USS Zeppelin (1914)

USS "Zeppelin"— a steamer constructed in 1914 by Bremer Vulkan at Bremen-Vegesack, Germany, for the North German Lloyd Line—was seized by US government officials at New York City soon after the country's entry into World War I and turned over to the Emergency Fleet Corp. The Navy did not acquire her until the spring of 1919, well after the end of the war. She was placed in commission at New York on 5 March 1919 under the name USS "Zeppelin", Commander William W. Galbraith in command.

Assigned to the New York Division of the Transport Force USS "Zeppelin" made two round-trip voyages between the United States and Europe, returning 15,800 American soldiers back home. Her third voyage took her back to Europe. However, she did not return to the United States. Instead, she was decommissioned on 25 November 1919 and returned to the United States Shipping Board which, in turn, transferred her to the British on 27 December 1919. Acquired by the Orient Steam Navigation Company, in 1920, USS "Zeppelin" was renamed SS "Ormuz" and served under that name until the latter half of the 1920s. In 1927, SS "Ormuz" was bought back by North German Lloyd Line and renamed "Dresden". She wrecked on Norwegian coast in 1934 near Kopervik on Karmøy by Haugesund on Position 59° 12′ 07′′ N, 05° 19′ 08′′ W Koordinate Text Artikel|59_12_7.00_N_5_19_8.00_E_type:waterbody_region:NO-11_dim:100|59° 12′ 7″ n. Br., 5° 19′ 8″ ö. L.|name=Wrack des Dampfers Dresden IIby loss of four lives. You can see the wreck near the shore in 4-10 m depth.

References

"This article contains text from the US Naval Historical Center."

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/z1/zeppelin.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Zeppelin"]
* [http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~cacunithistories/uss_zeppelin.html "USS Zeppelin"]
* [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/nglloyd.html#zeppelin "SS Dresden"]