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USS Auburn (ID-3842)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Auburn (ID-3842) was a cargo ship in the United States Navy
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Auburn was a steel-hulled freighter built for the United States Shipping Board
(USSB) at Chester, Pennsylvania
, by the Chester Shipbuilding Company and completed in 1918. She was delivered to the Navy by the USSB for service in the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS). Assigned the identification number 3842, Auburn was commissioned at Philadelphia on the afternoon of 24 January 1919, Lieutenant Commander Fred L. Moulton, USNRF, in command.
Two days later, the cargo ship got underway for New York
harbor; proceeded down Delaware Bay
; and ultimately dropped anchor off Tompkinsville, Staten Island
, on the morning of 27 January. After initially shifting to Bush Terminal pier, South Brooklyn, on the 29th, she moored at pier 61, North River, New York City, on 2 February. There, she loaded 5,236 tons of general cargo (including a large quantity of wheat flour) and prepared for her maiden voyage. However, her engineers discovered several split condenser tubes in her boilers before the trip could begin, and an inspection board convened and visited the ship on 15 February.
After a brief period of repairs, Auburn shifted to pier 16, South Brooklyn, on the 17th. By that point, the Navy had apparently decided to demobilize the ship; and, on the afternoon of 22 February 1919, representatives of the USSB accepted custody of the ship when she was decommissioned.
Auburns subsequent career, like hers under the aegis of NOTS, was brief. She remained in the USSB fleet into the early 1930s, very probably laid up due to postwar austerity measures in the American merchant marine. Then, around 1932-1933, she was "abandoned . . . due to age and deterioration."
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...
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Auburn was a steel-hulled freighter built for the United States Shipping Board
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....
(USSB) at Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
, by the Chester Shipbuilding Company and completed in 1918. She was delivered to the Navy by the USSB for service in the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS). Assigned the identification number 3842, Auburn was commissioned at Philadelphia on the afternoon of 24 January 1919, Lieutenant Commander Fred L. Moulton, USNRF, in command.
Two days later, the cargo ship got underway for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
harbor; proceeded down Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
; and ultimately dropped anchor off Tompkinsville, Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, on the morning of 27 January. After initially shifting to Bush Terminal pier, South Brooklyn, on the 29th, she moored at pier 61, North River, New York City, on 2 February. There, she loaded 5,236 tons of general cargo (including a large quantity of wheat flour) and prepared for her maiden voyage. However, her engineers discovered several split condenser tubes in her boilers before the trip could begin, and an inspection board convened and visited the ship on 15 February.
After a brief period of repairs, Auburn shifted to pier 16, South Brooklyn, on the 17th. By that point, the Navy had apparently decided to demobilize the ship; and, on the afternoon of 22 February 1919, representatives of the USSB accepted custody of the ship when she was decommissioned.
Auburns subsequent career, like hers under the aegis of NOTS, was brief. She remained in the USSB fleet into the early 1930s, very probably laid up due to postwar austerity measures in the American merchant marine. Then, around 1932-1933, she was "abandoned . . . due to age and deterioration."