
The Kroonland was built in 1902 by W.Cramp Sons at Philadelphia
for the International Mercantile Marine Company's Red Star line and sailed
initially under the American flag. She was a 12760 gross ton vessel, length
560ft x beam 60.2ft, two funnels, four masts, twin screw and a speed of
15 knots. Accommodation for 342-1st, 194-2nd and 626-3rd class passengers.
Launched on 20 February 1902, she sailed on her maiden voyage from New York
to Antwerp on 28 June 1902.
In November 1908 she was put under the Belgian flag (Société
Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine, SANBA) and sailed between
Antwerp and New York until 13 January 1912 when she reverted to the US flag
and stayed on the same service. On 1 August 1914 she left Antwerp on her
last voyage to Dover and New York and on 15 August 1914 transferred to the
New York - Liverpool run for two voyages before being transferred again
on 15 October 1914 to the New York - Gibralter - Naples - Piraeus service
for one round voyage. On 2 February 1915 en route to San Francisco, she
was one of the first passenger liners to transit the Panama Canal.
On 21 May 1915 she went to the Panama Pacific Line for the NY - Panama
Canal - San Francisco service and then to the American Line for the London
- New York service for one voyage commencing 30 January 1916. Transferred
on 20 February 1916 to the New York - Liverpool run until her last voyage
on this service, sailing 31 January 1917.
Shortly before the United States entered World War I, the Navy placed
guns (4 4" cannons, 2 1-pdrs. and 2 machine guns) on the ship, and
an armed naval guard embarked 25 March 1917 to protect her from German submarines.
On the morning of 20 May 1917, while the liner steamed through a heavy fog
toward Liverpool a torpedo struck her without exploding. Two minutes later
her lookouts spotted a submarine bearing down on the Kroonland so close
aboard that the liner's guns could not be depressed enough to open fire
on the raider. Although the U-boat, apparently also taken by surprise, reversed
her screws and tried to turn to avoid a collision, she lightly struck the
liner's hull and scrapped along her side before diving out of sight. Meanwhile
two more torpedoes came with some 20 feet of hitting Kroonland's stern.
That afternoon the liner sighted another submarine surfaced some 1,000 yards
off her port quarter. Kroonland immediately began shelling the U-boat, forcing
her to dive for safety.
The Army took over the ship at New York 18 February 1918, loaded her
with military equipment, and sent her to St. Nazaire, France. After returning
New York 9 April Kroonland was converted to a troop transport by William
J. Kennedy Co. The Navy acquired and commissioned her 22 April, Commander
Manley H. Simons in command. As a naval transport, she made five round-trip
voyages to France before the Armistice.
On 10 July, as she steamed homeward from her second voyage for the Navy,
a lookout spotted a periscope rising from the water about 200 yards away.
Kroonland opened fire and the fourth shot from her No. 4 gun "burst
with a tremendous cloud of dirty blue smoke" exactly on the periscope.
The submarine zig-zagged "erratically back and forth until she was
directly in the disturbed water of our wake." The transport continued
firing until the submarine disappeared, leaving an oil slick which could
be seen for at least 15 minutes.
After the war Kroonland shuttled across the Atlantic returning American
veterans. She decommissioned and was returned to her owner on 1 October
1919 and converted to carry 242-1st, 310-2nd and 876-3rd class passengers
and reverted on 14 April 1920 to the Antwerp - Southampton - NY service
and on 21 June 1923 went back to the American Line and was put on the NY
- Plymouth - Cherbourg - Hamburg run, being converted to carry cabin class
and 3rd class passengers only. After three voyages on this service, she
went back to the Panama Pacific Line for the NY - San Francisco run. She
was scrapped at Genoa in 1928.
From: [Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Vol. III, 1968, Navy Department,
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division, Washington,
D.C.] [KINT, André, and VERVOORT, Robert. Red Star Line: Antwerpen's
Vergane Glorie], [North Atlantic Seaway, vol.2. by N.R.P.Bonsor], [Posting
to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Ted Finch]
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