SS ''San Jacinto'' (ID-2586) was an American commercial

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- cargo ship chartered by the

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for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

service and considered for acquisition by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as USS ''San Jacinto'' (ID-1531). ''San Jacinto'' was built by

Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

in 1903 at

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for the Mallory Line. During the period the

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participated in

, she served under U.S. Army charter. Although the U.S. Navy considered acquiring ''San Jacinto'' and even assigned her the naval registry Identification Number (Id. No.) 1531, the Navy never took control of her, and she remained under Army control through the end of the war. On either 9 July, 10 July, or 11 July 1918Per the Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images (a

''San Jacinto'' collided with the U.S. Navy cargo ship USS Oosterdijk (ID-2586), USS ''Oosterdijk'' (ID-2586) in the

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...

. Both ships were seriously damaged and forced to turn about to steam for the nearest

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

. Despite the efforts of her crew to save her, ''Oosterdijk'' had to be abandoned on either 10 July 1918 or 11 July 1918 and sank at 15:30 hours that afternoon. ''San Jacinto'' carried ''Oosterdijk''s crew members to Halifax,

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. ''San Jacinto'' was repaired and returned to service under Army charter for the remainder of the war. THe original yard-built 27.5-41.5-70 by 42in 635nhp engines are replaced by two 23-39-66 by 42in 564nhp

Hooven-Owens-Rentschler The firm of Hooven, Owens, Rentschler, and Company manufactured steam and diesel engines in Hamilton, Ohio. Because the firm was frequently known by its initials, H.O.R., the ''Hooven'' is sometimes incorrectly rendered as ''Hoover'', and the ''Ow ...

engines at a cost of $100,000 during a general overhaul at Tietjen & Lang, New Jersey in December 1921.

Sinking

On 21 April 1942 the ''San Jacinto'' was sighted by the

German submarine U-201 German submarine ''U-201'' was a Type VIIC U-boat of the ''Kriegsmarine'' in World War II. The submarine was laid down on 20 January 1940 by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as yard number 630, launched on 7 December 1940, and comm ...

. On 22 April 1942, after around twelve hours of pursuit, U-201 fired a torpedo that struck the unarmed and unescorted ship at 03.29 hours. Of the eight officers, seventy-one crewmen, and one hundred-four passengers, fourteen were killed. The survivors, including 32 women and children, tied their life-rafts together and waited until daylight to radio for help. They were picked up by

USS Rowan (DD-405) The third USS ''Rowan'' (DD-405) was a ''Benham''-class destroyer named for Stephen C. Rowan. ''Rowan'' was in the Atlantic when the United States entered World War II, and was one of the United States Navy ships joining the British Home Fle ...

.uboat.net: SS ''San Jacinto'' (ID-2586)
Retrieved 2019-07-18

Notes

References

* ttp://www.navsource.org/archives/12/171531.htm NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: San Jacinto (ID 1531)* for USS Oosterdijk (ID-2586), USS ''Oosterdijk'' (ID-2586)
Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships: USS ''Oosterdijk'' (ID # 2586), 1918. Originally S.S. ''Oosterdijk'' (1913)

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Jacinto (1903) World War I merchant ships of the United States Cancelled ships of the United States Navy 1903 ships Maritime incidents in 1918 Maritime incidents in April 1942 Ships built by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean