USS Western Belle (ID-3551)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name: | USS Western Belle |
| Namesake: | Previous name retained |
| Builder: | Columbia River Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, Oregon |
| Completed: | 1918 |
| Acquired: | 1918 |
| Commissioned: | 22 November 1918 |
| Decommissioned: | 3 May 1919 |
| Fate: | Transferred to U.S. Shipping Board 3 May 1919 |
| Notes: |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Design 1013 cargo ship |
| Tonnage: | 5,689 gross tons |
| Displacement: | 12,100 long tons (12,294 t) |
| Length: | 423 ft 9 in (129.16 m) |
| Beam: | 54 ft 0 in (16.46 m) |
| Draft: | 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) mean |
| Depth of hold: | 29 ft 9 in (9.07 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steam engine, one shaft |
| Speed: | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) |
| Complement: | 88 |
| Armament: | None |
USS Western Belle (ID-3551) was a United States Navy cargo ship in commission from 1918 to 1919.
Construction, acquisition, and commissioning
Western Belle was constructed in 1918 as the commercial steel-hulled, single-screw cargo ship SS Western Belle for the United States Shipping Board by the Columbia River Shipbuilding Corporation at Portland, Oregon. The Shipping Board transferred her to the U.S. Navy, and the Navy assigned her the naval registry identification number 3551 and commissioned her on 22 November 1918 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, Washington, as USS Western Belle (ID-3551) with Lieutenant Commander Olaf Breiland, USNRF, in command.
Operational history
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, Western Belle departed the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 22 December 1918 with a cargo of 6,818 tons of flour. Proceeding via the Panama Canal, she arrived at New York City on 7 January 1919 and bunkered with coal before departing for Gibraltar on 18 January 1919. She arrived at Gibraltar on 3 February 1919 and awaited further orders.
Directed to proceed to Deringe, France, Western Belle got underway from Gibraltar on 8 February 1919. After off-loading her cargo of flour at Deringe, she loaded 924 tons of United States Army cargo and departed Deringe on 20 March 1919 bound for New York City. She arrived at New York on 20 April 1919.
Decommissioning and disposal
Western Belle was decommissioned on 3 May 1919, and the Navy transferred her back to the U.S. Shipping Board the same day. Once again SS Western Belle, she remained in the custody of the Shipping Board until 1932, when Merritt, Chapman, and Scott purchased her. She was abandoned in 1933.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- ID-3551 Western Belle at Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships -- Listed by Hull Number: "SP" #s and "ID" #s -- World War I Era Patrol Vessels and other Acquired Ships and Craft numbered from ID # 3500 through ID # 3599
- NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: Western Belle (ID 3551)