SS West Montop

Last updated
History
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Name
  • West Montop (1919-1930)
  • San Rafael (1930-1948)
  • Ting Hsing (1948-1951)
  • An Ding (1951-1958)
Owner
Builder Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co
Yard number18 [1]
Laid downOctober 18, 1918
LaunchedMarch 30, 1919
Sponsored byMrs. E. E. Leighton
ChristenedWest Montop
CommissionedDecember 31, 1919
Homeport
Identification
FateScrapped 1958
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length410 ft 0 in (124.97 m)
Beam54 ft 4 in (16.56 m)
Depth27 ft 2 in (8.28 m)
Installed power3500 Ihp, [3] 422 Nhp [2]
Propulsion Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co 3-cylinder triple expansion
Speed10.5 knots
Crew40

West Montop was a Design 1013 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co of Los Angeles. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

Contents

Design and Construction

The West ships were cargo ships of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the West Coast of the United States for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) for emergency use during World War I. Most were given names that began with the word West. The ship was laid down at Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co shipyard (yard number 18, USSB hull number 772), [1] and launched on 30 March 1919. Mrs. E. E. Leighton, sister of Mayor Woodman, was the sponsor for the new vessel. [4] As built, the ship was 410 feet 5+1⁄2 inches (125.108 m) long (between perpendiculars) and 54 feet 0 inches (16.46 m) abeam, a mean draft of 23 feet 11+1⁄4 inches (7.296 m). [3] West Montop was assessed at 5,940 GRT, 3,729  NRT and 8,373 DWT. [3] The vessel had a steel hull, and a single 422 nhp triple-expansion steam engine that drove a single screw propeller, and moved the ship at up to 10.5 knots (12.1 mph; 19.4 km/h). [3]

Operational history

West Montop was launched on March 30, 1919 and delivered to the United States Shipping Board in December, 1919. [5] Upon delivery, the vessel was allocated to Los Angeles Pacific Navigation Company, who along with four other ships put it on her routes to the Orient. The voyages were profitable initially, for example a January 1920 trip by West Montop netted $108,703, [6] while on May 28, 1920 the ship brought from Sumatra large cargo of rubber and other merchandise from the Orient that was even celebrated with a special lunch of local dignitaries on board the ship after her arrival, on June 3. [7] She made one more trip leaving Los Angeles at the end of June and returning at the end of September.

However, by early 1921 it became clear that with the tariffs imposed by the Shipping Board, it was impossible for American merchants to compete with the foreign companies. West Montop and another vessel Vinita were sitting idle in Los Angeles Harbor for several months due to lack of cargo. [8] West Montop was laid up in Los Angeles until she was allocated to Struther & Barry for Oriental Service in late 1923.

She made two trips to the Orient, arriving on February 14, 1924 in Singapore, leaving two days later and returning to Los Angeles on April 16, 1924 during her first journey. [9] [10] [11] On her second trip she arrived in Singapore on June 26, 1924, and left July 1, [12] [13] arriving in Oakland at the end of August with a large cargo of copra loaded in Philippine Islands and Borneo. [14] Another trip was planned for the Fall of 1924, but in September 1924 West Montop was re-allocated to a newly created California & Eastern Steamship Company. [15] West Montop was primarily employed in lumber-carrying operations between US West Coast ports of Seattle, and Portland and eastern seaboard, for example in September 1927 she was hauling 3,000,000 feet of lumber to the East coast ports. [16] [17]

On March 1, 1926 it was announced West Montop was sold by the USSB to California & Eastern Steamship Company for $170,145.00 less $4,855.00 in uninsurable damage. [18] [19] In January 1929 California & Eastern Steamship Company dissolved and its assets were acquired by the Quaker Line a subsidiary of the Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Company. [20] [21] In September 1929 it was announced that several ships belonging to the Quaker Line were renamed, and West Montop became San Rafael. [22]

Quaker Line reassigned San Rafael to the States Steamship Line to manage the West coast-East coast route. For the next 10 years, San Rafael was bringing general cargo from New York City and other East coast ports to Seattle and other ports on the West coast. On her return trip, she was carrying mostly lumber from Portland to Philadelphia. [23] [24]

Some time in 1940 San Rafael was sold to Wallem Group, a Hong Kong-based shipping company that was extensively buying older ships since 1938. They also set up a registered office in Panama City which allowed them to utilize Panamanian registry very popular with Chinese owners. Since 1940 the ship's history becomes murky. It was renamed to Ting Hsing and managed by Chung Hsing Steamship Company from 1948. In 1951 the ship was again renamed to An Ding. The vessel was finally scrapped in 1958. [1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Colton, Tim. "Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Los Angeles, CA". Shipbuildinghistory.com. The Colton Company. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  2. 1 2 3 "Lloyd's Register, Steamships and Motorships" (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1930.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Register of Ships Owned by United States Shipping Board, August 1, 1920" . Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  4. ↑ Los Angeles Herald, 29 March 1919, p.17
  5. ↑ Marine Review, v.50, p.112
  6. ↑ Marine Review, v. 50, p.420
  7. ↑ Pacific Marine Review, v.17, p.108
  8. ↑ Sacramento Union, 20 February 1921, p.9
  9. ↑ Malaya Tribune, February 14, 1924, p.5
  10. ↑ Malaya Tribune, February 16, 1924, p.5
  11. ↑ Los Angeles Times, April 16, 1924, p.29
  12. ↑ The Singapore Free Press Mercantile Advertiser, June 27, 1924, p.10
  13. ↑ The Singapore Free Press Mercantile Advertiser, July 2, 1924, p.12
  14. ↑ Oakland Tribune, August 30, 1924, p.9
  15. ↑ Pacific Marine Review, v.24, p. 694
  16. ↑ Daily Colonist, September 20, 1927
  17. ↑ Oakland Tribune, September 28, 1927, p.14
  18. ↑ "10th Annual report of the United States Shipping Board (1926)" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  19. ↑ Oakland Tribune, March 1, 1926, p.18
  20. ↑ Oakland Tribune, January 22, 1929, p.42
  21. ↑ Pacific Marine Review, v.26, p.214
  22. ↑ Oakland Tribune, September 9, 1929, p.26
  23. ↑ Panama Canal Record, v.25, pp. 68,197,278,400,494
  24. ↑ Panama Canal Record, v.32, pp. 28,69,102,146,165,208

Related Research Articles

SS <i>Absaroka</i>

SS Absaroka was a steamer, named after the Absaroka Range of mountains in Montana and Wyoming, completed in February 1918 for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) which briefly operated the ship. From 17 September 1918 to 4 March 1919 the ship was commissioned as USS Absaroka with the identification number IX-2581 in United States Navy and operated by the Naval Overseas Transportation Service.

SS <i>Emidio</i>

Hammac was a steam tank ship built in 1920–1921 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of Alameda for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. Early in 1923 the vessel together with two other tankers was sold to General Petroleum Corporation and renamed Emidio. The tanker spent the vast majority of her career carrying oil along the West Coast of the United States as well as between West and East coast. In December 1941 she was shelled and damaged by the Japanese submarine I-17 and eventually wrecked with a loss of five crew.

West Cawthon was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Southwestern Shipbuilding Co. of San Pedro for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. Initially, the vessel was placed in the Pacific trade, but was soon acquired by the Green Star Steamship Co. and was put on the Gulf to the Mediterranean route. In 1923 Green Star Steamship Co. went bankrupt and vessel was bought back by USSB. The freighter then spent next two years serving the Mediterranean ports of Italy and Spain before being laid up late in 1924. In 1926 the vessel was bought by the American-South African Line and for the next fourteen years continuously sailed between the East Coast of the United States and South Africa. In 1940 she was sold to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Bison. The ship was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-124 on 1 November 1940 on one of her regular convoy trips.

SS <i>Sierra Cordoba</i> (1913)

SS Sierra Cordoba was a Norddeutscher Lloyd passenger and cargo ship completed 1913 by AG Vulcan Stettin. The ship operated between Bremen and Buenos Aires on the line's South American service and was equipped with wireless and "submarine sounding apparatus" with accommodations for 116 first class, 74 second class and 1,270 "between decks" passengers. A description after the ship had been seized and restored in 1919 noted she was among the fastest and best equipped ships of the line with accommodations for 115 first class passengers and 1,572 third and steerage class passengers as well as a crew of 179 officers and men.

Portmar was a United States-flagged merchant vessel that was constructed in response to World War I, operated by a succession of companies in the interwar period, then taken up for wartime shipping in World War II.

SS <i>Corvus</i> (1919)

Corvus was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Columbia River Shipbuilding Company of Portland for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter was operated on international and domestic routes through 1944. Early in 1945 she was transferred to Soviet Union as part of lend-lease program and renamed Uzbekistan. After several months of operation, the freighter was rammed by another vessel on 31 May 1945 and was beached to avoid sinking. She was subsequently raised and towed to Portland where she was scrapped in 1946.

SS <i>President Harrison</i>

Wolverine State was a steam passenger-cargo ship built in 1919–1920 by New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The ship was initially employed on the United States to India route until its cancellation in Spring 1922. After remodeling the vessel was briefly used by the Los Angeles Steamship Company on a run between Los Angeles and Honolulu as an emergency replacement for one of their burned out steamers. In April 1922 the steamer was renamed President Harrison. In 1923 she conducted several trips between California and the east coast of South America, before being sold together with several other ships of her class to the Dollar Steamship Company. The vessel was captured in 1941 by the Japanese after she was deliberately run aground to avoid the capture. After repairs, the ship was renamed Kachidoki Maru (勝鬨丸), put under control of NYK Line and entered the Japan to Taiwan route, but soon after was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army. Under IJA control the ship sailed between Japan, Singapore and the Philippines carrying troops and military supplies. She was torpedoed and sunk on 12 September 1944 on one of her regular trips, while carrying 950 Allied prisoners of war of which 431 were killed.

SS <i>Cardina</i>

Cardina was a cargo ship built in 1919 by the J. F. Duthie & Company of Seattle. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

SS <i>West Kasson</i>

West Kasson was a steam cargo ship built in 1918–1919 by Long Beach Shipbuilding Company of Long Beach for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The vessel initially operated on the round-the-world route from the West Coast of the United States via East Asia and Spain before being shifted to serve the Gulf to Europe and South America trade in 1922. In 1926 she was sold to the W. R. Grace and Company and renamed Cuzco. In her new role the ship operated chiefly between the ports of the Pacific Northwest and various Chilean and Peruvian ports. In 1940 the ship was again sold and transferred into Panamanian registry and renamed Carmona. The vessel continued sailing between South America and the United States and was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-160 on one of her regular trips in July 1942.

West Caddoa was a Design 1019 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Western Pipe & Steel Co of San Francisco. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

West Hika was a Design 1013 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co of Los Angeles. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

West Mingo was a Design 1013 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co of Los Angeles. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

SS <i>West Cajoot</i>

West Cajoot was a Design 1013 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co of Los Angeles. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

USS <i>Radnor</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Radnor (ID-3023) was a cargo ship and later troop transport that served with the United States Navy in 1918–19, during and shortly after World War I. The ship later went into merchant service, and in 1948 under Chinese ownership reportedly became the first all-Chinese ship to visit South America. Radnor was originally ordered as SS War Indian by a private company, but with U.S. entry into World War I in April 1917, she was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy for use as a cargo ship. Commissioned as USS Radnor (ID-3023) in May 1918, the ship spent the remainder of the war transporting cargoes for the Navy. After the war, USS Radnor was converted into a troop transport and used to repatriate U.S. troops home from France.

West Niger was a steam cargo ship built in 1919–1920 by Southwestern Shipbuilding Company of San Pedro for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter spent her entire career in the Pacific connecting the West Coast of the United States with the Chinese and Japanese ports in the Far East. Early in 1928 the ship together with ten other vessels was sold by the Shipping Board to the States Steamship Co. and subsequently renamed Nevada. In September 1932 the vessel while on her regular trip to Japan ran aground in foggy weather on Amatignak Island and subsequently broke into three parts and sank with the loss of thirty four out of thirty seven men.

SS <i>Wheatland Montana</i>

Wheatland Montana was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Skinner & Eddy of Seattle for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter spent the majority of her career in the Pacific connecting the West Coast of the United States with the Chinese and Japanese ports in the Far East. Early in 1928 the ship together with six other vessels was sold by the Shipping Board to the Tacoma Oriental Steamship Co. and subsequently renamed Seattle. After her owner declared bankruptcy early in 1937, the freighter was sold to Matson Navigation Company and renamed Lihue. She was then mainly employed to transport sugar and canned fruit from the Hawaiian Islands to the ports on the East Coast of the United States. In February 1942 she was chartered to transport general cargo and war supplies to the Middle East but was torpedoed by U-161 in the Caribbean Sea on February 23, and eventually sank three days later while in tow without loss of life.

Olockson was a steam cargo ship built in 1918–1919 by Guy M. Standifer Construction Company of Vancouver for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. In March 1920, only on her second voyage, the vessel caught fire and had to be abandoned by the crew. The ship was subsequently towed to Baltimore where she was broken up in 1924.

Antinous was a Design 1015 ship steam cargo ship built in 1919–1920 by Guy M. Standifer Construction Company of Vancouver for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The vessel was chiefly employed on the Gulf to Europe routes throughout her career. In September 1942, while on a passage to British Guiana to load her cargo, she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarines operating at the time in the Caribbean.

SS <i>West Pocasset</i>

West Pocasset was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Northwest Steel Company of Portland for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter was operated sparingly on the United States to Europe routes during the first two years of her career before being laid up. The ship was briefly reactivated in 1929 but was again laid up next year and remained idle for the next ten years. In January 1941 the freighter was sold together with four other vessels to the United States Line and was put under operation by its fully owned Panama-registered subsidiary to carry war matériel and supplies between Canada and United Kingdom and renamed Chepo. In early January 1942 while on one of her regular convoy trips, she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-43 with the loss of seventeen men.

Haleakala was a steam cargo ship built in 1919 by Long Beach Shipbuilding Company of Long Beach for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The vessel was first employed in the Pacific trade before being briefly laid up. She was reactivated in 1922 and entered the South American trade connecting the ports of Argentina and Brazil with a variety of ports in the Northeastern United States. In September 1926 while on one of her regular trips, she disappeared without a trace, possibly foundering in the hurricane with the loss of all hands.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.