SS California (1927)

Artist's impression of the ship as SS Uruguay, 1938–41 or 1948–54
History
United States
Name	SS California (1928–38) SS Uruguay (1938–1964)
Namesake	California Uruguay
Owner	American Line Steamship Corp[1] (1928–38) US Maritime Commission[2] (1938–64)
Operator	Panama Pacific Line[3] (1928–38) American Republics Line (1938–42) War Shipping Administration agents[4] (1942–46) Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc. (1947–54)
Port of registry	New York[1]
Route	New York – Havana – Panama Canal – Los Angeles – San Francisco[5] (1928–37) New York – Barbados (outbound)/Trinidad (return) – Rio de Janeiro – Santos – Montevideo – Buenos Aires (1939–41, 1948–54)[5]
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding[1]
Yard number	315
Laid down	20 March 1926
Launched	1 October 1927
Sponsored by	Mrs. Roland Palmedo
Completed	January 1928[1]
Maiden voyage	28 January 1928
In service	1928
Out of service	29 March 1954[5]
Renamed	SS Uruguay in 1938[2]
Refit	1938, 1942, 1947[5]
Homeport	New York
Identification	official number 227115[1] Code letters MGRH (until 1933)[1] Call sign WMCM (from 1934)[6]
Fate	Scrapped 1964[5]
General characteristics
Type	ocean liner (1928–38; 1946–54) troopship (1942–46)
Tonnage	as California: 17,833 GRT,[1] 9,511 NRT[1] as Uruguay: 20,183 GRT,[2] 11,743 NRT[2]
Displacement	as Uruguay: 32,450 tons[5]
Length	574.4 ft (175.1 m) p/p[1]
Beam	80.3 ft (24.5 m)[1]
Depth	20.5 ft (6.2 m)[1]
Installed power	2,833 NHP[1] 17,000 shp[7]
Propulsion	turbo-electric transmission,[1] twin screw[1]
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph);[3] record 19.95 knots (36.95 km/h) (1951)[5]
Range	3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km)[8]
Capacity	4,473 troops;[8] 212,325 cubic feet (6,012 m3) cargo[8]
Sensors and processing systems	direction finding[1] equipment; gyrocompass (from 1934)[6]
Notes	sister ships: SS Pennsylvania, SS Virginia

SS California was the World's first major ocean liner built with turbo-electric propulsion.^[9] When launched in 1927 she was also the largest merchant ship yet built in the US,^[10] although she was a modest size compared with the biggest European liners of her era.

In 1938 California was renamed SS Uruguay.^[2] From 1942 to 1946 she was operated through agents by the War Shipping Administration as the troopship Uruguay.^[4] She was returned to civilian service as SS Uruguay in 1948, laid up in 1954 and scrapped in 1964.