SS Edward Luckenbach

24°57.830′N 81°53.270′W / 24.963833°N 81.887833°W / 24.963833; -81.887833

SS Edward Luckenbach was the first of five new cargo ships to be built for the Luckenbach Steamship Company by Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation. The ship was launched in September 1916, delivered in November and briefly operated as such before being requisitioned for World War I service. The ship was one of the cargo vessels in the first large convoy transporting U.S. Army forces to France. After that convoy the ship served as a U.S. Army Chartered Transport (USACT) until converted by the Army to a troop ship and turned over to the Navy a few months before the war's end. The Navy commissioned the ship as USS Edward Luckenbach assigning the miscellaneous identification number ID-1662 in August 1918. The transport made one wartime voyage with continued voyages returning the Army to the U.S. until August 1919.

Edward Luckenbach was returned to the company before mid September, 1919, resuming commercial service, mainly between New York and San Francisco. The ship sank 1 July 1942 after mistakenly enterering a defensive minefield north of Key West, Florida and striking two mines.

Edward Luckenbach, the first of five steam turbine driven cargo ships, was built as hull 248 and launched 14 September 1916 by Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation at Quincy, Massachusetts for Luckenbach Steamship Company of New York City.

The ship had a central deck house and bridge with a single stack with two masts and eight king posts was "novel" at the time. Three single ended, oil fired, boilers each with four corrugated furnaces and a total heating area of 10,500 sq ft (975.5 m²) provided steam for a single geared turbine with a high and low speed reduction gear designed for 4,000 shaft horsepower at 90 revolutions. At maximum 93 revolutions the shaft horsepower was rated at 4,500. The propeller was 19 ft (5.8 m) in diameter with an adjustable pitch between 15 ft (4.6 m) and 17 ft (5.2 m) set at 16 ft (4.9 m).

Edward Luckenbach was registered with U.S. Official Number 214560, signal LGMP at New York, New York, as a three deck ship, 8,151 GRT, 6,141 NRT, 436.6 ft (133.1 m) registry length, 57.2 ft (17.4 m) beam and 28 ft (8.5 m) depth.

Edward Luckenbach was delivered to the Luckenbach Steamship Company on 28 November 1916 for commercial cargo operation. By early May of the next year a decision was made to send an Army to France with orders to sail by June 1917. The interned ships of Germany and her allies had been seized, but many were damaged by the interned crews with major repairs needed. The only choice was to requisition U.S. merchant vessels for Army charter use. Edward Luckenbach was among the fourteen vessels selected by industry experts after a survey of the U.S. registry with sufficient bunker capacity and speed for the service and which were quickly available. The ship was discharging cargo at Philadelphia and arrived at New York 31 May 1917 to be placed under Army charter. On 17 July 1917 Edward Luckenbach departed New York in the fourth element, which had been delayed awaiting last minute dispatches and stores, of the first large convoys transporting the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) to France.

After the initial convoy the ship served as the United States Army Chartered Transport USACT Edward Luckenbach until the just before the Armistice after which she was transferred by the United States Shipping Board to the Navy. During that time a ship's cook deserted in New York and appealed his trial by court martial for desertion. The appeal was rejected as he was determined to be "a person serving with the Armies of the United States in the field" and subject to trial by military authorities.