USS President Lincoln-- Part 4: What Was Its German Name?

From the Wrecksite Site.

Since the President Lincoln was a German ship before being seized by the United States, I was wondering what its German name was.  I couldn't find mention of it, though, until I got to this site.

It was launched in 1903 as the Scotian for Wilson's & Furness-Leyland Line, but the order was cancelled.  It was later purchased by the Hamburg-American Line and the name changed to Berlin in 1907.  Later, it became the President Wilson, then the President Lincoln.

So, the ship's German name was the SS President Lincoln..

--Cooter

The USS President Lincoln-- Part 2: Out of the "Danger Zone" Or So They Thought

From the Naval History and Heritage Command  "The Sinking of the USS President Lincoln."

There were 715 aboard the ship, mostly the crew but also 30 Army officers and men returning to the United States.  Some were sick and two were totally paralyzed.

The President Lincoln was with three other troop transports steering a zig-zag course in line abreast formation.

They had left Brest, France, two days earlier with a destroyer escort but were now unescorted as it was believed they were out of the "Danger Zone" where they might be attacked by a German U-boat.

--Cooter

The Sinking of the USS President Lincoln-- Part 6: Lt. Edouard Izak Medal of Honor Winner

Continued from June 21.

The U-90 surfaced and came among the survivors looking for officers and particularly the commanding officer.  They took G.A. Anderson but returned him.  Most of the officers had removed their insignia and many of the men said that the captain had gone down with the ship.

The Germans were able to identify one officer, Lt. E.V.M. Isaacs, USN, and they took him.  Edouard Isaac later received the Medal of Honor.  He escaped from a German prison camp and got back to Allied lines and reported what he had learned about German submarine operations during the time he was on the U-90.

He died in 1990, the last living recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War I.

(His actual name was Edouard Izak.  He changed the name after the war to this.)

--Cooter

The Sinking of the USS President Lincoln-- Part 3: Part of a Convoy

Continued from June 15.

The troop transport USS President Lincoln left Brest, France on May 29, 1918 with three other naval transports, the Susquehanna, Antigone and Ryndam and was escorted by French and American destroyers until dark on May 30 when they left to join a large convoy heading to France.

The American ships were hoping to pass safely through the war zone under cover of darkness.  That meant avoiding U-boats.

On the afternoon of May 30th, Memorial Day services were held.

The crew added to their vigil after the destroyers left.

--Cooter

Sinking of the USS President Lincoln-- Part 2: A "Charmed Ship"

In 1922, the President Lincoln's commander when it was sunk, Cmdr. Percy Wright Foote, USN, wrote about the sinking.  He said that though his crew was pretty green to being sailors, they had received much experience in the months before the ship was sunk and performed their duties admirably.

Colonel Clopton, who commanded the troops on the President Lincoln admired their performance during the sinking.

The USS  President Lincoln had made five trips to France and had transported 25,000 soldiers before it was sunk.  There had been no problems and many had come to consider their ship as being charmed.

--Cooter

SS Antilles, Sunk Oct. 17, 1917-- Part 1: U.S. Army Chartered Transport

In the last post, I mentioned the SS Antilles being sunk on October  17, 1917.

From Wikipedia.

American passenger-cargo ship launched 1907.  Chartered by the Army in 1917 as a troop transport.  Sunk by a submarine and 67 lives lost, at the time of its sinking October 17, 1917, this was the largest single loss of American lives up to that point in World War I.

The ship was 6,879 tons , 421 feet long and had a beam of 53 feet.

It was selected by the Shipping Control Committee and turned over to the U.S. Army for use as a civilia,1917-crewed U.S. Army Chartered Transport (USACT).

--Cooter