USS Willimantic (ID-3549)

USS Willimantic (ID-3549) was a cargo steamship. She was built in 1918 and served in United States Navy commission from 1918 to 1919. She was transferred to United Kingdom Ministry of War Transport service in 1942 and sunk by enemy action in June of that year.

Willimantic being launched as a merchant cargo ship at the Todd Drydock and Construction Company at Seattle, Washington, on 29 May 1918 with her bow heavily decorated and the tug Prosper, of Seattle, standing by.
History
Name: USS Willimantic
Builder: Todd Drydock and Construction Company, Seattle, Washington
Launched: 29 May 1918
Completed: October 1918
Acquired: 2 November 1918
Commissioned: 2 November 1918
Decommissioned: 21 April 1919
Fate: Transferred to US Shipping Board 21 April 1919
Notes: In US Shipping Board and US Maritime Commission custody 1919–1942.
History
Name: SS Willimantic
Operator: Lamport and Holt Line for MoWT
Acquired: early 1942
Out of service: 24 June 1942
Fate: sunk by shellfire
General characteristics
Type: Cargo ship
Tonnage:
  • 4,857 GRT
  • 4,437 tonnage under deck
  • 2,992 NRT
Displacement: 10,690 long tons (10,862 t) normal
Length: 396 ft 0 in (120.70 m)
Beam: 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m) waterline
Draft: 24 ft (7.3 m) aft
Decks: 2
Installed power: 339 NHP
Propulsion: triple-expansion engine
Speed: 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)
Complement:
  • 52 in US Navy service
  • 38 in UK merchant service
Sensors and
processing systems:		 submarine signalling

Construction, acquisition, and commissioning

The Todd Drydock and Construction Company at Seattle, Washington built Willimantic built in 1918 for the United States Shipping Board. She was launched on 29 May 1918 and completed in October 1918. She was an oil-fired steamship with a 339 NHP three-cylinder triple-expansion engine.[1]

On 2 November 1918 the Shipping Board transferred her to the US Navy at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, for naval service in World War I. The Navy assigned her the naval registry identification number 3549 and commissioned her the same day as USS Willimantic (ID-3549) with Lieutenant Commander Erik G Froberg, USNRF, in command. The Armistice with Germany ended World War I nine days later on 11 November 1918.

United States service and decommissioning

Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, Willimantic completed sea trials, then loaded a cargo of 6,400 tons of flour and put to sea on 14 December 1918. She transited the Panama Canal and arrived at New York City on 9 January 1919. After bunkering, she left New York on 21 January 1919 bound for Gibraltar, where she was to await further orders.

Still carrying her flour, Willimantic arrived at Gibraltar on 7 February 1919, but remained there only briefly because she immediately received orders to gut underway for Fiume on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. She reached Fiume on 18 February 1919 and unloaded her flour, which was used to relieve hunger in Eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War I.

After almost a month at Fiume, Willimantic left on 12 March 1919 for Gibraltar loaded only with water for ballast. From Gibraltar she proceeded to the Azores and then to New York City, where she arrived on 13 April 1919.

Willimantic was decommissioned at New York on 21 April 1919. The Navy transferred her back to the US Shipping Board the same day. Once again Willimantic, she remained in the custody of the Shipping Board and its successor, the United States Maritime Commission.

United Kingdom service and loss

Early in 1942 during World War II Willimantic was transferred to the UK MoWT, who placed her under the management of Lamport and Holt Line. In the early hours of 24 June 1942 about 700 miles southeast of Bermuda, German submarine U-156 opened fire on Willimantic with her 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun. According to Willimantic's Second Officer, BM Metcalf, a shell blew away Willimantic's radio room and part of her chart room, killing her two radio operators. Then a shell destroyed the 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) DEMS gun on Willimantic's poop.[2]

After further shellfire the cargo ship caught fire amidships and her Master, LE Everett, gave the order to abandon ship. A shell hit the two port lifeboats as they were being lowered, destroying them. The Third Officer and an able seaman were killed and another AB suffered a shrapnel head-wound. In total six members of the ship's complement were killed. Survivors got clear of the ship in the two starboard lifeboats.[2]

U-156's commander, Werner Hartenstein, took Captain Everett prisoner, gave Second Officer Metcalf a chart and left the two surviving lifeboats under the command of Metcalf and the First Officer, M Delaney. Metcalf had his crew rig a sail and set course south-southwest for Antigua, about 800 miles away. Delaney at first headed west and then turned south.[3] U-156 then proceeded to sink Willimantic with further shellfire.[4]

In Metcalf's boat were 16 survivors including two DEMS gunners.[4] After six days they sighted a 6,778 GRT Norwegian motor ship, Tamerlane. Metcalf signalled her with flares and the Norwegian replied by Aldis lamp. Tamerlane rescued the occupants of Metcalf's boat and altered course to search for Delaney's boat, which Metcalf estimated to be about 20 miles north-northeast. But Tamerlane received a warning of enemy submarines in the area, and reluctantly called off the search. Seven days later Tamerlane landed Metcalf's survivors at Rio de Janeiro.

In Delaney's boat were 15 survivors including one DEMS gunner. 12 days after the sinking they reached Saint Martin in the Lesser Antilles.[4]

U-156 landed Captain Everett at Lorient. He spent the rest of the war interned at Marlag und Milag Nord in northern Germany. In total 32 of Willimantic's 38 complement survived.[4]

Notes
  1. Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1942–43. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  2. Heaton 2004, p. 97.
  3. Heaton 2004, p. 98.
  4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Willimantic". uboat.net. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
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References


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