Name USS Kerwood Yard number 616 Acquired 5 November 1918 Length 101 m | Namesake Previous name retained Completed 1911 Launched 1911 | |
Builder Richardson, Duck and Company, Thornaby-on-Tees, England | ||
USS Kerwood (ID-1489) was a cargo ship that served in the United States Navy from 1918-1919.
Kerwood was built as the merchant ship SS Budapest at Thornaby-on-Tees, England, by Richardson, Duck and Company. She was later renamed SS Kerwood. The U.S. Navy acquired Kerwood for World War I service on 5 November 1918, assigned her the naval registry Identification Number (Id. No.) 1489, and commissioned her the same day as USS Kerwood, with Lieutenant Commander B. Ellis in command.
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, Kerwood commenced coaling runs from Cardiff, Wales, to French ports. She continued these operations until 28 December 1918, when she arrived at Bordeaux, France with 1,000 tons of United States Army stores. From Bordeaux, she proceeded to Cardiff before departing for the U.S. on 29 January 1919. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia on 27 February.
Kerwood was decommissioned on 19 March and transferred to the United States Shipping Board for simultaneous return to her owner.
Once again SS Kerwood, the ship returned to commercial service. On 12 December 1919 she struck a naval mine laid during World War I and sank 20 nmi (37 km) north of Terschelling Island, in the Frisian Islands on the northern coast of the Netherlands.