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USS Eurana (SP-1594)
Encyclopedia
USS Eurana (SP-1594) was a cargo ship in the United States Navy
during World War I
. She was later named Alamar.
Eurana was built in 1916 by the Union Iron Works
(later called Bethlehem Shipbuilding
, owned by Bethlehem Steel
) in San Francisco, California
. The time period of construction was from 1 January 1916 to 31 December 1916. She was issued the hull number 120, and released to her new owner, the American South African Line
, as a passenger freighter.
The U.S. Navy acquired the Eurana on 13 September 1918, commissioning it the same day, with the command going to Lieutenant Commander J. Foster, USNRF. She operated for the Navy under the name USN Eurana, with the Hull # SP 1594, as a Section Patrol Craft. From 4 October 1918 to 14 September 1919, she made 4 voyages from east coast ports to carry passengers and cargo for the Army Expeditionary Force and the Army of Occupation to La Pallice, Verdon
, Bordeaux
, St. Nazaire, and Brest
, France
. She was present in Brest on 29 June 1919 to honor President
Woodrow Wilson
leaving France in the USS George Washington. Eurana was decommissioned from the US Navy on 9 October 1919 at Norfolk, and returned to the Army for transfer to her owner.
. At Murmansk
, on 27 May 1942, Alamar was hit by several aerial bombs on her afterdeck and set afire after Stukas
(dive bombers) attacked for one and a half hours. Flames soared high from the high test gasoline stored topside. Alamar fell back from the other ships, out of control, nearly colliding with another injured ship. At 12:30 pm, both ships slipped beneath the water without losing any sailors. Alamar was scuttled.
On 5 July 1942, , with survivors from Alamar, hit a mine and was sunk. This also occurred at Murmansk. 23 of the Alamar crew survived.
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...
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 later named Alamar.
Eurana was built in 1916 by the Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
(later called Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard was founded in 1887 as Maryland Steel in Sparrows Point, Maryland. It was acquired by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in 1916 and renamed Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. The shipyard was sold in 1997 to Baltimore Marine Industries Inc....
, owned by Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
) in San Francisco, California
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 time period of construction was from 1 January 1916 to 31 December 1916. She was issued the hull number 120, and released to her new owner, the American South African Line
Farrell Lines
Farrell lines Incorporated was named in 1948 after James A. Farrell Jr., and John J. Farrell, sons of James A Farrell Sr., president of US Steel. The company was previously known as American South African Lines . It was a passenger/cargo line in regular service from New York to South Africa...
, as a passenger freighter.
The U.S. Navy acquired the Eurana on 13 September 1918, commissioning it the same day, with the command going to Lieutenant Commander J. Foster, USNRF. She operated for the Navy under the name USN Eurana, with the Hull # SP 1594, as a Section Patrol Craft. From 4 October 1918 to 14 September 1919, she made 4 voyages from east coast ports to carry passengers and cargo for the Army Expeditionary Force and the Army of Occupation to La Pallice, Verdon
Verdon
-Several places in the United States:*Verdon Township, Aitkin County, Minnesota*Verdon, Nebraska*Verdon, South Dakota-Name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Verdon, in the Dordogne département* Verdon, in the Marne département...
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, St. Nazaire, 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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She was present in Brest on 29 June 1919 to honor President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
leaving France in the USS George Washington. Eurana was decommissioned from the US Navy on 9 October 1919 at Norfolk, and returned to the Army for transfer to her owner.
As Alamar
Eurana’s name was later changed to SS Alamar, and was used in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
, on 27 May 1942, Alamar was hit by several aerial bombs on her afterdeck and set afire after Stukas
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
(dive bombers) attacked for one and a half hours. Flames soared high from the high test gasoline stored topside. Alamar fell back from the other ships, out of control, nearly colliding with another injured ship. At 12:30 pm, both ships slipped beneath the water without losing any sailors. Alamar was scuttled.
On 5 July 1942, , with survivors from Alamar, hit a mine and was sunk. This also occurred at Murmansk. 23 of the Alamar crew survived.
Sources
- USN Ships by Hull Number
- Ships Built at Pier 70, San Francisco
- Full Text Citations For Award of The Navy Cross to Members of the US Navy
- http://www.wastrust.com/pdf/western_ships_built_list.pdf