SS America was an ocean liner and cruise ship built in the United States in 1940 for the United States Lines and designed by the noted American naval architect William Francis Gibbs. It carried many names in the 54 years between its construction and its 1994 wreck: SS America (carrying this name three different times during its career); troop transport USS West Point; and SS Australis, Italis, Noga, Alferdoss, and American Star. It served most notably in passenger service as America and the Greek-flagged Australis.
Sold with the intention of being refitted to become a hotel ship, while being towed to Thailand she was wrecked as American Star at Playa de Garcey on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands on January 18, 1994. The wreck deteriorated and completely collapsed into the sea. By 2024 it was no longer visible on the ocean surface and has become an artificial reef.
Construction (1936–1940)
America was laid down under the first Maritime Commission contract on August 22, 1938, at Newport News, Virginia by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.
It was one of only a few ocean liners, American or otherwise, to have had its interiors designed by women—the New York firm Smyth, Urquhart & Marckwald. The ornate decor typical of liners of the past was forgone, in favor of a more contemporary and informal design.
The aim was to provide an atmosphere of cheerfulness and sophisticated charm.
America was launched on August 31, 1939 and was sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of then-president of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt. Her cousin, Kermit Roosevelt, was one of the founders of United States Lines.
Early career (1940–1941) World War II began in Europe on September 1, 1939, the day after the vessel was launched. The United States was still neutral at that point. The ship's name, along with "United States Lines" and two American flags were painted in large size to be clearly visible on both sides of the hull. The vessel did not take to its intended North Atlantic service route, instead sailing in safer waters close to the US. At night, it sailed fully illuminated, as further precaution.
The liner entered service on August 10, 1940, undertaking its maiden voyage, a cruise to San Juan, as the flagship of the United States Lines.
As originally designed, America could carry 543 in cabin class, 418 in tourist class, 241 in third class, and 643 crew. The interior accommodations were styled by architects Eggers & Higgins to be the utmost in contemporary American design, making use of stainless steel, ceramics, and synthetics.
America was originally constructed with low funnels in order to give the ship a modern, streamlined appearance. Very early in its career, however, the height of the funnels was increased by 16 feet, due to heavy soot deposits on the decks. The forward funnel was a non-functioning dummy, housing the horn and certain ventilation uptakes. The vessel was quietly fitted with a degaussing cable for protection against naval mines on January 3, 1941.
On May 28, 1941, while at Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands on a cruise, the America was called up to service by the United States Navy. It was ordered to return to Newport News to be handed over to the Navy.America pre war , ss-australis.com
Duquesne Spy Ring
Two German spies, Franz Joseph Stigler and Erwin Wilhelm Siegler, were members of its crew in 1941. While on the America, they obtained information about the movement of ships and military defense preparations at the Panama Canal, observed and reported defense preparations in the Canal Zone, and met with other German agents to advise them in their espionage efforts. They operated as couriers transmitting information between the United States and German agents abroad. Stigler worked undercover as chief butcher. Meanwhile, Siegler worked undercover as chief baker. Both remained on the America until its conversion by the Navy into a troop transport and its commission into the U.S. Navy as the USS West Point.
Stigler and Siegler, along with the 31 other German agents of the Duquesne Spy Ring, were later uncovered by the FBI in the largest espionage conviction in U.S. history.
Upon conviction, Stigler was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison on espionage charges with two concurrent years for registration violations; Siegler was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on espionage charges and a concurrent two-year term for violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
US Navy service (1941–1946)
1941
America was moored at Norfolk, Virginia, and acquired by the Navy on June 1, 1941, to be used as a troop transport. The ship was renamed the USS West Point (AP-23), the second U.S. Navy ship of the name. It entered the Norfolk Ship Yards on June 6, 1941, for conversion and on June 15, 1941, it was commissioned for service under the command of Captain Frank H. Kelley Jr.
By the time the conversion was completed, life-rafts covered the promenade deck windows, "standee" bunks could be found everywhere, several anti-aircraft weapons were installed, all of the windows were covered, the ship was painted in a camouflage gray color, and the troop-carrying capacity was increased to 7,678.
The USS West Point soon proceeded to New York City and, while anchored off the Staten Island quarantine station on 16 July, took on board 137 Italian citizens and 327 German citizens from the consulates of those nations in the United States which had been closed. West Point got under way at 2:55 that afternoon, bound for Portugal, and arrived at Lisbon on July 23.
While there, the ship was visited by Portuguese naval and diplomatic dignitaries; and it transferred supplies to the Coast Guard cutter , the "station ship" at Lisbon, Portugal. After its final Italian passenger had disembarked on July 23, and the last German on July 24, West Point commenced taking on 321 American citizens and 67 Chinese—consular staffs and their families – on July 26.
Returning to New York on August 1, West Point discharged its passengers and headed south for an overhaul at Portsmouth, Virginia. She then participated in tactical exercises off the Virginia Capes from August 26–29 in company with and .
The Preamble to Convoy WS-12X
The Atlantic Conference was held on August 9, 1941 in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt. Besides the "official" agenda, Churchill hoped to obtain considerable assistance from the US, but the American President had his political hands tied. On September 1, 1941, Roosevelt received an urgent and most secret message asking for US Navy troopships manned by Navy crews and escorted by U.S.N. fighting ships to carry British troops for the purpose of reinforcing the Middle East. On 4 September the US destroyer, USS Greer (DD-145), came under an unsuccessful U-boat attack. Roosevelt gave authority to the US Navy to "shoot to kill". On September 5, the Franklin D. Roosevelt assured Winston Churchill that six vessels would be provided to carry twenty thousand troops and would be escorted by the American Navy.
The chief of Naval Operations ordered troop ships divisions seventeen and nineteen, on September 26, 1941, to prepare their vessels for approximately six months at sea. These transports were to load to capacity with food, ammunition, medical supplies, fuel and water and were to arrive at Halifax, NS on or about 6 November and after the arrival of a British convoy from the UK were to load twenty thousand troops. The Prime Minister mentioned in his letter that it would be for the President to say what would be required in replacement if any of these ships were to be sunk by enemy action. Agreements were worked out for the troops to be carried as supernumeraries and rations to be paid out of Lend Lease Funds and officer laundry bills were to be paid in cash. All replenishments of provisions, general stores, fuel and water would be provided by the UK. Fuel and water would be charged for the escorts to the UK in Trinidad and Cape Town only. The troops would conform to US Navy and ships regulation. Intoxicating liquors were prohibited. It was further agreed that the troops were to rig and man their own anti-aircraft guns to augment the ships batteries.
Convoy William Sail WS-12X
On November 3, it sailed from Virginia waters and arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on November 5, 1941. There, on 8 & 9 November, it embarked 241 officers and 5,202 men of the 55th Brigade, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, and 100 men of a US Army Field Service company. On 10 November, West Point – in company with five other transports: Wakefield, Mount Vernon, , , and – got under way for India as Convoy HS-124. En route, they were joined by the aircraft carrier , the cruisers and , and a division of destroyers.
On November 17, 1941, Convoy WS12-X reaches Trinidad. All ships were replenished, and the convoy departs Trinidad on November 19, 1941.
On December 7, 1941 at 2000hrs, the convoy received a radio communication of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
On December 9, convoy WS12-X arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. At about 0800 on December 13, 1941, the troopships departed Cape Town headed for Bombay.
At 650 on December 21, 1941, the and detached from the convoy headed for Bombay, and were bound for Mombasa. The remainder of the convoy continued to Bombay under the escort of , arriving on December 27, 1941.
Wakefield commenced discharging its embarked troops at 1900 at the Ballard Piers, completed her unloading, and shifted berths the next morning. West Point took Wakefield'''s former berth while Joseph T. Dickman moored to unload its equipment and troops.
1942
Convoy BM 11 Having completed its discharge by December 1941, West Point anchored in the stream on the morning of January 2, 1942, and awaited further orders until January 4, when British authorities asked Captain Kelley, of West Point, if his ship and Wakefield could be brought under draught to make passage for Singapore. Kelley responded that it could be done, but this would entail discharging ballast and expelling some of the ship's fresh water supply—thus endangering the ship's stability.
Due to prevailing low-water conditions at Bombay at this point, neither West Point nor Wakefield could go alongside piers in the harbor to either load equipment or troops. Thus, the embarkation and loading procedures had to be carried out by the tedious process of embarking troops and loading supplies from smaller ships and lighters brought alongside. Wakefield embarked – almost to a man – the troops which it had brought from Halifax, a total of 4,506, while West Point embarked two-thirds of the troops which it had transported, in addition to some which had come out on other ships. All told, it carried some 5,272 men.West Point sailed for Singapore on January 9, in a "15-knot" convoy, with Captain Kelley as the convoy commodore. In addition to the two American ships, three British transports – Duchess of Bedford, , and – made up the remainder of the van. Escorted by British light cruiser until this ship was relieved by light cruiser at 1630 on January 22, the convoy's escort soon swelled to three cruisers and four destroyers as the convoy neared Java. Japanese submarine activities near the Indonesian archipelago prompted concern for the safe arrival of the valuable ships, hence a detour through the shallow, coral-studded Sunda Strait.
Led by British cruiser , the ships slowed to , and streaming paravane gear, began the passage. An escorting destroyer steamed between each transport, as they steamed in single-column order. It was a dangerous passing, a small divergence from the charted course could mean a disastrous grounding.