SS West Kasson

West Kasson was a cargo ship built in 1919 by the Long Beach Shipbuilding Company of Long Beach, California. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.

History
United States;Panama
Name:
  • West Kasson (1919–1926)
  • Cuzco (1926–1940)
  • Carmona (1940–1942)
Owner:
Operator: W. R. Grace and Company (1926–1940)
Builder: Long Beach Shipbuilding Company
Yard number: 130[1]
Launched: March 15, 1919
Christened: West Kasson
Commissioned: June 30, 1919
Homeport: Panama City
Identification:
Fate: Sunk, July 18, 1942
General characteristics
Tonnage:
Length: 410 ft 5 in (125.10 m)[2]
Beam: 54 ft 3 in (16.54 m)[2]
Depth: 27 ft 2 in (8.28 m)[2]
Installed power: 2800 Ihp,[3] 359 Nhp [2]
Propulsion: Llewellyn Iron Works 3-cylinder triple expansion
Speed: 10.5 knots
Crew: 45

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. West Kasson was launched at the shipyard of Long Beach Shipbuilding Company in Long Beach, California on 15 March 1919 (yard number 130, USSB hull number 2075).[1] 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 24 feet 1 1⁄2 inches (7.353 m).[3] West Kasson was assessed at 5,937 GRT, 4,525 NRT and 8,570 DWT.[3] The vessel had a steel hull, and a single 359 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 Kasson was launched on March 15, 1919 and delivered to the United States Shipping Board on June 30, 1919.[4] Initially, she was operated by Pacific Mail Steamship Company, who inaugurated a round-the-world service to promote American shipping.

On March 12, 1920 she departed San Francisco for the round-the-world trip to the Orient, Far East, India, Europe, proceeding to New York City, Baltimore and through Panama Canal back to California. She returned to San Francisco at the end of August, covering more than 28,000 miles.[5][6]

In June 1921 she entered a drydock in Portland for repairs preparing the ship for another long trip. Her second round-the world trip started on July 2, 1921 when she left Portland for Japan with a full load of timber. The trip took her to Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Colombo, Rotterdam, London and back to the US East Coast. However, on her way back West Kasson lost a propeller in December 1921 and was forced to spend 59 days in Bermuda, before proceeding to New Orleans.[7][8] After the trip she was assigned to Mississippi Shipping Corporation.

In 1922-1926 West Kasson operated from the southern ports of New Orleans, Charleston and Galveston on local and international routes. She mostly carried cotton on her transatlantic travels to Le Havre and Antwerp, and coffee on her trips from Brazilian ports of Rio de Janeiro and Santos.[9][10] In March 1925 she suffered badly from a fire while in Antwerp.[11]

In August 1926, West Kasson was sold by the United States Shipping Board to W. R. Grace and Company and renamed Cuzco.[12] The ship operated mostly between the US West Coast ports and a number of South American ports. Her engine was refitted to be able to use oil fuel.

Cuzco was acquired by Carmona Steamship Corporation in 1940 and her home port was moved to Panama City. For example, on July 20–21, 1940 Carmona has crossed the Panama Canal with a cargo of salt from New Orleans to Tokoyama.[13] The ship continued operating between various South American ports and the ports on the East Coast of the US.

Sinking

SS Carmona (Master Charles Beke) was en route from Buenos Aires to the US with a cargo of 7,138 tons of Linseed in bulk. The ship was sailing alone and unarmed. At 11:27 local time on July 18, 1942 in position 10°58′N 61°20′W, southeast of Trinidad, German submarine U-160 (Georg Lassen) launched four torpedoes and hit Carmona on the starboard side. The first torpedo struck the engine room, and killed four crew members. The second hit at #2 hatch about 10 minutes later, and the other two struck shortly after. The ship turned on her side and sunk at 12:00 noon. The Master ordered to abandon ship and the survivors were picked up by a United States Navy Patrol Boat USS YPC-68 and taken to Port of Spain. There were 31 survivors.[14]

Notes
  1. Colton, Tim. "Long Beach Shipbuilding Company, Long Beach, CA". Shipbuildinghistory.com. The Colton Company. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  2. Lloyd's Register, Steamships and Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1930.
  3. "Register of Ships Owned by United States Shipping Board, August 1, 1920". Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  4. Marine Review, v.50, p.110
  5. PanAmerican Magazine, v.30, p.277
  6. The Panama Canal Record: Official Publication of the Panama Canal, v. 14, p.36
  7. Railway and Marine News, v.20, p.21
  8. Marine Review, v.52, p.83
  9. Wileman's Brazilian Review, v.14, pp. 1354-1356
  10. The Commercial & Financial Chronicle, v.114, p.1558
  11. Marine Review, v.55, p.170
  12. Marine Review, v. 56, p.50
  13. Panama Canal Record, v.34, p.10
  14. Helgason, Guðmundur (2017). "SS Carmona". uboat.net. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

References
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