SS Manhattan (1931)

A postcard of Manhattan
History
United States
Operator	United States Lines
Builder	New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden
Yard number	405
Laid down	6 December 1930
Launched	5 December 1931
Sponsored by	Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.
Acquired	27 July 1932 (Delivered)
Out of service	1959
Renamed	USS Wakefield (AP-21) (1941)
Identification	official number 231779 code letters MJSG (until 1933) call sign WIEA (1934 onward)
Fate	Sold to the United States Navy
United States
Name	USS Wakefield
Namesake	Wakefield, birthplace of George Washington
Operator	United States Navy
Acquired	(by the Navy) 6 June 1941
Commissioned	15 May 1940 – September 1942 10 February 1944 – 16 June 1946
Renamed	USS Wakefield
Stricken	1959
Honors and awards	One battle star for World War II service
Fate	Sold for scrap, 1965
General characteristics
Tonnage	24,289 GRT, 13,924 NRT
Length	705 ft (214.9 m) o/a 666 ft (203.0 m) p/p 668.4 ft (203.7 m) registry 685 ft (208.8 m) on water line
Beam	86 ft (26 m)
Draft	32 ft (9.8 m) light load
Depth	79 ft (24 m) to promenade deck
Decks	9
Propulsion	steam turbines – twin screw
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) standard
Capacity	1,300 passengers (passenger service)
Troops	6,000 troops
Crew	481
Notes	sister ship: Washington

SS Manhattan was a 24,189 GRT luxury ocean liner built for the United States Lines, named after the Manhattan borough of New York City. On 15 June 1941 she was commissioned as USS Wakefield (AP-21) and became the largest ship ever operated by the US Coast Guard. In 1942 she caught fire and was rebuilt as a troop ship. Post-war, she was moored in New York in May, before decommissioning in June 1946. She was laid up in reserve at Jones Point, New York. She never saw commercial service again, and was sold for scrap in 1965.