USS President Lincoln (1907)

USS "President Lincoln" was a troop transport in the United States Navy during World War I.

Formerly the German steamer "President Lincoln" of the Hamburg-American Line, was built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, in 1907; seized in New York harbor in 1917; turned over to the Shipping Board, and transferred to the Navy for operation as a troop transport.

Having been damaged severely by her German crew, "President Lincoln" underwent extensive repairs and conversion at Robin’s Dry Dock and Repair Company, Brooklyn, New York. The ship commissioned as a Navy troop transport 25 July 1917 at Brooklyn, Commander Yates Sterling, Jr., in command.

"President Lincoln" made five voyages from New York to France, transporting approximately 23,000 American troops which she disembarked at Brest and St. Nazaire. Four cycles were completed without incident: October to November 1917, December 1917 to January 1918, February to March, and March to May. She sailed from New York on her fifth and final trip to Europe 10 May 1918. Arriving at Brest on the 23rd, she disembarked troops, and got underway on the 29th with troopships "Rijndam", "Susquehanna" and "Antigone", escorted by destroyers, for the return voyage to the United States. At sundown on the 30th of May 1918, having passed through the so-called danger zone of submarine activity, the destroyers left the convoy to proceed alone. About 9 a.m., 31st of May 1918, "President Lincoln" was struck by three torpedoes from the German submarine "U–90", and sank about twenty minutes later. Of the 715 people on board, twenty-six men were lost with the ship, and a Lt. Edward Isaacs was taken aboard the "U–90" as prisoner. Survivors were rescued from lifeboats late that night by U.S. Destroyers "Warrington" and "Smith". They were taken to France, arriving at Brest on the 2nd of June.

As of 2005, no other USN ship has been named "President Lincoln".

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