USS Tenadores (1913)

USS "Tenadores" was a transport ship for the United States Navy during World War I. Before the war she was known as SS "Tenadores" in the service of the United Fruit Company. Before her Navy service, she served as a United States Army transport under the name USAT "Tenadores".

World War I

"Tenadores" was built in 1913 by Workman, Clark and Co. of Belfast, Ireland for the United Fruit Company. After being turned over to the U.S. Army on 24 May 1917, the steamer served as Army transport USAT "Tenadores". She was hurriedly outfitted for trooping duties, and at daybreak on 14 June 1917, "Tenadores", with fellow Army transport ships , accompanied by cruisers USS|Seattle|ACR-11|2, USS|DeKalb|ID-3010|2, destroyers USS|Wilkes|DD-67|2, USS|Terry|DD-25|2, USS|Roe|DD-24|2, and converted yacht USS|Corsair|SP-159|2 set out from Ambrose Light for Brest, France, in the first group of the first American troop convoy to France during World War I.Crowell and Wilson, p. 316.] [Gleaves, pp. 38 , 41. ] "Corsair" was unable to maintain the convert|15|kn|km/h|adj=on pace and fell back, being replaced by destroyer USS|Fanning|DD-37|2 from the second group. [Gleaves, pp. 41–42.] At 22:15 on 22 June, some convert|850|nmi|km from its intended destination of Brest, "Saratoga"’s group of the convoy was attacked by submarines. Two torpedoes passed near "Havana" and two torpedoes straddled "DeKalb". No submarine was definitively sighted and the convoy, scattered by the alarm, reformed the next morning. [Gleaves, pp. 42–43.] The group, alerted by reports of submarine activity near Brest diverted to Saint-Nazaire and arrived on 25 June. [Gleaves, p. 45.]

"Tenadores" was taken over by the United States Navy on 12 April 1918 and commisioned on 17 April 1918, with Commander James B. Gilmer in command. "Tenadores" served as a troop transport during the remainder of World War I. Shortly after midnight on 28 December 1918, the ship grounded in a heavy fog off the north coast of the Île d'Yeu, approximately convert|10|nmi|km from Brest, France.

During unsuccessful efforts to refloat the ship, some convert|80|LT|t of supplies were removed from the stricken vessel and taken to Saint-Nazaire. On 30 December] 1918, minesweeper USS|B. H. B. Hubbard|SP-416|2 rescued the last members of the transport's crew. On 2 January 1919, "Hubbard" returned to "Tenadores" for one last attempt to salvage the ship but was thwarted by high seas and the hopeless state of the transport, which was lying on her starboard side and breaking up. The name "Tenadores" was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 February 1919.

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