USS U. S. Grant (AP-29)

The King William II as USAT U. S. Grant, 1938

  • Madawaska
  • U.S. Grant

The King William II was built in 1907 as scheduled passenger ship for the Hamburg-American Packet ride Actien -Gesellschaft ( Hapag ) and was the third of four one ship type, which began with the construction of the Cap Vilano. She had been built for the common since 1901 with the Hamburg Süd conducted regular service to South America. Both shipping companies used a two ships of this type.

Seized in 1917 in the United States remained the ship until canceled in 1947 in the possession of the Department of Defense.

History

The built is the only ship of the class at the AG Vulcan Stettin in King William II ( 9,410 GRT ) had, like all South America liner HAPAG a large deck house, two masts and a chimney. She was a little longer and with 15.5 knots faster than the King Frederick Augustus, which was built by Blohm & Voss first ship of Hapag this type. Named the ship after the last Württemberg King Wilhelm II (1848-1921) was the launch of the King William II on March 23, 1907, and July 30, began her maiden voyage from Hamburg to La Plata ports. In 1908 she was originally intended for a Spitsbergen cruise, but was then performed with the Crown Princess Cecilie. The King William II was occasionally on other lines used.

In spring 1914 she was assigned to the Atlas service from New York to Central America. The Hapag wanted to make it clear that they will continue large passenger capacity put towards Panama available even after selling their reefers Carl Schurz and Emil L. Boas. In August, the King William II was launched on the basis of the First World War in New York.

Services in the United States

On April 4, 1917, the U.S. Shipping Board confiscated the Schiffund sat there from 27 September as a Navy transporter Madawaska one. In September 1919 came to the United States Army. The ship made ​​17 round trips across the North Atlantic and brought 12,000 men to France and about 17,000 troops back to the States. At the beginning of 1920, the Madawaska evacuated parts of the Czechoslovak Legion from Vladivostok and brought the Czechs to Fiume, whence they could return to their homeland. Upon her return to New York the Madawaska was launched.

After an overhaul and modernization of the power plant in the spring of 1922, the ship was the ship after the eponymous former president in USAT U.S. Grant was brought by his granddaughter in umbenanntund ride on 3 June 1922. By 1941, the ship provided with a Kühleinrichung ran a fixed schedule from San Francisco to Honolulu, Guam, Manila, Qinhuangdao and Shanghai, but also to the Panama Canal Zone and to New York and transported troops detachments, equipment, supplies and passengers.

In June 1941, it came back to the United States Navy as USS U.S. Grant (AP -29). Until 1944, the ship remained in the Pacific and was used mainly between the U.S. West Coast and Alaska, but also for some trips to Hawaii. In 1943, the ship was involved in the reconquest of the islands of Attu and Kiska. In the first half of 1945 moved the U.S. Grant to the Caribbean. In September 1945, the ship made ​​another trip from San Francisco to Okinawa and then in January 1946, the Army returned. This let it hang up in Seattle and scrapped in 1947.

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