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SS Ohioan (1914)
Encyclopedia
SS
Ohioan was a cargo ship
built in 1914 for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
. During World War I
, she was taken over by the United States Navy
and commissioned
as USS Ohioan (ID-3280).
Ohioan was built by the Maryland Steel Company as one of eight sister ships ordered by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company for inter-coastal service cargo via the Panama Canal
. When the canal was temporarily closed by landslide
s in late 1915, Ohioan sailed via the Straits of Magellan until the canal reopened in mid 1916. During World War I
, USS Ohioan carried cargo, animals, and a limited number of passengers to France, and returned over 8,000 American troops after the Armistice, including the highly decorated American soldier Alvin York
. After Ohioans naval service ended in 1919, she was returned to her original owners.
Ohioans post-war career was relatively uneventful until 8 October 1936, when she ran aground near Seal Rock at the Golden Gate
, the entrance to San Francisco Bay
. Attempts to free the ship were unsuccessful and, because of the close proximity of the wreck to San Francisco
, the grounded Ohioan drew large crowds to watch salvage operations. Angelo J. Rossi
, the mayor of San Francisco, toured the wreck on 19 October. Ohioans hulk caught fire in March 1937, and the wreck broke into two pieces in a storm in December. As late as 1939, some of Ohioans rusty steel beams were still visible on the rocks.
placed an order with the Maryland Steel Company of Sparrows Point, Maryland, for two new cargo ships— and Ohioan.Maryland Steel had built three ships—, Georgian, and Honolulan—for American-Hawaiian in 1909 in what proved to be a satisfactory arrangement for both companies. In September 1911 and November 1912, American-Hawaiian placed an order for Ohioans six older sister ships; , , , and in the earlier order, and in the latter. The contract cost of the ships was set at the construction cost plus an 8% profit for Maryland Steel, but with a maximum price of $640,000 per ship. Maryland Steel financed the construction with a credit plan which called for a 5% down payment in cash followed by nine monthly installments for the balance. The deal allowed for some of the nine installments to be converted into longer-term notes or mortgages. The final cost of Ohioan, including financing costs, was $73.58 per deadweight ton
, which came out to just under $730,000.
Ohioan (Maryland Steel yard no. 133) was the second ship built under the contract. She was launched
on 24 January 1914, and delivered to American-Hawaiian on 30 June. The ship was , and was 407 in 7 in (124.23 m) in length (between perpendiculars) and 53 in 8 in (16.36 m) abeam
. She had a deadweight tonnage
of , and her cargo holds, which had a storage capacity of 438154 cubic feet (12,407.1 m³), were outfitted with a complete refrigeration plant so that she could carry perishable products from the West Coast
—such as fresh produce from Southern California
farms—to the East Coast
. Ohioan had a single steam engine
powered by oil-fired boiler
s that drove a single screw propeller at a speed of 12 knots.
ports via the Straits of Magellan to West Coast
ports and Hawaii
, and vice versa.Prior to the 21 April 1914 United States occupation of Veracruz, American-Hawaiian had used the Tehuantepec Route, but after the U.S. action, that route was closed by the Huerta
-led Mexican government. Shipments on that Tehuantepec Route would arrive at Mexican ports—Salina Cruz
, Oaxaca, for eastbound cargo, and Coatzacoalcos
, Veracruz, for westbound cargo—and would traverse the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
on the Tehuantepec National Railway. See: Hovey, p. 78. Eastbound shipments were primarily sugar
and pineapple
from Hawaii, but westbound cargoes were more general in nature. Following the opening of the Panama Canal on 15 August 1914, American-Hawaiian ships switched to take that route.
As World War I
continued in Europe and increased the demand for defense-related shipping, American-Hawaiian stopped its sugar service. Ohioans specific activities during this time are not known. She may have been in the half of the American-Hawaiian fleet that was chartered for transatlantic service, or she may have been in the group of American-Hawaiian ships chartered for service to South America, delivering coal, gasoline, and steel in exchange for coffee, nitrate
s, cocoa, rubber, and manganese ore
.
Unlike her surviving sister ships, had been in a collision and sank in New York Harbor in January 1915. there is no evidence that Ohioan was ever chartered by the United States Army
;, , , , , and had all been chartered by the U.S. Army and most carried cargo and horses in that duty. Montanan was torpedoed and sunk while in Army service in 1917. Ohioans activities between the United States' declaration of war on Germany
in April 1917, and her acquisition by the United States Navy
on 5 August 1918, are unknown. She was commissioned into the two days later, under a loan charter. After a refit and taking on a load of cargo, Ohioan sailed for Saint-Nazaire
, France, where she arrived on 29 August. Dividing the next month between that port and Brest
, Ohioan sailed for New York on 1 October. Fitted there with horse stalls, she loaded 60 officers and men, and equestrian and general cargo, before sailing on 1 November for La Pallice
.
With the signing of the Armistice on 11 November the fighting came to an end, and the task of bringing home American soldiers began almost immediately. Upon her return to the United States on 5 December, Ohioan was selected to become a troop transport and transferred from the to the Cruiser and Transport Force
. Before she could begin returning troops, Ohioan had to be converted from a cargo and animal ship. Although sources do not indicate the specific modifications Ohioan underwent, typical conversions for other ships included the installation of berths, and adding greatly expanded cooking and toilet facilities to handle the large numbers of men aboard. Similar modifications on Ohioans sister ship took three months, but it is not known how long Ohioans refit took.
In March, Ohioan returned 1,627 men to New York, mostly from the 348th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 87th Infantry Division, followed by another 1,596 officers and men, and 1,000 homing pigeon
s on 16 April. Among the pigeons were Cher Ami
—the only bird sent out by the Lost Battalion
that was able to get a message through—and 100 captured German pigeons. Cher Ami had received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm
and had been recommended for the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Cross
by General John J. Pershing
.
Ohioan docked at New York on 22 May on her next voyage with a portion of the 328th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 82nd Infantry Division. One of the members of the unit was Sergeant Alvin C. York, who had led an attack on a German machine gun
nest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
and captured 132 German officers and men. York had been honored with the U.S. Medal of Honor
and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm (among other awards), both of which he wore on his coat on arrival at New York. After Ohioan docked, York held a well-attended press conference on board.
On 20 June, Ohioan returned another load of troops that included Base Hospital 98, and the 20th Engineers. By the time Ohioan had completed her sixth and final trooping voyage on 16 September 1919, Ohioan had carried home 8,383 healthy and wounded men. USS Ohioan was decommissioned on 6 October 1919, and returned to American-Hawaiian.
In early morning hours of 8 October 1936, however, Ohioan ran aground near Seal Rock on the south shore of the Golden Gate
, just outside San Francisco Bay
. The ship, sailing in a dense fog, strayed too close to shore and grounded on the rocks, sending a shower of sparks that lit up the night. When the fog cleared later in the morning, the ship was firmly seated on the rocks at the base of a 250 feet (76.2 m) cliff, and some 300 feet (91.4 m) from the mainland. Coast Guardsmen
on shore attached three lines to the ship and set up a breeches buoy
to take off the harbor pilot, but the crew stayed on board the ship in hopes that the high tide would free her from the rocky perch. As word of the shipwreck spread, spectators clambered over the cliff to get a view of the scene; one man died from a heart attack and two women broke ankles in separate falls. Newsboys soon arrived on the scene, selling newspapers telling of Ohioans woe within sight of the stranded ship. Policemen were called out to keep order as the crowd grew into the thousands.
The next day, as the seas battered the ship and drove her farther on the rocks, two Coast Guard boats took 31 men from the ship.Three officers and two cooks remained on board Ohioan to prevent a completely abandoned ship from becoming a salvage prize. American-Hawaiian announced that a Los Angeles salvage firm had been hired to retrieve the 1500 long tons (1,524.1 t) cargo, which included explosives and oil. Two heavy-duty electric pumps were lowered to the ship via the breeches buoy, and plans were drawn up for connecting them to the San Francisco municipal electric system in order to pump out the ship.
The crowds of onlookers continued to watch as salvage efforts progressed; a 75-year-old woman from Oakland
fell down the embankment while watching the action on 13 October. The mayor of San Francisco, Angelo J. Rossi
, rode the breeches buoy to the ship and toured it for 45 minutes on 19 October. On 22 October, the Los Angeles Times
ran an Associated Press
story saying that marine experts were considering the use of a method first patented by Abraham Lincoln
in May 1849 in order to re-float the stranded ship.The patent, No. 6469, dated 22 May 1849, was entitled "Buoying vessels over shoals". All efforts, however, were unsuccessful, and by 31 October, American-Hawaiian placed an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times requesting bids for the purchase of the ship and her cargo "as and where she now lies ... on the rocks near Point Lobos, San Francisco". E. J. Mitchell was the winning bidder, securing rights to the ship and its cargo for $2,800.
In March 1937, five months after the wreck, the hulk of Ohioan—still aground near Seal Rock—caught fire when a watchman aboard the ship attempted to burn some meat in a refrigerator. The flames died out before reaching the explosives that remained aboard the wreck. A Pacific storm in December the same year caused the hulk of Ohioan to break in two. By 1939, only remnants of some of Ohioans rusty steel beams were still visible on the rocks.
Author Mark Ellis Thomas suggests that English poet and novelist Malcolm Lowry
may have been inspired by the wreck of Ohioan in his poem "In Tempest's Tavern". One excerpt from the poem refers to "The Ohio smoking in Frisco on a sharp pen / Of rock". At the time of Ohioans grounding, Lowry was in San Diego
, preparing to sail to Acapulco
.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Ohioan was a cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
built in 1914 for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company was founded in 1899 to carry cargos of sugar from Hawaii to the United States and manufactured goods on return trips...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, she was taken over by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
as USS Ohioan (ID-3280).
Ohioan was built by the Maryland Steel Company as one of eight sister ships ordered by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company for inter-coastal service cargo via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. When the canal was temporarily closed by landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s in late 1915, Ohioan sailed via the Straits of Magellan until the canal reopened in mid 1916. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, USS Ohioan carried cargo, animals, and a limited number of passengers to France, and returned over 8,000 American troops after the Armistice, including the highly decorated American soldier Alvin York
Alvin York
Alvin Cullum York was one of the most decorated American soldiers in World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others...
. After Ohioans naval service ended in 1919, she was returned to her original owners.
Ohioans post-war career was relatively uneventful until 8 October 1936, when she ran aground near Seal Rock at the Golden Gate
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...
, the entrance to San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. Attempts to free the ship were unsuccessful and, because of the close proximity of the wreck to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, the grounded Ohioan drew large crowds to watch salvage operations. Angelo J. Rossi
Angelo Joseph Rossi
Angelo Joseph Rossi was a U.S. political figure who served as the 31st mayor of San Francisco. He was the first mayor of 100% Italian descent of a major U.S city Angelo Joseph Rossi (January 22, 1878 – April 5, 1948) was a U.S. political figure who served as the 31st mayor of San Francisco....
, the mayor of San Francisco, toured the wreck on 19 October. Ohioans hulk caught fire in March 1937, and the wreck broke into two pieces in a storm in December. As late as 1939, some of Ohioans rusty steel beams were still visible on the rocks.
Design and construction
In May 1912, the American-Hawaiian Steamship CompanyAmerican-Hawaiian Steamship Company
The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company was founded in 1899 to carry cargos of sugar from Hawaii to the United States and manufactured goods on return trips...
placed an order with the Maryland Steel Company of Sparrows Point, Maryland, for two new cargo ships— and Ohioan.Maryland Steel had built three ships—, Georgian, and Honolulan—for American-Hawaiian in 1909 in what proved to be a satisfactory arrangement for both companies. In September 1911 and November 1912, American-Hawaiian placed an order for Ohioans six older sister ships; , , , and in the earlier order, and in the latter. The contract cost of the ships was set at the construction cost plus an 8% profit for Maryland Steel, but with a maximum price of $640,000 per ship. Maryland Steel financed the construction with a credit plan which called for a 5% down payment in cash followed by nine monthly installments for the balance. The deal allowed for some of the nine installments to be converted into longer-term notes or mortgages. The final cost of Ohioan, including financing costs, was $73.58 per deadweight ton
Deadweight tonnage
Deadweight tonnage is a measure of how much weight a ship is carrying or can safely carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew...
, which came out to just under $730,000.
Ohioan (Maryland Steel yard no. 133) was the second ship built under the contract. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 24 January 1914, and delivered to American-Hawaiian on 30 June. The ship was , and was 407 in 7 in (124.23 m) in length (between perpendiculars) and 53 in 8 in (16.36 m) abeam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
. She had a deadweight tonnage
Deadweight tonnage
Deadweight tonnage is a measure of how much weight a ship is carrying or can safely carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew...
of , and her cargo holds, which had a storage capacity of 438154 cubic feet (12,407.1 m³), were outfitted with a complete refrigeration plant so that she could carry perishable products from the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
—such as fresh produce from Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
farms—to the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. Ohioan had a single steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
powered by oil-fired boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s that drove a single screw propeller at a speed of 12 knots.
Early career
When Ohioan began sailing for American-Hawaiian, the company shipped cargo from East CoastEast Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
ports via the Straits of Magellan to West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
ports and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and vice versa.Prior to the 21 April 1914 United States occupation of Veracruz, American-Hawaiian had used the Tehuantepec Route, but after the U.S. action, that route was closed by the Huerta
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
-led Mexican government. Shipments on that Tehuantepec Route would arrive at Mexican ports—Salina Cruz
Salina Cruz
Salina Cruz is a major seaport on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the state's third-largest city and is municipal seat of the municipality of the same name.It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region....
, Oaxaca, for eastbound cargo, and Coatzacoalcos
Coatzacoalcos
Coatzacoalcos is a major port city in the southern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz, on the Coatzacoalcos River. Coatzacoalcos comes from an indigenous word meaning "Site of the Snake" or "Where the snake hides"...
, Veracruz, for westbound cargo—and would traverse the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
on the Tehuantepec National Railway. See: Hovey, p. 78. Eastbound shipments were primarily sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
from Hawaii, but westbound cargoes were more general in nature. Following the opening of the Panama Canal on 15 August 1914, American-Hawaiian ships switched to take that route.
As World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
continued in Europe and increased the demand for defense-related shipping, American-Hawaiian stopped its sugar service. Ohioans specific activities during this time are not known. She may have been in the half of the American-Hawaiian fleet that was chartered for transatlantic service, or she may have been in the group of American-Hawaiian ships chartered for service to South America, delivering coal, gasoline, and steel in exchange for coffee, nitrate
Nitrate
The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
s, cocoa, rubber, and manganese ore
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
.
World War I
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
;, , , , , and had all been chartered by the U.S. Army and most carried cargo and horses in that duty. Montanan was torpedoed and sunk while in Army service in 1917. Ohioans activities between the United States' declaration of war on Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in April 1917, and her acquisition by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
on 5 August 1918, are unknown. She was commissioned into the two days later, under a loan charter. After a refit and taking on a load of cargo, Ohioan sailed for Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, France, where she arrived on 29 August. Dividing the next month between that port and Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, Ohioan sailed for New York on 1 October. Fitted there with horse stalls, she loaded 60 officers and men, and equestrian and general cargo, before sailing on 1 November for La Pallice
La Pallice (harbour)
La Pallice is the industrial harbour of the city of La Rochelle, France. It is a commercial harbour in deep water, named after the French philosopher La Pallice. The large submarine base built during World War II still stands there, although it is not being used...
.
With the signing of the Armistice on 11 November the fighting came to an end, and the task of bringing home American soldiers began almost immediately. Upon her return to the United States on 5 December, Ohioan was selected to become a troop transport and transferred from the to the Cruiser and Transport Force
Cruiser and Transport Force
The Cruiser and Transport Service was a unit of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet during World War I that was responsible for transporting American men and materiel to France.- Composition :...
. Before she could begin returning troops, Ohioan had to be converted from a cargo and animal ship. Although sources do not indicate the specific modifications Ohioan underwent, typical conversions for other ships included the installation of berths, and adding greatly expanded cooking and toilet facilities to handle the large numbers of men aboard. Similar modifications on Ohioans sister ship took three months, but it is not known how long Ohioans refit took.
In March, Ohioan returned 1,627 men to New York, mostly from the 348th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 87th Infantry Division, followed by another 1,596 officers and men, and 1,000 homing pigeon
Homing pigeon
The homing pigeon is a variety of domestic pigeon derived from the Rock Pigeon selectively bred to find its way home over extremely long distances. The wild rock pigeon has an innate homing ability, meaning that it will generally return to its own nest and its own mate...
s on 16 April. Among the pigeons were Cher Ami
Cher Ami
Cher Ami was a registered Black Check Cock homing pigeon which had been donated by the pigeon fanciers of Britain for use by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I and had been trained by American pigeoneers...
—the only bird sent out by the Lost Battalion
Lost Battalion (World War I)
The Lost Battalion is the name given to nine companies of the United States 77th Division, roughly 554 men, isolated by German forces during World War I after an American attack in the Argonne Forest in October 1918. Roughly 197 were killed in action and approximately 150 missing or taken prisoner...
that was able to get a message through—and 100 captured German pigeons. Cher Ami had received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and had been recommended for the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
by General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
.
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
nest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
and captured 132 German officers and men. York had been honored with the U.S. Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm (among other awards), both of which he wore on his coat on arrival at New York. After Ohioan docked, York held a well-attended press conference on board.
On 20 June, Ohioan returned another load of troops that included Base Hospital 98, and the 20th Engineers. By the time Ohioan had completed her sixth and final trooping voyage on 16 September 1919, Ohioan had carried home 8,383 healthy and wounded men. USS Ohioan was decommissioned on 6 October 1919, and returned to American-Hawaiian.
Later career
Ohioan resumed cargo service with American-Hawaiian after her return from World War I service. Although the company had abandoned its original Hawaiian sugar routes by that time, Ohioan continued inter-coastal service through the Panama Canal relatively uneventfully for the next 17 years.In early morning hours of 8 October 1936, however, Ohioan ran aground near Seal Rock on the south shore of the Golden Gate
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...
, just outside San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The ship, sailing in a dense fog, strayed too close to shore and grounded on the rocks, sending a shower of sparks that lit up the night. When the fog cleared later in the morning, the ship was firmly seated on the rocks at the base of a 250 feet (76.2 m) cliff, and some 300 feet (91.4 m) from the mainland. Coast Guardsmen
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
on shore attached three lines to the ship and set up a breeches buoy
Breeches buoy
A breeches buoy is a crude rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one location to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harness attached...
to take off the harbor pilot, but the crew stayed on board the ship in hopes that the high tide would free her from the rocky perch. As word of the shipwreck spread, spectators clambered over the cliff to get a view of the scene; one man died from a heart attack and two women broke ankles in separate falls. Newsboys soon arrived on the scene, selling newspapers telling of Ohioans woe within sight of the stranded ship. Policemen were called out to keep order as the crowd grew into the thousands.
The next day, as the seas battered the ship and drove her farther on the rocks, two Coast Guard boats took 31 men from the ship.Three officers and two cooks remained on board Ohioan to prevent a completely abandoned ship from becoming a salvage prize. American-Hawaiian announced that a Los Angeles salvage firm had been hired to retrieve the 1500 long tons (1,524.1 t) cargo, which included explosives and oil. Two heavy-duty electric pumps were lowered to the ship via the breeches buoy, and plans were drawn up for connecting them to the San Francisco municipal electric system in order to pump out the ship.
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
fell down the embankment while watching the action on 13 October. The mayor of San Francisco, Angelo J. Rossi
Angelo Joseph Rossi
Angelo Joseph Rossi was a U.S. political figure who served as the 31st mayor of San Francisco. He was the first mayor of 100% Italian descent of a major U.S city Angelo Joseph Rossi (January 22, 1878 – April 5, 1948) was a U.S. political figure who served as the 31st mayor of San Francisco....
, rode the breeches buoy to the ship and toured it for 45 minutes on 19 October. On 22 October, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
ran an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
story saying that marine experts were considering the use of a method first patented by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in May 1849 in order to re-float the stranded ship.The patent, No. 6469, dated 22 May 1849, was entitled "Buoying vessels over shoals". All efforts, however, were unsuccessful, and by 31 October, American-Hawaiian placed an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times requesting bids for the purchase of the ship and her cargo "as and where she now lies ... on the rocks near Point Lobos, San Francisco". E. J. Mitchell was the winning bidder, securing rights to the ship and its cargo for $2,800.
In March 1937, five months after the wreck, the hulk of Ohioan—still aground near Seal Rock—caught fire when a watchman aboard the ship attempted to burn some meat in a refrigerator. The flames died out before reaching the explosives that remained aboard the wreck. A Pacific storm in December the same year caused the hulk of Ohioan to break in two. By 1939, only remnants of some of Ohioans rusty steel beams were still visible on the rocks.
Author Mark Ellis Thomas suggests that English poet and novelist Malcolm Lowry
Malcolm Lowry
Clarence Malcolm Lowry was an English poet and novelist who was best known for his novel Under the Volcano, which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list.-Biography:...
may have been inspired by the wreck of Ohioan in his poem "In Tempest's Tavern". One excerpt from the poem refers to "The Ohio smoking in Frisco on a sharp pen / Of rock". At the time of Ohioans grounding, Lowry was in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, preparing to sail to Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
.
External links
- "Images of the Ohioan" from San Francisco Public Library's photo database
- "Wreck of the Ohioan" from the Cliff House Project, with several images of Ohioan while aground