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{{Short description|American cargo ship}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
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|Ship caption=''West Alsek'' painted in [[dazzle camouflage]] during sea trials on 4 June 1918
|Ship caption=''West Alsek'' painted in [[dazzle camouflage]] during sea trials on 4 June 1918
}}
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Hide header=
|Ship country=
|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1919}}
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1919}}
|Ship name=''West Alsek''
|Ship name=''West Alsek''
|Ship namesake=[[Alsek River]], [[Alaska]]
|Ship namesake=[[Alsek River]], [[Alaska]]
|Ship owner=[[United States Shipping Board]]
|Ship owner=[[United States Shipping Board]]
|Ship operator=<div>
|Ship operator=
* 1918–1919: United States Navy, as USS ''West Alsek''
* 1918–1919: United States Navy, as USS ''West Alsek''
* 1929: Oriole Line
* 1929: Oriole Line
|Ship builder=[[Skinner & Eddy]]<br>[[Seattle, Washington]]
|Ship builder=*[[Skinner & Eddy]]
*[[Seattle, Washington]]
|Ship yard number=22<ref name=Colton>{{cite web | last = Colton | first = Tim | url = http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergency/wwone/skinnereddy.htm | title = Skinner & Eddy, Seattle WA | work = Shipbuildinghistory.com | publisher = The Colton Company | accessdate = 2008-08-31 }}</ref>
|Ship yard number=22<ref name=Colton>{{cite web | last = Colton | first = Tim | url = http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergency/wwone/skinnereddy.htm | title = Skinner & Eddy, Seattle WA | work = Shipbuildinghistory.com | publisher = The Colton Company | access-date = 2008-08-31 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080916103507/http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergency/wwone/skinnereddy.htm | archive-date = 2008-09-16 }}</ref>
|Ship launched=4 May 1918
|Ship launched=4 May 1918
|Ship completed=May 1918
|Ship completed=May 1918
|Ship commissioned=4 June 1918
|Ship commissioned=4 June 1918
|Ship decommissioned=27 January 1919
|Ship decommissioned=27 January 1919
|Ship identification={{IMO Number|2216415}}<ref name=Miramar>{{cite web | url = http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/list?IDNo=2216415&search_op=OR | title = West Alsek | work = Miramar Ship Index | publisher = R.B.Haworth | accessdate = 2008-08-31 }}</ref>
|Ship identification=[[Official number]]: 216415<ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=216415|shipname=West Alsek|accessdate=27 June 2022}}</ref>
|Ship fate=abandoned, scrapped, 1933<ref name=Miramar />
|Ship fate=Scrapped, 1933<ref name=Miramar />
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship type=[[Design 1013 ship]]
|Ship type=[[Design 1013 ship]]
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|5,637|first=short}}<ref name=Miramar />
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|5,637}}<ref name=Miramar />
|Ship displacement=12,226 t<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship displacement=12,226 t<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship length={{convert|409|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}} ([[length between perpendiculars|LPP]])<ref name=Miramar /><br>{{convert|423|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} ([[length overall|overall]])<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship length=*{{convert|409|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}} ([[length between perpendiculars|LPP]])<ref name=Miramar />
*{{convert|423|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} ([[length overall|overall]])<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship beam={{convert|54|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship beam={{convert|54|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship draft={{convert|29|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship draft={{convert|29|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
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|Ship complement=99<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship complement=99<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship crew=
|Ship crew=
|Ship armament=1 × {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} gun<br>1 × 6-pounder (2.7 kg) gun<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship armament=*1 × {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} gun
*1 × [[QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss|6-pounder]] (2.7 kg) gun<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship notes=
|Ship notes=
}}
}}
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The ''West'' ships were [[cargo ship]]s of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the [[West Coast of the United States]] for the [[United States Shipping Board]] (<small>USSB</small>) for emergency use during [[World War I]]. All were given names that began with the word ''West'', like ''West Alsek'',<ref name=CW-358>Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.</ref> named, in part, after the [[Alsek River]] in [[Alaska]]. ''West Alsek'' was one of some 24 ''West'' ships built by [[Skinner & Eddy]] of [[Seattle, Washington]].<ref name=Colton />
The ''West'' ships were [[cargo ship]]s of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the [[West Coast of the United States]] for the [[United States Shipping Board]] (<small>USSB</small>) for emergency use during [[World War I]]. All were given names that began with the word ''West'', like ''West Alsek'',<ref name=CW-358>Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.</ref> named, in part, after the [[Alsek River]] in [[Alaska]]. ''West Alsek'' was one of some 24 ''West'' ships built by [[Skinner & Eddy]] of [[Seattle, Washington]].<ref name=Colton />


''West Alsek'' (Skinner & Eddy No. 22, <small>USSB</small> No. 87)<ref name=Colton /> was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 4 May 1918 and delivered to the [[United States Navy]] upon completion later in the month.<ref name=Miramar /><ref name=DANFS /> ''West Alsek'' was built in a total of 78 working days,<ref>{{cite web | title = ''West Alsek'' (American Freighter, 1918) | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-civil/civsh-w/w-alsek.htm | author = [[Naval Historical Center]] | work = Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships | publisher = Naval Historical Center, Navy Department | date = 14 March 2004 | accessdate = 2008-08-31 }}</ref> 92 calendar days,<ref name=Hurley>Hurley, pp. 92–93.</ref> and was tied with three other ships for tenth place on a list of the ten fastest constructed ocean-going vessels compiled in 1920.<ref name=Hurley /><ref group=Note>The other three ships tied for tenth-fastest were {{USS|West Apaum|ID-3221|2}} and {{USS|West Gotomska|ID-3322|2}}—both also constructed by [[Skinner & Eddy]], and ''Lake Gardner''. See: Hurley, p. 93.</ref> Skinner & Eddy received a $25,000 bonus for completing the ship early.<ref>Shipping Board Operations, p. 624.</ref>
''West Alsek'' (Skinner & Eddy No. 22, <small>USSB</small> No. 87)<ref name=Colton /> was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 4 May 1918 and delivered to the [[United States Navy]] upon completion later in the month.<ref name=Miramar /><ref name=DANFS /> ''West Alsek'' was built in a total of 78 working days,<ref>{{cite web | title = ''West Alsek'' (American Freighter, 1918) | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-civil/civsh-w/w-alsek.htm | author = [[Naval Historical Center]] | work = Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships | publisher = Naval Historical Center, Navy Department | date = 14 March 2004 | access-date = 2008-08-31 }}</ref> 92 calendar days,<ref name=Hurley>Hurley, pp. 92–93.</ref> and was tied with three other ships for tenth place on a list of the ten fastest constructed ocean-going vessels compiled in 1920.<ref name=Hurley /><ref group=Note>The other three ships tied for tenth-fastest were {{USS|West Apaum|ID-3221|2}} and {{USS|West Gotomska|ID-3322|2}}—both also constructed by [[Skinner & Eddy]], and ''Lake Gardner''. See: Hurley, p. 93.</ref> Skinner & Eddy received a $25,000 bonus for completing the ship early.<ref>Shipping Board Operations, p. 624.</ref>


The ship was {{GRT|5,637|first=yes}},<ref name=Miramar /> and was {{convert|409|ft|5|in|m}} long ([[length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]]) and {{convert|54|ft|m|1}} [[beam (nautical)|abeam]]. ''West Alsek'' had a steel [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] and a [[mean]] [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|24|ft|2|in|m}}.<ref name=DANFS /> She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] 12,226 t,<ref name=DANFS /> and had a [[deadweight tonnage]] of {{DWT|8,529}}.<ref name=NYT-wa_to_get>{{cite news | title = West Alsek to get coal pulverizers | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 21 February 1929 | page = 55 }}</ref> The ship had a single [[triple-expansion steam engine]] powered by three [[coal]]-fired [[boiler]]s that generated {{convert|2700|hp}} and drove her single [[screw propeller]], and moved the ship at a {{convert|10.5|knots|km/h|adj=on}} pace.<ref name=DANFS /><ref name=NYT-wa_to_get /><!-- hp -->
The ship was {{GRT|5,637|disp=long}},<ref name=Miramar /> and was {{convert|409|ft|5|in|m}} long ([[length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]]) and {{convert|54|ft|m|1}} [[beam (nautical)|abeam]]. ''West Alsek'' had a steel [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] and a [[mean]] [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|24|ft|2|in|m}}.<ref name=DANFS /> She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] 12,226 t,<ref name=DANFS /> and had a [[deadweight tonnage]] of {{DWT|8,529}}.<ref name=NYT-wa_to_get>{{cite news | title = West Alsek to get coal pulverizers | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 21 February 1929 | page = 55 }}</ref> The ship had a single [[triple-expansion steam engine]] powered by three [[coal]]-fired [[boiler]]s that generated {{convert|2700|hp}} and drove her single [[screw propeller]], and moved the ship at a {{convert|10.5|knots|km/h|adj=on}} pace.<ref name=DANFS /><ref name=NYT-wa_to_get /><!-- hp -->


== Military career ==
== Military career ==
USS ''West Alsek'' (ID-3119) was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the [[Naval Overseas Transportation Service]] (<small>NOTS</small>) on 4 June with [[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] J. S. Gibson, [[United States Naval Reserve Forces|USNRF]], in command. ''West Alsek'' took on an initial load of 7,067 tons<!--source doesn't specify long tons or short tons--> of [[flour]] and departed the [[Pacific Northwest]] on 15 June. After transiting the [[Panama Canal]], she reached [[New York City|New York]] on 16 July.<ref name=DANFS /><ref group=Note>Many ''West'' ships, to avoid sailing empty to the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], loaded grain products intended for the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, sailed to Europe without unloading or transferring their cargo, which avoided extra handling of the cargo. The [[United States Shipping Board]], by prior arrangement, received an equivalent amount of cargo space in foreign ships for other American cargos. See: Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.</ref> On 1 August, ''West Alsek'' joined Convoy HB-8 with {{USS|West Bridge|ID-2888|2}}, [[United States Army]] cargo transport {{USAT|Montanan||2}}, and 13 other ships for France.<ref name=DANFS /><ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm | short = on }}</ref>
USS ''West Alsek'' (ID-3119) was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the [[Naval Overseas Transportation Service]] (<small>NOTS</small>) on 4 June. ''West Alsek'' took on an initial load of 7,067 tons<!--source doesn't specify long tons or short tons--> of [[flour]] and departed the [[Pacific Northwest]] on 15 June. After transiting the [[Panama Canal]], she reached [[New York City|New York]] on 16 July.<ref name=DANFS /><ref group=Note>Many ''West'' ships, to avoid sailing empty to the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], loaded grain products intended for the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, sailed to Europe without unloading or transferring their cargo, which avoided extra handling of the cargo. The [[United States Shipping Board]], by prior arrangement, received an equivalent amount of cargo space in foreign ships for other American cargos. See: Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.</ref> On 1 August, ''West Alsek'' joined Convoy HB-8 with {{USS|West Bridge|ID-2888|2}}, [[United States Army]] cargo transport {{USAT|Montanan||2}}, and 13 other ships for France.<ref name=DANFS /><ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm | short = on }}</ref>


Escorted by armed yacht {{USS|Noma|SP-131|2}}, destroyers {{USS|Burrows|DD-29|2}} and {{USS|Smith|DD-17|2}}, and French cruiser [[French cruiser Marseillaise (1900)|''Marseillaise'']],<ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge /><ref name=DANFS-Burrows>{{cite DANFS | last = Mann | title = Burrows | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b11/burrows-ii.htm | short = on }}</ref> the convoy was some {{convert|500|nmi|km|-2}} west of its destination of [[Le Verdon-sur-Mer]] by the end of the day on 15 August.<!-- destination --><ref name=DANFS /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/show/164264 | title = Montanan | work = Miramar Ship Index | publisher = R.B.Haworth | accessdate = 2008-08-31 }}</ref><!--location--> At sundown, shortly before 18:00, one of three torpedoes from German submarine [[SM U-90|''U-90'']] struck ''Montanan'', while another torpedo from [[SM U-107|''U-107'']] hit ''West Bridge'', which was already adrift with engine trouble.<ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge /><ref group=Note>''Montanan'' and ''West Bridge'' remained afloat until the next morning. ''West Bridge'' was towed into [[Brest, France]] by four tugs; ''Montanan'' foundered and sank. See: {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm | short = on }} {{cite news | title = Montanan torpedoed; five men are missing | work = [[The Atlanta Constitution]] | date = 22 August 1918 | page = 7 }}</ref> Meanwhile, ''West Alsek'' and the other surviving ships of the convoy continued on and arrived at Verdon-sur-mer on 18 August.<ref name=DANFS />
Escorted by armed yacht {{USS|Noma|SP-131|2}}, destroyers {{USS|Burrows|DD-29|2}} and {{USS|Smith|DD-17|2}}, and French cruiser [[French cruiser Marseillaise (1900)|''Marseillaise'']],<ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge /><ref name=DANFS-Burrows>{{cite DANFS | last = Mann | title = Burrows | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b11/burrows-ii.htm | short = on }}</ref> the convoy was some {{convert|500|nmi|km|-2}} west of its destination of [[Le Verdon-sur-Mer]] by the end of the day on 15 August.<!-- destination --><ref name=DANFS /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/show/164264 | title = Montanan | work = Miramar Ship Index | publisher = R.B.Haworth | access-date = 2008-08-31 }}</ref><!--location--> At sundown, shortly before 18:00, one of three torpedoes from German submarine [[SM U-90|''U-90'']] struck ''Montanan'', while another torpedo from [[SM U-107|''U-107'']] hit ''West Bridge'', which was already adrift with engine trouble.<ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge /><ref group=Note>''Montanan'' and ''West Bridge'' remained afloat until the next morning. ''West Bridge'' was towed into [[Brest, France]] by four tugs; ''Montanan'' foundered and sank. See: {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm | short = on }} {{cite news | title = Montanan torpedoed; five men are missing | work = [[The Atlanta Constitution]] | date = 22 August 1918 | page = 7 }}</ref> Meanwhile, ''West Alsek'' and the other surviving ships of the convoy continued on and arrived at Verdon-sur-mer on 18 August.<ref name=DANFS />


After unloading her cargo of flour and returning to the United States, ''West Alsek'' next sailed on 27 October in convoy to [[Quiberon]] and [[Nantes]]. ''West Alsek'' unloaded her cargo in Nantes from 15 November—four days after the [[Armistice with Germany|Armistice]]—to 30 December. Sailing for New York on that date, ''West Alsek'' arrived there on 19 January 1919. She was decommissioning on 27 January and returned to the <small>USSB</small>.<ref name=DANFS />
After unloading her cargo of flour and returning to the United States, ''West Alsek'' next sailed on 27 October in convoy to [[Quiberon]] and [[Nantes]]. ''West Alsek'' unloaded her cargo in Nantes from 15 November—four days after the [[Armistice with Germany|Armistice]]—to 30 December. Sailing for New York on that date, ''West Alsek'' arrived there on 19 January 1919. She was decommissioning on 27 January and returned to the <small>USSB</small>.<ref name=DANFS />
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== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last = Crowell | first = Benedict | authorlink = Benedict Crowell |author2=Robert Forrest Wilson | title = The Road to France: The Transportation of Troops and Military Supplies, 1917–1918 | series = How America Went to War: An Account From Official Sources of the Nation's War Activities, 1917–1920 | location = [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 1921 | oclc = 18696066 }}
* {{cite book | last = Crowell | first = Benedict | author-link = Benedict Crowell |author2=Robert Forrest Wilson | title = The Road to France: The Transportation of Troops and Military Supplies, 1917–1918 | url = https://archive.org/details/roadtofrancetra02wilsgoog | series = How America Went to War: An Account From Official Sources of the Nation's War Activities, 1917–1920 | location = [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 1921 | oclc = 18696066 }}
* {{cite book | last = Hurley | first = Edward Nash | authorlink = Edward N. Hurley | title = The New Merchant Marine | location = [[New York City|New York]] | publisher = Century | year = 1920 | oclc = 751444 }}
* {{cite book | last = Hurley | first = Edward Nash | author-link = Edward N. Hurley | title = The New Merchant Marine | url = https://archive.org/details/newmerchantmari00unkngoog | location = [[New York City|New York]] | publisher = Century | year = 1920 | oclc = 751444 }}
* {{cite DANFS | last = Mann | first = Raymond A. | title = Burrows | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b11/burrows-ii.htm | date = 21 November 2005 | accessdate = 2008-08-31 }}
* {{cite DANFS | last = Mann | first = Raymond A. | title = Burrows | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b11/burrows-ii.htm | date = 21 November 2005 | access-date = 2008-08-31 }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = [[Naval Historical Center]] | title = West Alsek | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_alsek.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-31 | link = off }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = [[Naval Historical Center]] | title = West Alsek | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_alsek.htm | access-date = 2008-08-31 | link = off }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-31 | link = off }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm | access-date = 2008-08-31 | link = off }}
* {{cite book | author = [[United States House of Representatives]], Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations | title = Shipping Board Operations | location = [[Washington, D.C.]] | publisher = [[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]] | year = 1920 | oclc = 64558341 }}{{refend}}
* {{cite book | author = [[United States House of Representatives]], Select Committee on U. S. Shipping Board Operations | title = Shipping Board Operations | location = [[Washington, D.C.]] | publisher = [[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]] | year = 1920 | oclc = 64558341 }}{{refend}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{navsource|12/173119|West Alsek}}
* {{navsource|12/173119|West Alsek}}

<!-- non-breaking space to keep AWB drones from altering the space before the navbox-->


{{Design 1013 ships}}
{{Design 1013 ships}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:West Alsek}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:West Alsek}}
[[Category:Design 1013 ships]]
[[Category:Design 1013 ships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Design 1013 ships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Ships built by Skinner & Eddy]]
[[Category:1918 ships]]
[[Category:1918 ships]]
[[Category:World War I merchant ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War I merchant ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War I cargo ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War I cargo ships of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Navy Alaska-related ships]]

Latest revision as of 15:27, 17 October 2024

West Alsek painted in dazzle camouflage during sea trials on 4 June 1918
West Alsek painted in dazzle camouflage during sea trials on 4 June 1918
History
United States
NameWest Alsek
NamesakeAlsek River, Alaska
OwnerUnited States Shipping Board
Operator
  • 1918–1919: United States Navy, as USS West Alsek
  • 1929: Oriole Line
Builder
Yard number22[1]
Launched4 May 1918
CompletedMay 1918
Commissioned4 June 1918
Decommissioned27 January 1919
IdentificationOfficial number: 216415[2]
FateScrapped, 1933[2]
General characteristics
TypeDesign 1013 ship
Tonnage5,637 GRT[2]
Displacement12,226 t[3]
Length
Beam54 ft 0 in (16.46 m)[3]
Draft29 ft 9 in (9.07 m)[3]
Propulsion1 triple-expansion steam engine,[2] 2,700 hp (2,000 kW)
Speed10.5 knots (19.4 km/h) (1918)[3]
Complement99[3]
Armament

USS West Alsek (ID-3119) was a cargo ship in the United States Navy during World War I. She had been built as SS West Alsek for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the West boats, cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States. She sailed on two voyages for the U.S. Navy before she was decommissioned after the Armistice.

West Alsek was selected for a test program by the addition of coal pulverizers—units that crushed coal and mixed it with air for injection into the boilers. She became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic ocean depending solely on pulverized coal. Test results showed that she sailed faster and used less coal than before the conversion. West Alsek was later abandoned by the USSB and scrapped in 1933.

Design and construction

[edit]

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. All were given names that began with the word West, like West Alsek,[4] named, in part, after the Alsek River in Alaska. West Alsek was one of some 24 West ships built by Skinner & Eddy of Seattle, Washington.[1]

West Alsek (Skinner & Eddy No. 22, USSB No. 87)[1] was launched on 4 May 1918 and delivered to the United States Navy upon completion later in the month.[2][3] West Alsek was built in a total of 78 working days,[5] 92 calendar days,[6] and was tied with three other ships for tenth place on a list of the ten fastest constructed ocean-going vessels compiled in 1920.[6][Note 1] Skinner & Eddy received a $25,000 bonus for completing the ship early.[7]

The ship was 5,637 gross register tons (GRT),[2] and was 409 feet 5 inches (124.79 m) long (between perpendiculars) and 54 feet (16.5 m) abeam. West Alsek had a steel hull and a mean draft of 24 feet 2 inches (7.37 m).[3] She displaced 12,226 t,[3] and had a deadweight tonnage of 8,529 DWT.[8] The ship had a single triple-expansion steam engine powered by three coal-fired boilers that generated 2,700 horsepower (2,000 kW) and drove her single screw propeller, and moved the ship at a 10.5-knot (19.4 km/h) pace.[3][8]

Military career

[edit]

USS West Alsek (ID-3119) was commissioned into the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) on 4 June. West Alsek took on an initial load of 7,067 tons of flour and departed the Pacific Northwest on 15 June. After transiting the Panama Canal, she reached New York on 16 July.[3][Note 2] On 1 August, West Alsek joined Convoy HB-8 with West Bridge, United States Army cargo transport Montanan, and 13 other ships for France.[3][9]

Escorted by armed yacht Noma, destroyers Burrows and Smith, and French cruiser Marseillaise,[9][10] the convoy was some 500 nautical miles (900 km) west of its destination of Le Verdon-sur-Mer by the end of the day on 15 August.[3][11] At sundown, shortly before 18:00, one of three torpedoes from German submarine U-90 struck Montanan, while another torpedo from U-107 hit West Bridge, which was already adrift with engine trouble.[9][Note 3] Meanwhile, West Alsek and the other surviving ships of the convoy continued on and arrived at Verdon-sur-mer on 18 August.[3]

After unloading her cargo of flour and returning to the United States, West Alsek next sailed on 27 October in convoy to Quiberon and Nantes. West Alsek unloaded her cargo in Nantes from 15 November—four days after the Armistice—to 30 December. Sailing for New York on that date, West Alsek arrived there on 19 January 1919. She was decommissioning on 27 January and returned to the USSB.[3]

Civilian career

[edit]

Little is known about West Alsek's subsequent civilian career until early 1929. In February of that year, West Alsek, still under USSB ownership, was selected for the addition of pulverized coal-fired boilers for testing purposes. Coal pulverizers would take coal—often cheaper, inferior grades normally unsuitable for marine use—and grind them into coal dust. This dust would then be mixed with air and automatically injected into the boilers without the need for hand-feeding. West Alsek entered the Todd Brooklyn shipyard to undergo the conversion in late February.[8]

Upon completion of the conversion work, West Alsek was taken out for trials over two passes on a 16-nautical-mile (30 km) course on 19 June. Representatives from the USSB, the Navy Department, the United States Coast Guard, the Cunard Line, and Todd and other shipbuilders were on board—some 125 guests in all. The ship cruised at an average of 12.7 knots (23.5 km/h), some 1.5 knots (2.8 km/h) faster than she had ever steamed.[12]

After returning her guests to New York, West Alsek sailed to Baltimore, Maryland, for operation by the Oriole Line. She sailed for Cardiff, becoming the first ship depending only on pulverized coal to cross the Atlantic,[13][Note 4] and back to Baltimore on 18 August. Early results showed that in addition to making the transatlantic crossings about 10% faster than she had before, West Alsek used about 30% less coal during the voyage.[14] West Alsek continued to be a test platform for assessing the pulverized coal system during a voyage to Glasgow, her second for the Oriole Line.[13]

No information on West Alsek's career after the coal pulverizing tests is available, but it is known that she was abandoned by the USSB,[3] and scrapped in the fourth quarter of 1933.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ The other three ships tied for tenth-fastest were West Apaum and West Gotomska—both also constructed by Skinner & Eddy, and Lake Gardner. See: Hurley, p. 93.
  2. ^ Many West ships, to avoid sailing empty to the East Coast, loaded grain products intended for the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, sailed to Europe without unloading or transferring their cargo, which avoided extra handling of the cargo. The United States Shipping Board, by prior arrangement, received an equivalent amount of cargo space in foreign ships for other American cargos. See: Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.
  3. ^ Montanan and West Bridge remained afloat until the next morning. West Bridge was towed into Brest, France by four tugs; Montanan foundered and sank. See: Naval Historical Center. "West Bridge". DANFS. "Montanan torpedoed; five men are missing". The Atlanta Constitution. 22 August 1918. p. 7.
  4. ^ Mercer, an oil-burning ship with coal pulverizing apparatus added, had been the first to cross the Atlantic via pulverized coal, but had crossed with her oil burners available as a backup.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colton, Tim. "Skinner & Eddy, Seattle WA". Shipbuildinghistory.com. The Colton Company. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "West Alsek (216415)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Naval Historical Center. "West Alsek". DANFS.
  4. ^ Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.
  5. ^ Naval Historical Center (14 March 2004). "West Alsek (American Freighter, 1918)". Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships. Naval Historical Center, Navy Department. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  6. ^ a b Hurley, pp. 92–93.
  7. ^ Shipping Board Operations, p. 624.
  8. ^ a b c "West Alsek to get coal pulverizers". The New York Times. 21 February 1929. p. 55.
  9. ^ a b c Naval Historical Center. "West Bridge". DANFS.
  10. ^ Mann. "Burrows". DANFS.
  11. ^ "Montanan". Miramar Ship Index. R.B.Haworth. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  12. ^ "Pulverized coal raises ship's speed". The New York Times. 20 June 1929. p. 51.
  13. ^ a b "Scans ship's test of pulverized coal". The New York Times. 29 September 1929. p. N19.
  14. ^ "Ship increases speed with pulverized coal". The New York Times. 19 August 1929. p. 39.

Bibliography

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