USS Alloway (ID-3139)
 USS Alloway undergoing builder's trials on 5 July 1918, probably in San Francisco Bay. She is flying the flag of her builder, the Moore Shipbuilding Company of Oakland, California, from a short mast on her forecastle. The United States Shipping Board flag is flying from her forward mast, and a flag bearing her name is at the top of her after mast. Note the ship's "dazzle" camouflage scheme.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Ordered | as Shintaka |
| Builder | Moore & Scott, Oakland, California |
| Laid down | 1918 |
| Launched | 1918 |
| Acquired | 11 July 1918 |
| Commissioned | 12 July 1918 |
| Decommissioned | 3 March 1919 |
| Stricken | 3 March 1919 |
| Fate | fate unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 12,600 long tons (12,800 t) |
| Length | 416 ft 6 in (126.95 m) |
| Beam | 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) (aft) |
| Speed | 12+1⁄2 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) |
| Complement | 70 |
| Armament |
|
USS Alloway (1918) was a cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy for transporting war materials in the Atlantic Ocean during World War I.
Shintaka, a screw steamer built in 1918 at Oakland, California by Moore & Scott, was acquired by the Navy on 11 July 1918, renamed Alloway (ID No. 3139), and commissioned at San Francisco, California on 12 July 1918. She was returned to the United States Shipping Board on 3 March 1919.
World War I service
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS), Alloway departed from San Francisco soon after commissioning and set a course for the west coast of South America. She arrived at Arica, Chile, on the 17th of August and began loading a cargo of nitrates. The cargo left Arica near the end of the month and arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on the 20th of September. There, she discharged the nitrates at Norfolk and moved on to New York City for repairs.
Transporting Army cargo to France
On November 10th, the day before the armistice ended World War I, the Alloway, docked in New York, launched her only voyage to Europe. A little over a month later, on the 11th of December, the ship entered port at Quiberon, France. After unloading over 5,000 tons[vague] of U.S. Army cargo, Alloway continued on to Brest, France. There she loaded new cargo for the return voyage and entered New York Harbor on February 13, 1919. After discharging her cargo, Alloway entered Schewan's drydock for overhaul.
Post-war decommissioning
On 3 March 1919, she was placed out of commission and returned to the United States Shipping Board for disposition. Presumably, her name was struck from the Navy list that same day.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
