USS Siboney (ID-2999)

USS "Siboney" (ID-2999) was a transport ship for the United States Navy during World War I. She was the sister ship of ] By 1939, "Siboney", still on the New York–Cuba–Mexico route, sported a new paint scheme of "dove grey" hull and black funnels with white markings to reflect this change in name. [cite web | url = http://www.wardline.com/albums/album_image/4557875/1359649.htm | title = S.S. Siboney of 1917 | first = Michael | last = Alderson | work = Wardline.com | date = | accessdaymonth = 19 January | accessyear = 2008 ] In late 1940, however, the struggling Cuba Mail Line chartered "Siboney" to American Export Lines which employed her on Jersey City–Lisbon service.cite news | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0814FF3D58167B93C5AB178ED85F458485F9 | format = fee | title = Ship Finds $750,000 Ambergris -- Maybe | work = The New York Times | date = 27 May 1941 | accessdate = 2008-01-19 | page = 25 ] During her American Export service, one of her passengers to the U.S. was French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint Exupéry, when he immigrated in January 1941 to city-state|Asharoken|New York after Germany’s armistice with France. [cite news | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,772580,00.html | title = Men's Fate | work = Time | date = 13 January 1941 | accessdate = 2008-01-21 ] [Schiff, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0805079130&id=h-gk5R0OmI0C&pg=PA379&lpg=PA379&dq=Asharoken&sig=4p8_dhvcRABg-EiedAuar4UM5PU p. 379] ]

On 12 April 1941 at 13:30, convert|320|nmi|km out of Lisbon, the ship—painted with a large American flag and "American Export" lettering on each side—was accosted by “two submarine chasers flying British ensigns” that fired shots over "Siboney"'s bow, one of which landed less than convert|100|ft|m|0 away from the ship. According to "Siboney"'s captain, Wenzel Habel, the two ships were British corvette types marked "K-25" and "K-125"—which may have been sclass2|Flower|corvettes HMS|Azalea|K25 and HMCS|Kenogami|K125. After answering questions from "K-25" shouted via loudspeaker, "Siboney" was allowed to resume her course. Habel filed a protest with British officials when "Siboney" docked at Bermuda. [cite news | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B10FC3559167B93C0AB178FD85F458485F9 | format = fee | title = U.S. liner halted by warships' fire | work = The New York Times | date = 22 April 1941 | accessdate = 2008-01-19 | page = 5 ]

World War II Army service

At the conclusion of her seventh and final journey for American Export, "Siboney" was handed over on 28 May 1941 to the U.S. Army for transport duty. After a hasty outfitting, the redesignated USAT "Siboney" was put to work transporting troops. Based in New York, she made trips up and down the Atlantic and into the Caribbean, and, by the end of 1941, had called at Bermuda, San Juan, Trinidad, St. John's, Charleston, Newport News, Cristóbal, Jamaica, and Panama.Charles, p. 59.]

December 1941 saw "Siboney" depart from New York to Trinidad and on to Cape Town, then sailing up the east coast of Africa to Basra, Iraq, and Bandar Shahpur, Iran. The ship returned to Cape Town via Aden and underwent routine boiler repairs there, before returning to New York in April 1942. After undergoing six weeks of repairs at Bethlehem Steel Company, the transport sailed for Halifax, Iceland, and the Clyde in late May, returning to New York in July. Another trip to England and back followed in September 1942.

In early December 1942 "Siboney" departed for Newfoundland but put into Halifax for two months of drydocking and repairs after she collided with SS "City of Kimberly". After returning to New York in February 1943, she made several transatlantic runs, calling at Casablanca, Oran, Gibraltar, Clyde, Durban, Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad, and Cuba over the next 11 months. "Siboney" returned to New York for major repairs and reboilering at Bethlehem Steel Co. In January 1944, while undergoing this work, the ship was selected for conversion to a hospital ship.

The ship was renamed USAHS "Charles A. Stafford" after Captain Charles A. Stafford of the U.S. Army Medical Corps, who was killed during the air raid on Broome, Western Australia, while participating in the evacuation of Java on 3 March 1942. With her conversion complete in September 1944, the "Stafford", equipped with new boilers, a single stack in place of her original two, and other improvements, moved to her new homeport of Charleston.cite web | author = Naval Historical Center | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/army-sh/usash-sz/siboney.htm | title = USAT Siboney (Transport, 1941-1944). Later the Army Hospital Ship Charles A. Stafford (1944-1948) | work = Online Library of Selected
] From that port the ship made monthly runs to the United Kingdom and back until May 1945, interrupting the pattern only once for a trip to Gibraltar and Marseilles. Steaming to New York at the conclusion of her last transatlantic run, "Charles A. Stafford" was overhauled for duty in the South Pacific.Charles, p. 332.]

With the alterations complete, the veteran ship—now homeported at Los Angeles—sailed in August 1945 for Cristobál and on to Honolulu, Manila, Biak, Leyte, and Mindoro. After returning to Los Angeles in October, the "Stafford" sailed for Honolulu, Manila, and Eniwetok and back.

After sailing to her new homeport of New York via the Panama Canal during February 1946, "Charles A. Stafford" resumed her North Atlantic runs to the UK, which continued until February 1948, at which time she was laid up in Maritime Commission's James River Reserve Fleet. Kept on reserve under her original name of "Siboney", the ship was delivered by the Maritime Administration to Bethlehem Steel for scrapping on 22 January 1957.

Notes

References

*
*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/id2999.htm USS "Siboney" (ID-2999) photo archive] from the U.S. Navy Historical Center
*
* Photos of SS "Siboney" from [http://www.wardline.com/ Wardline.com] :
** [http://www.wardline.com/albums/album_image/4583812/1380025.htm Interior of Stateroom No. 1, c. 1925]
** [http://www.wardline.com/albums/album_image/4557875/1378595.htm Docked at Havana, 1 March 1930]
** [http://www.wardline.com/albums/album_image/4557875/1359633.htm Preparing to dock at Vera Cruz, c. 1934]
** [http://www.wardline.com/albums/album_image/4557875/1359648.htm Dockside at Vera Cruz, c. 1937]
** [http://www.wardline.com/albums/album_image/4557875/1359649.htm In "Cuba Mail Line" livery at New York, c. 1939]