SS Kroonland

SS "Kroonland" was an ocean liner for International Mercantile Marine (IMM) from her launch in 1902 until she was scrapped in 1927. She was the sister ship of of the same company. "Kroonland" sailed for the Red Star Line for a total of 15 years, but also sailed for the American Line and the Panama Pacific Line, both IMM subsidiary lines. During World War I she served as United States Army transport USAT "Kroonland" through April 1918, and the United States Navy as USS "Kroonland" (ID-1541), from April 1918 to October 1919.

Announced by the Red Star Line in 1899, "Kroonland" was completed in 1902 by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time of her launching, she was the largest steamship ever built in the United States. In addition, "Kroonland" and sister "Finland" were the largest ships ever built by the Cramp shipyard. "Kroonland" sailed from New York to Antwerp on her maiden voyage in June 1902, beginning service on the route she would sail for the next twelve years. According to "The New York Times", "Kroonland" was the first ship in distress to use radio to call for help after suffering storm damage in December 1903. In another radio first, "Kroonland" was on the receiving end of the "first real broadcast of history" in December 1906.Bliss, p. 3.] In October 1913, "Kroonland" was one of ten liners that came to the aid of the burning liner and . Freight customers ended up paying twice for the shipments because Red Star and White Star, even though both subsidiaries of International Mercantile Marine, were separate companies. (See: ]

In all, ten ships heeded the distress calls, arriving throughout the day and into the next. "Kroonland" arrived at about 17:00, and by 20:00 had launched a lifeboat with a volunteer crew. The boat was unable to get close to the burning liner, requiring passengers to jump into the stormy waters. "Kroonland"]

"Kroonland"s passengers after hearing the news of "Titanic"'s sinking, observing that the "terror of the sea had come swiftly and directly home to all". [Loving, p. 214–15.] On "Kroonland", on the hunt for German cruiser , .] With her arming complete, and carrying an armed naval guard to man the guns, "Kroonland" sailed 25 March 1917 for Liverpool. Twelve days later, the United States formally declared war on Germany.

On the morning of 20 May, while the liner steamed through a heavy fog toward Liverpool, a torpedo struck her without exploding. Two minutes later her lookouts spotted a submarine bearing down on "Kroonland" so close alongside the liner that her guns could not be depressed enough to open fire on the raider. Although the U-boat, apparently also taken by surprise, reversed her screws and tried to turn to avoid a collision, she lightly struck the liner's hull and scraped along her side before diving out of sight. Meanwhile two more torpedoes came within some ] Two days out from Halifax, the last five ships split off from the convoy and headed to Scotland; "Kroonland"s sister ship, expropriated by the Army in June 1917Crowell and Wilson, p. 314.] ) when they were torpedoed, the U.S. Navy, led by the recommendations of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, insisted that all troop transports be manned entirely by Navy personnel. This was accomplished soon after so as to avoid the need for what Gleaves called "ignorant and unreliable men" who were "the sweepings of the docks". [Gleaves, p. 108–10.] Accordingly, "Kroonland" was handed over to the Navy on 22 April and commissioned the same day, with Commander Mauley H. Simons in command.

Transporting troops to France

On 30 April, eight days after her Navy commissioning, "Kroonland", assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force, [Gleaves, p. 240.] departed New York with , , and destroyers , during one 24-hour stretch. By the time she reached New York, "Kroonland" had to have tugs take her from the quarantine station to her pier.] She sailed on her first voyage with 400 passengers, including American professional golfer Gene Sarazen, on 10 December. [cite news | title = Miami ship service inaugurated today | work = The New York Times | date = 10 December 1925 | page = 14 ]

By the time the seasonal service to Miami was ended in late March 1926,cite news | title = In the ship lanes | work = The Christian Science Monitor | date = 30 March 1926 | page = 6 ] "Kroonland" had carried 11,000 passengers on the route.cite news | title = Marine out of Miami business | work = The Wall Street Journal | date = 2 November 1926 | page = 10 ] Though plans were announced at the time for "Kroonland" to resume the service the following winter, IMM opted not to renew the Miami service. IMM offered no reasons, but conditions in Miami at the end of 1926 were very different from the previous year. The wild South Florida real estate boom had collapsed in mid 1926,cite news | last = McIver | first = Stuart | url = http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-1926-hurricane,0,1292732.story | title = 1926 Miami: The blow that broke the boom | work = South Florida Sun-Sentinel | date = 19 September 1993 | accessdate = 2008-06-21 ] and the Great Miami Hurricane struck on 18 September killing more than 325, leaving as many as 50,000 residents homeless, and causing some $100 million damage (just over $2 billion in 2005 dollars). cite journal | last = Pielke | first = Roger A., Jr. | coauthors = et al. | year = 2008 | title = Normalized Hurricane Damage in the United States: 1900–2005 | journal = Natural Hazards Review | volume = 9 | issue = 1 | pages = 29–42 | doi = 10.1061/(ASCE)1527-6988(2008)9:1(29) ] With no place to put the aging ship, IMM "Kroonland" in Hoboken.

"Kroonland" was sold to shipbreakers in Italy and departed the United States for the last time on 29 January 1927. After delivering a cargo of grain to Antwerp, she was sailed to Genoa where she was scrapped. According to an Associated Press report announcing her last voyage, "Kroonland" had completed 234 voyages totaling convert|1635468|nmi|km during the course of her career without serious accident.cite news | author = Associated Press | title = Razing of Kroonland at Genoa ordered | work = The Washington Post | date = 30 January 1927 | page = 16 The article did not state whether the career totals included wartime service.]

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External links

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* [http://home.att.net/~r.c.henrickson/panama/sskroonland.html Photos of "Kroonland"] in the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal, c. 1915
* Pages relating to "Kroonland"'s rescue of survivors of the burning and sinking of SS|Volturno from [http://ca.geocities.com/[e-mail]/volturno01.html "The burning of the 'Volturno"'] :
** [http://ca.geocities.com/[e-mail]/volturno75.html Photos of "Kroonland"]
** [http://ca.geocities.com/[e-mail]/volturno76.html Stories of crewmen aboard "Kroonland" that received medals]
** [http://ca.geocities.com/[e-mail]/volturno77.html Stories of "Volturno" survivors rescued by "Kroonland"]
** [http://ca.geocities.com/[e-mail]/volturno78.html More photos of "Kroonland"]