USS Housatonic (SP-1697)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Housatonic.

The USS Housatonic (SP-1697)
History
Name
  • El Rio (1899—1918)
  • Housatonic (1918—1919)
  • El Rio (1919—1925)
  • Brazos (1925—1945))
Namesake(Navy) Housatonic River
Owner
  • Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1899-1917)
  • U.S. Navy (1917—1919)
  • Morgan Steamship Co./Southern Pacific Co. (1919-1925)
  • Clyde-Mallory Line (1925-1935)
  • Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) (1935-1942)
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding, Norfolk, Virginia.
Yard number24
Launched24 June 1899
Completed19 October 1899
Commissioned(Navy) 25 January 1918
Decommissioned(Navy) 5 August 1919
In service1899
Out of service1942
HomeportNew York, New York
Identification
  • U.S. Official Number: 136761
  • Signal: KPJW
  • Signal: WHCB (1935—1942)
FateLost as Brazos in collision 1942.
General characteristics
Type
Tonnage
Displacement7,620 tons
Length
  • 405 ft 1 in (123.5 m) overall
  • 379 ft 9 in (115.7 m) on water line
  • 391.9 ft (119.5 m) registry[2]
Beam48.3 ft (14.7 m)[2]
Draft22 ft 6 in (6.9 m)
Depth15.8 ft (4.8 m)[2]
Depth of hold26 ft (7.9 m)
PropulsionVertical, triple expansion steam
Speed15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Capacity(Navy) 830 mines (900 max)[5]
Complement(Navy) 18 officers, 20 chief petty officers, 400 men[1]
Crew49[2]
Armament

The second USS Housatonic was the Southern Pacific Steamship Company freighter El Rio. The ship was one of four company ships temporarily converted for planting the World War I North Sea Mine Barrage.

El Rio was built for the Morgan Line in 1899 and served as a freighter until the United States Shipping Board took control of the vessel in 1917 for conversion to wartime naval use. After return to commercial service the ship resumed normal freight operations. In 1925 the ship was sold to the Clyde-Mallory Lines and renamed Brazos. In 1945 the vessel was sold to Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Lines (Agwilines) continuing freight service until sunk in a collision in 1942.

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference SDUSN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference MVUS1901 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Merchant Vessels of the United States, Year ended June 30, 1927. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation. 1927. p. 28. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  4. ^ Lloyds. "Lloyd's Register 1942-43". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference rrb46 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).