USSWestpool

SSWestpooljust afterlaunchingat theJ. F. Duthie and CompanyshipyardinSeattle,Washington,in 1918.
History
United States
Name	USSWestpool
Builder	J. F. Duthie and Company,Seattle,Washington
Launched	21 September 1918
Completed	1918
Acquired	2 November 1918
Commissioned	2 November 1918
Decommissioned	31 March 1919
Stricken	31 March 1919
Fate	Returned toU.S. Shipping Board31 March 1919
Notes	Sold toUnited Kingdomearly inWorld War II Sunk 3 April 1941
General characteristics
Type	Cargo ship
Tonnage	5,650Gross register tons
Displacement	12,170 tons
Length	410 ft 5.25 in (125.1014 m)
Beam	54 ft 0 in (16.46 m)
Draft	24 ft 1 in (7.34 m) (mean)
Depth	29 ft 9 in (9.07 m)
Propulsion	One 3,000-ihp(2.237-mW)steam engine,one shaft
Speed	11.5knots(21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Complement	103
Armament	none

USSWestpool(ID-3675)– sometimes written asWest Pool– was acargo shipof theUnited States Navythat served duringWorld War Iand its immediate aftermath. AsSSWestpool,she was sunk duringWorld War IIafter being sold to theUnited Kingdomfor use as amerchant ship.

Construction and acquisition

Westpoolwas laid down as the steel-hulled, single-screwDesign 1013commercial cargo ship SSWestpoolbyJ. F. Duthie and CompanyinSeattle,Washington,for theUnited States Shipping Board.Completed in 1918, she was inspected by the U.S. Navy for possible World War I service and given the naval registry identification number 3675. The Shipping Board transferred her to the Navy on 2 November 1918, and the Navycommissionedher at Seattle the same day as USSWestpool(ID-3675).

Navy career

Departing Seattle on 8 November 1918 – three days before thearmistice with Germanythat brought World War I to an end –Westpoolsteamed to thePanama Canal Zone,where she loaded a cargo for thePanama Railroad Company.She departed the Canal Zone on 9 December 1918 and proceeded toNew York City,where she arrived on 20 December 1918 and discharged her cargo. She then loaded 5,002 tons ofUnited States Armycargo and departed New York on 1 February 1919, bound forAntwerp,Belgium.

Arriving at Antwerp on 18 February 1919,Westpoolunloaded part of her cargo before moving toSwansea,Wales,late in February 1919. She discharged the rest of her cargo there between 1 and 5 March 1919, then got underway on 5 March 1919 for New York City, where she made port on 23 March 1919.

Decommissioning and disposal

Westpoolwasdecommissionedat New York on 31 March 1919. She was simultaneously struck from theNavy listand transferred back to the U.S. Shipping Board that day.

Later career

Once again SSWestpool,the ship remained under Shipping Board control and was in and out of service at various times until the late 1930s.

Early inWorld War II,the British government purchasedWestpoolto help to alleviate the shipping shortage theUnited Kingdomfaced due to losses toGermansubmarines.After a brief career in British service,Westpoolwas on a voyage fromHalifax,Nova Scotia,Canada,toLiverpool,England,carrying 7,144 tons of scrap iron as a part ofConvoy SC 26when she was sunk on 3 April 1941 by the German submarineU-73with the loss of 35 members of her crew.

References

• This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.The entry can be foundhere.
• Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: S.S.Westpool(American Freighter, 1918). Served as USSWestpool(ID # 3675) in 1918-1919Archived21 December 2012 at theWayback Machine
• NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Westpool (ID 3675)