Name USS Sylvan Arrow Completed January 1918 Commissioned 19 July 1918 Launched 1917 Weight 18,910 tons | Namesake Previous name retained Acquired 15 July 1918 Decommissioned 21 January 1919 Length 142 m | |
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Builder New York Shipbuilding Corporation | ||
USS Sylvan Arrow (ID-2150) was a United States Navy tanker in commission from 1918 to 1919.
Contents
Construction, acquisition, and commissioning
SS Sylvan Arrow was laid down and launched in 1917 at Camden, New Jersey, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation as a commercial tanker for the Standard Oil Company. She was completed in January 1918 and entered commercial service. The U.S. Navy inspected her that month in the 3rd Naval District for possible World War I Navy service, and, when she arrived at New York City on 15 July 1918, the Navy took control of her. She was assigned the naval registry Identification Number (Id. No.) 2150 and commissioned on 19 July 1918 as USS Sylvan Arrow.
United States Navy service, 1918-1919
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, Sylvan Arrow loaded a cargo of fuel oil and seaplanes at New York City and departed for England on 28 July 1918. She arrived at Devonport, England, on 14 August 1918 and began her return voyage to the United States on 17 August 1918.
Sylvan Arrow's second U.S. Navy voyage was to Brest, France, where she delivered cargo on 22 September 1918. Her third voyage was to Sheerness, England, where she delivered cargo on 11 November 1918, the day of the Armistice with Germany that ended the war.
When Sylvan Arrow returned to New York City from Sheerness on 29 November 1918, she was ordered demobilized. She was decommissioned on 21 January 1919 and returned to Standard Oil the same day.
Commercial service, 1919-1942
Once again SS Sylvan Arrow, the ship resumed commercial operations for Standard Oil. She was sold in 1931 to the Standard-Vacuum Transportation Company, Inc. of New York City, then to the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Inc. of New York City in 1935, and finally to the Brilliant Transportation Company, S.A., of Panama in 1941, retaining her name throughout her career.
Sylvan Arrow was on a commercial voyage during World War II when the German submarine U-155 torpedoed her on 20 May 1942 southwest of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea at position 11°25′N 062°18′W. Attempts to tow her to port did not succeed, and she sank on 28 May 1942 at position 12°50′N 067°32′W.