- USS Glacier (AF-4)
USS Glacier (AF-4) was a "Glacier"-class
stores ship acquired by theU.S. Navy for use in theSpanish-American War . She served again duringWorld War I in the dangerous NorthAtlantic Ocean , delivering general goods and ammunition toAmerican Expeditionary Force troops inEurope .Acquisition for Spanish-American War service
The first Navy ship to be named "Glacier" was built as the merchant ship, SS "Port Chalmers" in 1891 by
J. L. Thompson & Son ,Sunderland ,England ; purchased from theFederal Line ,London , July 1898; commissioned atNew York 5 July 1898 , Comdr. J. P. Merrill,USN , commanding; had her name changed to USS "Delmonico"6 July 1898 , and to USS "Glacier" 6 days later."Glacier" departed
Hampton Roads 15 August , and for the following 5 months she supplied ice, meat, and stores to ships of the North Atlantic Fleet operating in theWest Indies during theSpanish-American War . Sailing fromSan Juan, Puerto Rico ,3 January 1899 , she arrived at New York 1 week later, and decommissioned there6 March .Philippine Islands support operations
"Glacier" recommissioned at New York
31 March 1899 , assigned to theAsiatic Station , she stood out ofHampton Roads 24 May and arrived15 July atManila Bay via theMediterranean andSuez Canal . Operating in thePhilippines during these troubled years, she suppliedU.S. Army and Navy forces with ice, meat, and stores; delivered stores to reconstructedgunboats atHong Kong ; and transported large quantities of meat and provisions fromAustralia toManila . Sailing out ofManila Bay 22 April 1903 , "Glacier" arrived atNorfolk, Virginia ,29 June , and decommissioned there1 August .Additional turn-of-the-century assignments
Recommissioning there
15 December , she loaded supplies and provisions at New York and delivered her cargo to ships atGuantanamo ,Pensacola, Florida , and thePanama Canal Zone (14 February -7 July 1904 ). Arriving atBoston, Massachusetts ,17 July , "Glacier" decommissioned there on the 30th and, following repairs, recommissioned15 September and fitted out for special duty.Continued Philippine Islands assignment
"Glacier" became a unit of the Special Service Squadron composed of "Brutus" (AC-15), "Caesar" (AC-16), and "Potomac" (AT-50), assigned to tow the floating dry dock "Dewey" (YFD-1) from
Sparrows Point, Maryland , to thePhilippine Islands . DepartingSolomons, Maryland , on thePatuxent River 28 December 1905 , the squadron arrived atOlongapo ,Philippines , viaLas Palmas in the Canaries,Port Said ,Suez , andSingapore ,10 July 1906 . Following delivery of the dock, "Glacier" proceeded toCavite for discharge of cargo and repairs. She stood out of Cavite16 August , and arrived atBoston, Massachusetts ,14 November via theSuez Canal , theMediterranean , and New York.Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet
Departing Boston
4 January 1907 , "Glacier" became a unit of the Atlantic Fleet, and engaged in supplying fresh provisions to ships operating in the Atlantic and Caribbean area until returning to New York14 October .Transferred to the Pacific Fleet
As a storeship, she departed New York
5 December and accompanied the Atlantic Fleet on its good will and training cruise to the Pacific, stopping at various ports in theCaribbean ,South America , andMexico en route. Arriving14 April 1908 at San Francisco, "Glacier" cruised with the fleet on theCalifornia coast until departingSan Francisco, California ,29 June . She continued as supply ship to the Atlantic Fleet on its famous voyage around the world, visitingHonolulu , theFiji Islands ,New Zealand ,Australia , and the Philippines. On21 October , while at Cavite, she became detached from the Atlantic Fleet and assigned to the Pacific Fleet in her former capacity. The Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet reports in 1908::"The storeships Culogoa (1889) and Glacier have been in constant attendance on the fleet, and have most successfully met all demands upon them. They have made the fleet absolutely independent of the local resources at the ports visited, which was necessary in view of the large number of men to be subsisted."
Loading provisions at
Manila andSydney, Australia (10 November -5 December ), "Glacier" joined theU.S. Pacific Fleet atTalcahuano ,Chile ,1 January 1909 , and accompanied the fleet on a cruise to South andCentral America n ports and toMagdalena Bay . They arrived atMare Island 2 June for repairs.World War I operations
Continuing in her service as supply ship to the Pacific Fleet until 1918, "Glacier" was employed in delivering fresh provisions, stores, ammunition, target material, and mail; transporting personnel; and towing target rafts and coal barges. Her principal area of operations was on the
U.S. West Coast ,Mexico , andCentral America . She made two trips to Asiatic waters (22 September ,1909 -14 February ,1910 and8 April -17 August 1912 ) to supply ships operating in theHawaii an area, the Philippines, and theChina andJapan coasts. From 1913 to 1917 she operated betweenCalifornia andMexico andNicaragua , delivering stores, mail and men to the Fleet, investigating conditions at Mexican ports, and giving refuge to United States and other foreign citizens during the unsettled conditions in Mexico. She loaded stores, fresh meats, and ammunition at San Francisco 9 to14 May 1917 , arrived30 June atRio de Janeiro and, through March 1918, delivered her cargo to ships operating on the east coast ofSouth America .Delivering food and stores to U.S. troops in Europe
Departing Rio de Janeiro
2 April , "Glacier" arrived at New York on the 24th, and became assigned to NOTS. As a Naval Overseas Transport Ship, she made three trips toEurope carrying fresh meats and general stores to naval forces operating in European waters. The first two trips were made from New York to theBritish Isles ,2 June -26July 1918 and13 August -20 October 1918 , and the third trip from New York to Brest,4 November 1918 -4 January 1919 , returning toNorfolk, Virginia , with a cargo of aviation material and high explosives for New York.Standing in at New York
10 January 1919 , she was detached from NOTS and assigned to the Train Squadron, Atlantic Fleet. From6 May to25 June 1919 , she issued stores to the Atlantic Fleet and engaged in target practice with the fleet on the East Coast.Reassigned back to the Pacific
"Glacier" departed New York
24 July , arrived17 August atSan Pedro, California , and became attached to the Train Squadron, Pacific Fleet. Until 1921 she was engaged in transporting stores, ammunition, and personnel to ships operating off theCalifornia coast andPanama Canal Zone area.Final decommissioning
Arriving
31 October 1921 atMare Island , "Glacier" decommissioned there6 March 1922 and was sold17 August to Barde Steel & Machinery Co.,Seattle, Washington , for $22,000.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g5/glacier-i.htm
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/06/0604.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AF-4 Glacier]
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