The Arrow class consisted of twelve steam-powered oil tankers constructed for the Standard Oil Company of New York (Socony) between 1916 and 1921. They were operated by various subsidiaries of Socony, various other companies, and the US government. They had a total of 43 years in service between 1917 and 1959. The tankers carried petroleum and other oil products in various capacities throughout their lifespans. While the tankers were all designed for service in East Asia, many would sail to places like the Middle East or the Gulf Coast prior to the United States' entry into World War II. Five ships of the class would be sunk by German U-boats during the war, and the remainder were scrapped by the end of 1959.

Construction

Following the outbreak of World War I, Socony began designing a new class of oil tanker designed to replace an aging class of barks and clippers that had been made for the company at the turn of the century. Named the Arrow class, the tankers were designed by naval architect and head of Socony's Marine Transportation Department, Nicholas J. Pluymert. The tankers were designed for the foreign petroleum trade between California and East Asia, with a handful of ships occasionally conducting circumnavigations.

A total of twelve tankers were constructed. The first four tankers were built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. In 1920, the United States Shipping Board authorized Standard Transportation Company to finance the construction of ten more Arrow-class oil tankers under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. The construction of four tankers was contracted to the Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, and four more were contracted to the New York Shipbuilding Corporation.

There were minimal differences between the tankers, as designing one ship would serve as a standard for the others in her class, saving on production costs, construction time, materials, and crew training. The largest difference was in the gross register tonnages of each of the tankers, which varied even between different ships built at the same yard.

Design and specifications

The first four ships built by New York Shipbuilding—Standard Arrow, Royal Arrow, Sylvan Arrow, and Broad Arrow—all measured long and wide. While both Standard Arrow and Royal Arrow had a gross register tonnage of 7,794, Broad Arrow added three tons, and Sylvan Arrow added four. The cargo capacity for each of these tankers was initially , but Royal Arrows would be decreased to after being commandeered by the US government in World War I.

In 1919, Socony decided to construct four more Arrow-class oil tankers. This batch of ships—China Arrow, Japan Arrow, Java Arrow, and India Arrow—were constructed by Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy. All of them were long and 62.7 feet wide. China Arrow had a gross register tonnage of 8,403, while the other three had a smaller gross register tonnage of only 8,327.

The final four ships to be constructed were ordered in late 1919, and all of them were built by New York Shipbuilding: Yankee Arrow, Empire Arrow, Levant Arrow, and Dixie Arrow. Each of these ships measured 468.3 feet long and 62.7 feet wide. Each of these ships had a tonnage of 8,046 and a cargo capacity of 99,742 barrels.

Broadly speaking, the Arrow class boasted three masts, the third of which was shorter than the other two. On the tankers' funnels was white "S". The funnel sat atop the aft superstructure, which was a shelter "designed to carry petroleum in bulk with aft positioned machinery." The oil tankers had ten double cargo holds for bulk oil able to carry roughly gallons of commercial oil, and had room for a maximum of of fuel that would allow them to steam a maximum length of 46 days.1921. "Launching of Dixie Arrow". Nautical Gazette. 8 October 1921:464.

A tween deck, designed to carry general cargo, was located between the hold and the main deck, and the space was used significantly during service in East Asia. Located on the main deck were five deck cranes, used to transport cargo in and out of the holds. For this purpose, there were eight removable hatches on the main deck. Each of the oil tankers carried either four wooden lifeboats—with two on the forward superstructure and two on the aft superstructure—or six wooden lifeboats—with two on the forward superstructure and four on the aft superstructure—as well as multiple wooden life rafts.

Service overview

The Arrow-class oil tankers were designed for service in East Asia, specifically the petroleum trade between there and California. The majority of the class, however, would not operate in this capacity until the early 1920s. During World War I, the tankers of the class that were finished in the 1917–1918 timeframe were acquired by the United States federal government and pressed into service with the US Navy. Standard Arrow, the first ship of the class to be completed, served in civilian capacity for under a year after she was completed in 1916, being commissioned by the US Navy in 1917.

The oil tankers largely set sail from the East Coast and sailed through the Panama Canal on their way to California. They docked in ports located in China, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. Following the 1929 onset of the Great Depression, the Arrow class was limited to only serve in North America. The amount of oil tankers steaming to and from California and through the Panama Canal had lessened since 1927, and the fields in the state would eventually become obsolete in the early 1930s. Arrow-class oil tankers were subsequently limited to the East and Gulf coasts. Two of them—Empire Arrow and Levant Arrow—were scrapped before the onset of World War II.

During World War II, a majority of the members of the Arrow class were pressed into service by the United States Merchant Marine. Seven of the tankers—Broad Arrow, China Arrow, Dixie Arrow, India Arrow, Java Arrow, Sylvan Arrow, and Yankee Arrow—were torpedoed by German U-boats. Java Arrow and Yankee Arrow were both saved and operated in other capacities for the remainder of the war. The United States federal government also acquired several members of the class for service in the US Navy, namely Japan Arrow and Standard Arrow.

The tankers that survived the war were sold to other companies in the latter half of the 1940s and scrapped. The last operating member, Royal Arrow, was scrapped in Italy in 1959. Throughout its lifespan the Arrow class was "wildly admired" and praised, with some considering the tankers "to have reached the height of the reciprocating-engine ship in efficiency and all-round tanker performance."Swazey, Edward Scott (1921). New York Shipbuilding Corporation: A Record of Ships Built. New York Shipbuilding Corporation. p. 16.

Ships Broad Arrow

Work on SS Broad Arrow began when her keel was laid by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation on April 26, 1917. She was launched on December 22 of that year. The tanker was acquired by the US Navy and given to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service on March 12, 1918 and her prefix changed to USS. Broad Arrow carried fuel between the United States and France for the next eleven months, being returned to her owners on February 24, 1919.

The tanker departed Port of Spain, the capital of the British territory of Trinidad and Tobago, on January 5, 1943. She was bound for Rio de Janeiro, the second-largest city in Brazil. Close to midnight on January 8, the tanker was torpedoed by the . The first torpedo struck the aft magazine and created a massive explosion, causing the tanker to flood rapidly and settle by the stern.

The second torpedo lit the cargo hold aflame, and the fire soon spread to the tanker and the rest of the convoy that Broad Arrow was traveling in. All crew in the engine room and on the bridge were killed by the explosions. The remainder of the crew abandoned ship roughly five minutes after the explosions, without orders, leaving others who were still aboard or in the water. The crew in the lifeboats were picked up by and taken to Paramaribo, capital of Surinam, the next day. Two survivors then died aboard PC-577 and were buried in the city.

China Arrow

Construction of SS China Arrow was contracted to the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1920. She was launched on September 2, 1920, sponsored by Fredericka H. Fales. The tanker was completed on September 30, conducting her sea trials the next day in Massachusetts Bay.

China Arrows first voyage had her depart from Port Arthur, Texas, on October 12, 1920. The tanker carried 10,640 tons of oil bound for several Chinese ports."Movement of Vessels". Galveston Daily News. October 13, 1920. p. 9. The tanker sailed through the Panama Canal, briefly stopping in San Francisco before arriving in China, reaching Tianjin on December 4. China Arrow returned to San Francisco with ballast on January 6, 1921, successfully completing her maiden voyage. The tanker would conduct three more similar trips before being laid up with several other vessels in August 1921 due to a shortage of cargo. She was reactivated in September, remaining in East Asia for the next year. Aside from visiting her namesake country, China Arrow also visited Hong Kong and several ports in Imperial Japan.

China Arrow was removed from East Asia service in 1928, having a largely uneventful career in North America aside from an incident on July 26, 1938. The tanker nearly collided with fishing trawler Dorchester while rounding Graves Light off of Nahant. The two ships narrowly avoided collision, going just slow enough as to scrape one another's sides. It was planned to retire her in January 1939, but she was pressed back into service following severe shipping losses in the early stages of World War II. China Arrow was rebuilt for a cost of $450,000 by the Maryland Drydock Company. The tanker traveled twice to Vladivostok to deliver oil and motor fuel to the Soviet Union before being reassigned to her original route, where she would remain for the rest of her career."News of Shipping in N.Y. And Phila.:Arrived Yesterday". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 9, 1041. p. 20.

At the end of January 1942, China Arrow departed Beaumont, Texas, carrying of fuel oil to New York. On the morning of February 5, about off the Virginia coast, fired two torpedoes, striking the tanker in holds 8, 9, and 10. While the firefighting system extinguished fires in two holds, it failed in hold 8, prompting Captain Paul Browne to order the crew to abandon ship. Three lifeboats were launched, leaving only the captain and the tanker's wireless operator who improvised an SOS after China Arrows antenna was destroyed. After U-103 surfaced nearby, they left in a fourth lifeboat before the submarine shelled the tanker, sinking her stern-first."U-Boat Sinks Tanker in Daylight; 37 Saved". Daily News. February 9, 1942. p. 2 & 13. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. A United States Army Air Forces B-25A aircraft spotted the survivors and attacked the submarine, while the United States Navy patrol boat PE-56 and United States Coast Guard cutter Nike were dispatched. The lifeboats stayed together for three days before Nike rescued the crew on February 7, bringing them to Lewes, Delaware.

Dixie Arrow

SS Dixie Arrow was ordered on November 1, 1919, laid down in Camden on August 11, 1920, making her the last ship of the class to be built. Sponsored and christened by Isabelle Brown of Dallas, Texas, she was launched on September 29. The tanker underwent her sea trials on November 23, and was handed over to Socony on November 29.Pacific Marine Review 1922:88; Philadelphia Inquirer November 24, 1921.