Completed 1907 Decommissioned 10 June 1920 | Commissioned 9 April 1918 Length 123 m | |
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Name USS Harvard 9 April 1918-11 April 1918
USS Charles 11 April 1918–29 July 1920
USS Harvard 29 July 1920-14 October 1920 Namesake Harvard, a previous name retained;
Charles, a masculine proper name. Acquired Commandeered 21 March 1918
Purchased 28 August 1918 Builder Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works | ||
USS Charles (ID-1298), briefly USS Harvard (ID-1298) in 1918 and 1920, was a troop transport that served in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1920.
Contents
Construction
Charles began as the commercial passenger ship SS Harvard, and along with the sister ship SS Yale, was built in 1907 at Chester, Pennsylvania, by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works.
Naval service
The U.S. Navy commandeered her on 21 March 1918 for World War I service, assigned her the registry Identification Number (Id. No.) 1298, outfitted her for service as a troop transport at Mare Island Navy Yard at Vallejo, California, and commissioned her as USS Harvard (ID-1298) on 9 April 1918 with Lieutenant Commander M. F. Tarpey, USNRF, in command. On 11 April 1918 she was renamed USS Charles (ID-1298). The Navy later (on 28 August 1918) purchased Charles outright from her owners.
Departing Mare Island, Charles reached Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 26 June 1918. There she loaded troops and departed Newport News, Virginia, for Brest, France, on 10 July 1918. She arrived at Brest on 21 July 1918.
On 27 July 1918, Charles reported at Southampton, England, for duty as a ferry for troops crossing the English Channel. She made about 60 voyages between Southampton and Le Havre or Boulogne, France, carrying troops of all nationalities bound for action at the front during the war or for occupation duty after it ended, until 5 May 1919.
Her ferrying duties completed, Charles embarked passengers at Rotterdam in the Netherlands and at Brest for transportation to the United States, and on 15 June 1919, arrived at New York City. Her support of United States Army operations in Europe at an end, Charles arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 24 July 1919, and was decommissioned there on 10 June 1920.
Return to civil use
Reverting to her original name, Charles was renamed USS Harvard on 29 July 1920. She was considered for conversion into a seaplane tender, but this was never carried out, and instead she was sold on 14 October 1920.
Wreck
Once again SS Harvard, she resumed commercial service, during which she was stranded and wrecked at Point Arguello, California, on 30 May 1931.