88th Division Troop Ships

U.S.S. Henry R. Mallory

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 18th. The ship carried troops of the 349^th Infantry, Regt. HQ, 1^st Bn. HQ, HQ Coy, Supply Coy, MG Coy including A, B, C, Coy.

The History of the U.S.S. Mallory

USS Henry R. Mallory (ID-1280) was a transport for the United States Navy during World War I. She was also sometimes referred to as USS H. R. Mallory or as USS Mallory. Before her Navy service she was USAT Henry R. Mallory as a United States Army transport ship. From her 1916 launch, and after her World War I military service, she was known as SS Henry R. Mallory for the Mallory Lines. Pressed into service as a troopship in World War II by the War Shipping Administration, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-402 in the North Atlantic Ocean and sank with the loss of 272 men—over half of those on board.

SS Henry R. Mallory was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. of Newport News, Virginia (yard no. 193), and delivered to the Mallory Steamship Line on 21 October 1916. Named for Mallory Lines president Henry R. Mallory, she operated on a New Orleans – New York route, carrying passengers and freight.

U.S.S. Aeolus

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 19th. The ship carried troops of the 351stInfantry, Complete.

The History of the U.S.S. Aeolus

The first Aeolus was the] Grosser Kurfürst-a steel-hulled, twin-screw, passenger-and cargo steamship launched on 2 December 1899 at Danzig, Germany, by the shipbuilding firm of F. Schichau for the Norddeutscher Lloyd Line—made her maiden voyage to Asiatic and Australian ports before commencing regularly scheduled voyages from the spring of 1900 between Bremen, Germany, and New York City which continued until the summer of 1914.

When World War I broke out in Europe, Grosser Kurfürst; a liner that boasted "enormous carrying capacity" and "excellent passenger accommodation" for all classes from first to steerage— was forced to seek shelter in American waters. The United States Government interned these ships wherever they had put into port, and upon the entrance of the United States into the hostilities on the side of the Allied and Associated Powers—on 6 April 1917—took them over for "safe keening." Customs agents boarded Grosser Kurfürst in the port of New York, along with 30 other German and Austro-Hungarian vessels, and sent their crews to an internment camp on Ellis Island. However, before these sailors left their ships, they carried out a program of systematic destruction calculated to take the longest possible time to repair. The Navy inspected Grosser Kurfürst and designated her the Id. No. 3005 and earmarked her for service with the Cruiser and Transport Force to carry troops to France. She commissioned as Grosser Kurfürstt on 4 August 1917, at the New York Navy Yard, Comdr. Clarence S. Kempff in command. While the ship was undergoing the repairs and alterations necessitated by the German sabotage and in light of her expected role carrying troops across the Atlantic, General Order No. 320 of 1 September 1917 changed her name to Aeolus.

While the signing of the armistice of 11 November 1918 signaled the end of hostilities—an occasion that found the ship en route from St. Nazaire to Newport News, Va.—it only meant the beginning of the task of returning American troops from "over there." During the war Aeolus had transported 24,770 men to the European battlefront in her eight voyages. In the postwar months, Aeolus conducted a further seven turn-around voyages, bringing back some 22,080 healthy veterans, and some 5,018 wounded and sick. Commencing her last voyage from Brest on 26 August 1919, Aeolus reached New York City on 5 September and was immediately detached from the Cruiser and Transport Force.

U.S.S. Rijindam

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 19th. The ship carried troops of the 175^th Infantry Brig. HQ, HQ, Coy. C, 313^th F.S. Bn. & Coy D, 2^nd, 3^rd Bn 349^th Inf.

The History of the U.S.S. Rijindam

USS Rijndam (ID-2505) was a transport for the United States Navy during World War I. Both before and after her Navy service she was known as SS Rijndam or Ryndam as an ocean liner for the Holland America Line.

Rijndam was launched during 1901 by Harland & Wolff Ltd. of Belfast, as a steel passenger liner for the Holland America Line. Interned at New York later in World War I, she was seized during March 1918 by United States Customs officials along with 88 other Dutch vessels, 31 of which entered U.S. Navy service. Rijndam was commissioned 1 May 1918 at New York for service as a troopship, with Commander John J. Hannigan in command. Rijndam landed troops and supplies at Brest, France, on three more occasions through November 1918, and called once at Saint-Nazaire during July. Rijndam made seven round-trip voyages from Quiberon, Saint-Nazaire, and Brest, France, following the end of World War I, returning U.S. troops and personnel to Newport News, Virginia; Norfolk, Virginia; Hoboken, New Jersey; and New York. In March 1919, Rijndam and Princess Matoika raced each other from Saint-Nazaire to Newport News in a friendly competition that received national press coverage in the United States. Rijndam, the slower ship, was just able to edge out the Matoika—and cut two days from her previous fastest crossing time—by appealing to the honor of the soldiers of the 133rd Field Artillery returning home aboard her and employing them as extra stokers for her boilers.

She carried over 3,000 passengers on many of her 26 trips across the Atlantic, completing her active service upon arrival at New York 4 August 1919 from Brest. Transferred from the Cruiser and Transport Force on 11 August 1919 to the custody of the 3rd Naval District, Rijndam was decommissioned and returned to her former owner on 22 October 1919 at New York. Rijndam resumed her mercantile career under the Dutch flag, remaining active until scrapped during 1929.

U.S.S. Mercury

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 20th. The ship carried troops of the 176^th Brig. HQ, 351^st inf.

The History of the U.S.S. Mercury

USS Mercury (ID-3012) was a United States Navy transport ship during World War I. She was formerly the Norddeutscher Lloyd liner SS Barbarossa built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, Germany, and operated by the North German Lloyd Line. It was a 10,984 gross ton troop transport. For nearly two decades she served in commercial trade under the flag of the North German Lloyd firm. Laid up at Hoboken, New Jersey, after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, she was seized there when the United States entered the conflict in April 1917. The ship was turned over to the Navy for repair and conversion and commissioned as USS Barbarossa in early August 1917. Soon renamed Mercury, and later assigned the registry ID # 3012, she began carrying military personnel to France a few days after the beginning of 1918. The ship made seven trips to France, with over 18,000 passengers, until the 11 November 1918 Armistice halted the fighting. Mercury then began the process of bringing American troops home. She made eight more trips for this purpose, carrying over 20,000 men.

In September 1919, after her final trip, USS Mercury was decommissioned and transferred to the War Department for use as an Army transport. The Army turned her over to the U.S. Shipping Board in August 1920. Though subsequently sold to a private shipping firm, her new owners defaulted and the ship came back to the Shipping Board in January 1921. She was sold for scrapping in February 1924.

U.S.S. Canonicus

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 21st. The ship carried troops of the 1st Bn. & MG Co. 352nd inf., 313th Sup. Tn., .

The History of the U.S.S. Canonicus

USS Canonicus, a 7360-ton (displacement) minelayer, was built at Newport News, Virginia, in 1899 as the 4665 gross ton commercial passenger-cargo ship El Cid. She was acquired by the Navy in December 1917 and converted at Brooklyn, New York. Renamed Canonicus, the minelayer was placed in commission in March 1918 and in May steamed across the Atlantic to Inverness, Scotland. During the summer and fall of 1918 she participated in laying the North Sea mine barrage, an anti-submarine barrier intended to limit the German U-Boat threat.

Canonicus returned to the U.S. at the beginning of 1919, less than two months after the end of World War I's fighting. Reconverted to a troop transport and transferred to the Cruiser and Transport Force, she made three voyages from France to the East Coast, bringing home more than four-thousand veterans of the "Great War". USS Canonicus was decommissioned in early August 1919 and turned over to the U.S. Shipping Board for return to her owner, the Southern Pacific Steamship Company.

U.S.S. Pocanontas

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 21st. The ship carried troops of the Division HQ, HQ Troop, 313th Tn. HQ, 313th M.O.R.S., 352nd Inf. (less 1 Bn., MG Co.).

The History of the U.S.S. Pocahontas

USS Pocahontas (SP-3044) was a transport ship for the United States Navy during World War I. She was originally SS Prinzess Irene, a Barbarossa-class ocean liner built in 1899 by AG Vulcan Stettin of Stettin, Germany, for the North German Lloyd line. She was launched as Prinzess Irene on 19 June 1900 by Aktiengesellschaft Vulkan, Stettin, Germany for North German Lloyd Lines. On 9 September 1900, she started her maiden voyage to New York City. On 30 October 1900, she began the first of seven trips on the German Empire mail run to the Far East to Yokohama, the route she was built for. On 30 April 1903, she went on the Genoa – Naples – New York run and stayed mainly on this service together with her sister ship König Albert and sometimes other ships of the Barbarossa class. In 1911, under Captain Frederic von Letten-Peterssen, she was stranded for eighty-three hours on the Fire Island sandbars. Her last voyage was to New York on 9 July 1914. With the outbreak of World War I in August, she was stranded in New York since the British Royal Navy controlled the North Atlantic. She remained there until seized by the United States by Executive Order 2651 on 30 June 1917, under the authority prescribed in the Enemy Vessel Confiscation Joint Resolution passed on 12 May 1917.

At the beginning of World War I the ship was in New York and was interned by the United States. She was seized when that country entered the conflict in 1917 and converted to a troop transport. After refitting and training with the Atlantic Fleet, she was commissioned as Princess Irene on 25 July 1917, Commander Junius F. Hellweg in command. Assigned to the Cruiser-Transport Force under Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, the ship was renamed Pocahontas on 1 September 1917. Through the rest of the war and for nearly a year after the Armistice, Pocahontas served as a troop transport, completing eighteen round trips to Europe. She carried 24,573 servicemen to Brest and St. Nazaire and returned 23,296 servicemen to the United States.

Although Pocahontas conveyed all of her passengers safely, she faced numerous dangers. The most serious incident occurred in the forenoon of 2 May 1918 when an Imperial German Navy submarine surfaced in her path and straddled her with 5.9 in (150 mm) shells. Captain Edward C. Kalbfus ordered the crew to battle stations and gave the signal to open fire. However, the U-boat was not in range of her guns. Fragments of enemy shells landed on the ship, but she was not directly hit and suffered no casualties. Captain Kalbus commenced zig-zag courses, and then at full speed drew away from the submarine, probably SM U-151, about twenty minutes after the attack began. Making a record of 16.2 knots (30.0 km/h; 18.6 mph), he kept the enemy out of range until he lost her. For his successful defense of his ship, Captain Kalfbus was awarded the Navy Cross. Pocahontas decommissioned at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 7 November 1919 and was handed over to the United States Shipping Board for sale.

U.S.S. Koningen der Nederlanden

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 21st. The ship carried troops of the 338th MG Bn., 88th and 257th PM coy., 313th San. Tn.

The History of the U.S.S. Koningen der Nederlanden

USS Koningin der Nederlanden, an 8225 gross ton troop transport, was built by Nederland Shipbuilding Maats, Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 1911 as the Dutch passenger liner of the same name. Seized at San Francisco, California by the U.S. Government in March 1918, she was commissioned in early April 4 as a U.S. Navy ship. The ship steamed to the Panama Canal Zone in May to undergo conversion for transport service, continuing on to Norfolk, Virginia, in July 1918. During the remaining months of World War I, Koningin der Nederlanden made three voyages to France, carrying U.S. troops to participate in the Western Front's fighting. After the 11 November 1918 Armistice, she began the work of bringing American service personnel home, completing five trips for that purpose between then and mid-August 1919. USS Koningin der Nederlanden was decommissioned in November 1919. She was then turned over to the U.S. Army and later returned to her owners, Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (Netherlands Steamship Co.) who employed her under the Dutch flag until she was sold for scrapping in 1932. Note: Some sources spell this ship's name as "Koningen der Nederlanden" or "Konigen der Nederlanden".

U.S.S. Madawaska

Troops began loading a few days prior it departure on May 24th. This U.S.S. Madawaska was the last carrying troops of the 88th Division Home. The last unit to depart France was the Engineers.

The History of the U.S.S. Madawaska

Originally a German ocean liner named Konig Wilhelm II, she was seized by the United States during the First World War and renamed USS Madawaska (ID-3011) in 1917 before being renamed USS U. S. Grant (AP-29) in 1922. Konig Wilhelm II was a steel-hulled screw steamer launched on 20 July 1907 at Stettin, Germany, by Vulcan Aktiengesellschaft. Built for the transatlantic passenger trade, Konig Wilhelm II operated between Hamburg, Germany, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, under the house flag of the Hamburg-Amerika Line, until the outset of World War I in 1914. Voluntarily interned at Hoboken, New Jersey, to avoid being captured by the Royal Navy, the passenger liner was seized after the United States entered the war on 6 April 1917, as were all other German vessels in American ports.

Before agents of the U.S. federal government took possession of the ship, her German crew unsuccessfully attempted to render her unusable by cracking her main steam cylinders with hydraulic jacks. Following repairs to the damaged machinery, Konig Wilhelm II was assigned the identification number 3011 and commissioned on 27 August 1917, Lt. Charles McCauley in temporary command pending the arrival of Comdr. Edward H. Watson.

Renamed Madawaska on 1 September, the ship was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force of the Atlantic Fleet. During World War I, she conducted 10 transatlantic voyages in which she carried nearly 12,000 men to Europe. After the armistice of 11 November 1918, Madawaska made seven more voyages, bringing 17,000 men home from the European theater. She completed the last of these runs upon her arrival at New York on 23 August 1919. She was decommissioned by the Navy on 2 September and simultaneously transferred to the War Department. Sailing for the Pacific soon thereafter, Madawaska embarked elements of the Czech Legion at Vladivostok, Russia, early in 1920, as part of the evacuation of that force in the wake of the Russian Civil War in Siberia. The ship sailed to Terst, Italy, and disembarked her Czech passengers to return to their homeland. Subsequently sailing for New York, Madawaska was inactivated and turned over to the US Shipping Board for lay-up.