| USS Eastern Shore (ID-3500) | |
|---|---|
| Career (United States) |  |
| Name: | USS Eastern Shore |
| Namesake: | Previous name retained |
| Builder: | Harima Dockyard Company, Ltd., Harima, Japan |
| Completed: | 1918 |
| Acquired: | 1 December 1918 |
| Commissioned: | 1 December 1918 |
| Decommissioned: | 27 May 1919 |
| Fate: | Transferred to United States Shipping Board 27 May 1919 |
| Notes: |
Operated as SS Eastern Shore and SS Eastern Soldier 1919-1922 and as SS Lena Luckenbach from 1922 Sunk 4 August 1944 to form artificial harbor |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage: | 6,805 gross tons |
| Displacement: | 14,606 tons |
| Length: | 425 ft (130 m) between perpendiculars |
| Beam: | 53 ft 8 in (16.36 m) |
| Draft: | 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m) |
| Propulsion: | One 3,500-indicated horsepower (2.6-megawatt) steam engine, one shaft |
| Speed: | 12 knots |
| Complement: | 70 |
USS Eastern Shore (ID-3500) was a United States Navy cargo ship in commission from 1918 to 1919.
Construction, acquisition, and commissioning[]
Eastern Shore was built as the commercial cargo ship SS Eastern Shore in 1918 by the Harima Dockyard Company, Ltd., at Harima, Japan, for the United States Shipping Board. After she was converted for naval use at the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, Washington, the Shipping Board transferred her to the U.S. Navy on 1 December 1918; the Navy in turn assigned her the naval registry identification number 3500 and commissioned her that same day as USS Eastern Shore (ID-3500) with Lieutenant Commander F. G. Bucknam, USNRF, in command.
Operational history[]
After loading a cargo of flour at Seattle, Washington, Eastern Shore departed the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 2 January 1919, arriving at New York City on 29 January 1919 for repairs. She got underway from New York on 10 February 1919 under direction from the United States Food Administration to proceed to Gibraltar for further orders; after arriving there, she was routed on to Constanţa, Romania, where she arrived on 15 March 1919. Her flour was discharged there to be rushed by barges up the Danube River to relieve starvation in Eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War I.
Taking aboard a special envoy of the Bulgarian government at Constanta as her sole passenger, Eastern Shore got underway on 10 April 1919 to return to the United States, stopping at Gibraltar before arriving at New York City on 18 May 1919. There she discharged her cargo and ballast and disembarked the Bulgarian envoy.
Decommissioning, disposal, and later career[]
Eastern Shore was decommissioned on 27 May 1919, and the Navy transferred her back to the U.S. Shipping Board the same day. She entered commercial service as SS Eastern Shore, was renamed SS Eastern Soldier, and in 1922 became SS Lena Luckenbach.
During World War II, Lena Luckenbach was sunk on 4 August 1944 on the coast of Normandy in France to create an artificial harbor in support of Allied military operations on the European continent.
References[]
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Department of the Navy: ID-3500 Eastern Shore Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships -- Listed by Hull Number: "SP" #s and "ID" #s -- World War I Era Patrol Vessels and other Acquired Ships and Craft numbered from ID # 3500 through ID # 3599
- NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: Eastern Shore (ID 3500)
External links[]
- ca, 1943 photograph of Lena Luckenbach transiting the Panama Canal
The original article can be found at USS Eastern Shore (ID-3500) and the edit history here.