. 26 Mar 19, Decom. 25 Nov 19, ID # 4043

    .

     USS Covington, Oct. 1917:

     USS Mobile, 1919:


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    Two Smaller Ships:

  • Finland, USN 1918-1919 (ex-American S.S. Finland, 1902).
    • 12,700 Gross Tons, Length 560.0', Beam 60.2', Comm. 26 Apr 18, Decom. 15 Nov 19, ID # 4543
  • Kroonland, USN 1918-1918 (ex-American S.S. Kroonland, 1902).
    • 12,241 Gross Tons, Length 560.0', Beam 60.2', Comm. 25 Apr 18, Decom. 1 Oct 19, ID # 1541

    .

     S.S. Finland, circa 1917:

     USS Kroonland, 1919:

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