User:Jordanroderick/sandbox
 USAT Logan
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
  United Kingdom | |
| Name | Mohawk (1892-1898) |
| Operator | Atlantic Transport Line |
| Builder | Harland & Wolff, Belfast |
| Launched | 25 February 1892 |
| Homeport | London, England |
| Identification | Official number 99066 |
| Fate | Sold for $660,000 |
  United States | |
| Name |
|
| Operator | Army Transport Service |
| Homeport | Fort Mason, California |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold for $180,000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage |
|
| Displacement | 7,519 tons |
| Length | 445.5 ft (135.8 m) |
| Beam | 49 ft 3 in (15.01 m) |
| Draft | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Depth of hold | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Decks | 5 |
| Installed power | 1,200 horsepower |
| Propulsion | 2 x triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 13.5 knots |
The steamship Mohawk was steel-hulled freighter built for the Atlantic Transport Line in 1892. She carried live cattle and frozen beef from the United States to England until the advent of the Spanish-American War. In 1898 she was purchased by the United States Army for use as an ocean-going troopship. During the Spanish-American War she carried troops and supplies between the U.S. mainland, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
After the war, she was renamed USAT Grant and was refit for service as a troopship in the Pacific.
Grant was converted into a hopper dredge in 1903. At that time she was the largest hopper dredge in the world.[1] She was renamed USED Chinook.
Construction and characteristics
[edit]The Atlantic Transport Line commissioned four sisterships to be built by the Harland and Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They were, in order of launch, Massachusetts, Manitoba, Mohawk, and Mobile.[2]
Mohawk's hull was built of steel plates. She was 445.5 feet (135.8 m) long, with a beam of 49.2 feet (15.0 m) and a depth of hold of 30 feet (9.1 m). Her gross register tonnage was 5,658, and her net register tonnage was 3,646.[3]
She was driven by two propellers. These were turned by two triple-expansion steam engines which were also built by Harland and Wolff. They had high, medium, and low-pressure cylinders with diameters of 22.5 inches, 36.5 inches, and 60 inches, respectively, with a stroke of 48 inches. Each of the engines was rated at 600 horsepower.[3] Steam was provided by two coal-fired boilers. At full speed, the ship would burn 60 tons of coal a day.[4]
Mohawk's cargo capacity was built primarily to support the shipment of American beef to England, both in the form of live cattle and refrigerated dressed beef. She was fitted out to transport 1,000 live cattle,[5] with a space of 8 feet (2.4 m) long by 2.5 feet (0.76 m) wide allocated to each animal.[6] Her refrigerated holds could carry 1,000 tons of fresh meat.[7][8][9] The ship also had accomodations for up to sixty cabin passengers.
Mohawk was launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard on Queen's Island on 29 February 1892. Her engines and machinery were then installed and she was delivered to her new owners on 7 May 1892.[4]
Atlantic Transport Line Service (1892–1898)
[edit]While the Atlantic Transport Line was controlled by American shipping magnate Bernard N. Baker, its operations were run from Britain. Mohawk's home port was London and she was registered as a British ship.[3] During her six-year career with Atlantic Transport Line she was assigned to the New York to London route.[10]
Mohawk proved exceptionally capable at moving cattle across the Atlantic. On her first crossing in 1892, she brought 489 cattle to England and only two died en route.[4] Since horses could be shipped using the same facilities as cattle, Mohawk occasionally shipped them as well. In 1897 the hunter Long Shot was shipped to England as a gift to the Duchess of Marlborough from her mother.[11] On the same trip, Mohawk carried 206 horses purchased for British cavalry use.[12] Noted race horse enthusiast Pierre Lorillard shipped a dozen thoroughbreds to London on board.[13] In 1892 Mohawk carried Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show from London back to America. Among the livestock that accompanied the show aboard were 18 buffalo, 9 kicking broncos, and 3 of Cody's personal horses.[14]
Mohawk was a speedy ship for her day. In August 1892 she reached New York From London in 9 days, 20 hours, the fastest passage to that time by a freighter. She beat the record of her sister ship, Manitoba.[15]
Perhaps the most eventful day of Mohawk's career as a commercial vessel was 20 January 1897 when she saved the 17 surviving crew of the dismasted and sinking Norwegian bark Persia during a North Atlantic storm.[16]
US Army Service (1898–1922)
[edit]Spanish–American War service (1898–1899)
[edit]On 25 April 1898, Congress declared war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War.[17] An immediate objective was to defeat Spain in the Caribbean, taking Cuba and Puerto Rico. At the time, the United States had few overseas possessions, and thus its military had limited ocean-capable sealift to support such an offensive. American political leaders preferred to acquire American ships to support the war effort, rather than enrich foreigners and rely on foreign crews. There were also legal constraints on using neutral-flagged vessels in American military operations. Through some quirks in the Congressional funding of the war, the US Navy was able to charter transport ships prior to the declaration of war and tied-up the best of the American merchant fleet for its use. When the Army was able to begin acquiring ships after the declaration of war, fewer domestic options remained. While the Atlantic Transport Line was British-flagged, it was American owned, making it a more attractive option.[4]
Army Colonel Frank J. Hecker approached the Atlantic Transport Line to charter its fleet, and was refused. He then offered to buy the vessels he sought and a deal was struck, subject to the approval of the Secretary of War Russel Alger. In addition to Mohawk, the Atlantic Transport Line sold Massachusetts, Manitoba, Mobile, Michigan, Mississippi, and Minnewaska.[8] These ships were placed under the Quartermaster's Department of the United States Army. The Army reckoned Mohawk's capacity to be 80 officers, 1,000 men, and 1,000 horses. Mohawk was turned over to the Army in New York on 29 June 1898.[18] The price of the ship was $660,000.[5]
The Army immediately sent the ship into dry dock to have the marine growth scraped from her bottom. The British crew of 79 men refused to serve on a United States military ship. It was variously reported at the time that they were either replaced by Americans[18] or agreed to serve with a 20 percent increase in their wages.[19] The latter seems more probable in that the ship sailed from New York for Tampa on 5 July 1898, less than a week after the Army took possession.[20] She carried 600 mules, 200 horses, and 1,400 men from Tampa to Puerto Rico.[21] By the time Mohawk reached the island on 2 August 1898, the fighting was all but over. Hostilities ceased on 12 August 1898.[22]
| Departure | From | To | Arrival | Units embarked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 1898 | Tampa | Ponce | 2 August 1898 | ten companies 11th Infantry Regiment[23] |
| 18 August 1898 | Santiago | Montauk, New York | 24 August 1898 | 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment[24] |
Pacific service (1898–1900)
[edit]
Having taken Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, the Army had a permanent need for transport to overseas bases. The annexation of Hawaii in 1898 also required new ocean transport. The Army Transport Service chose the best vessels acquired during the war to become a permanent sealift capability. Mohawk and her three sister ships were retained for this purpose. To mark their transition to permanent military service, they were renamed in January 1899 for prominent Civil War generals. Mohawk became United States Army Transport Grant, named for Ulysses S. Grant.[25]
On 27 September 1898,[26] the ship arrived at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine for modifications to prepare her for transport service in the Pacific. The shipyard was the low bidder for the job at $82,800.[27] During the work the Army requested a number of extras which raised the ultimate cost to about $135,000. Among the projects accomplished at Bath were fitting two lower decks with three-tier berths which could accommodate 2,170 troops, and expanding the galley, messing, shower, toilet, ventilation, and other necessities to support the troops.[28] Over 100 painters were employed to completely repaint the ship in lead white.[29] A 50-bed hospital was installed.[30] She sailed to New York, after her refit was complete, where she arrived on 4 January 1899.[31]
Army Corps of Engineers service (1903
[edit]
In October 1903 work to convert the ship into a hopper dredge was completed.[32]
Obsolescence, sale, and scrapping
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Dredge To Stay Here To Deepen Ship Channel". Tampa Tribune. 18 August 1936. p. 5.
- ^ "New Transatlantic Line Of Steamers". Belfast News-Letter. 30 September 1891. p. 6.
- ^ a b c Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping. Vol. 1 - Steamers. London: Lloyd's Register. 1893.
- ^ a b c d Kinghorn, Jonathan (2012-01-27). The Atlantic Transport Line, 1881-1931: A History with Details on All Ships. McFarland. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7864-8842-1.
- ^ a b United States Commission Appointed by the President to Investigate the Conduct of the War Department in the War with Spain. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1900. pp. 136, 145, 444, 488, 491.
- ^ "A Magnificent Steamer". Liverpool Mercury. 13 June 1892. p. 5.
- ^ "May Attach U.S. Ships". New York Times. 9 July 1898. p. 12.
- ^ a b "Expedited Ship Buying". The Sun. 25 June 1898. p. 2.
- ^ "Live Stock Market". The New York Times. 5 November 1892. p. 10.
- ^ "Port Paragraphs". Baltimore Sun. 3 October 1892. p. 8.
- ^ "Horses Shipped To England". New York Tribune. 24 January 1897. p. 3.
- ^ "Long Shot Shipped To Europe". Buffalo News. 24 January 1897. p. 8.
- ^ "Stewards Take Action". Brooklyn Eagle. 21 August 1897. p. 4.
- ^ "Redskins In Creased Trousers". San Francisco Chronicle. 28 October 1892. p. 1.
- ^ "A Record-Breaker". Baltimore Sun. 6 August 1892. p. 8.
- ^ "The Persia's Log Closed". The New York Times. 27 February 1897. p. 4.
- ^ "The Declaration Of War". New York Times. 26 April 1898. p. 3.
- ^ a b "Transport Crews Back Out". Baltimore Sun. 1 July 1898. p. 7.
- ^ "Mohawk's Record". Times Record. 28 September 1898. p. 4.
- ^ "Troops And Supplies For Cuba". The New York Times. 6 July 1898. p. 2.
- ^ "Off For Puerto Rico". Pittsburg Daily Headlight. 28 July 1898. p. 3.
- ^ "Protocol of Peace -- Aug 12, 1898". 2007-10-12. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ Correspondence Relating to the War with Spain: Including the Insurrection in the Philippine Islands and the China Relief Expedition, April 15, 1898, to July 30, 1902. Center of Military History, U.S. Army. 1993. pp. 310, 350.
- ^ "Camp Wikoff". Buffalo Courier. 25 August 1898. p. 1.
- ^ "Troops For The Philippines". Sun. 8 January 1899. p. 1.
- ^ "The Transport Mohawk Arrives to Be Repaired". Portland Daily Press. 28 September 1898. p. 2.
- ^ "Refitting The Transports". Sun. 22 September 1898. p. 2.
- ^ "To Transform The Mohawk". New York Tribune. 25 September 1898. p. 13.
- ^ "Weekly Payroll is $10,000". Sun Journal. 29 October 1898. p. 24.
- ^ "In Busy Bath". Sun Journal. 29 December 1898. p. 8.
- ^ "Bath, January 6, 1899". Times Record. 6 January 1899. p. 4.
- ^ "Dredge Will Be Named Chinook". Tacoma Daily Ledger. 28 October 1903. p. 8.