USS ''Carolinian'' (ID-1445) was a

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

that served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1918 to 1919. ''Carolinian'' was built as a commercial cargo ship in 1906 at

West Hartlepool West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland. The former town was originally formed ...

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, by the Furness-Withy Company. She operated under the names SS ''Harley'' and SS ''Southerner''. By the time the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

entered

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1917, she was named SS ''Carolinian'' and was the property of the Garland Steamship Company of

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. For most of the war, she operated under a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

charter. The U.S. Navy acquired her for World War I service on 5 October 1918, assigned her the naval registry Identification Number (Id. No.) 1445, and commissioned her the same day as USS ''Carolinian''. ''Carolinian'' operated in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an waters, based at

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, Wales, carrying

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

from Cardiff and other English ports to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for use by U.S. Army transports coaling at French ports from her commissioning until 8 February 1919. On 8 February 1919, ''Carolinian'' departed for

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

, Virginia, with a U.S. Army

cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

, and, after stopping in the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

for voyage repairs, arrived at

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland, on 12 March 1919 to discharge her cargo and start inactivation. ''Carolinian'' was decommissioned on 22 March 1919 and transferred to the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was a corporation established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting ...

the same day for return to the Garland Steamship Company.

References

*
Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: S.S. ''Carolinian'' (American Freighter, 1906). Previously named ''Harley'' and ''Southerner''. Served as USS ''Carolinian'' (ID # 1445) in 1918-1919
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carolinian (ID-1445) World War I cargo ships of the United States Ships built on the River Tees 1906 ships Cargo ships of the United States Navy