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Library listing
West Grama, a 12,225-ton (displacement) freighter, was built in 1918 at Los Angeles, California, as part of the World War I merchant ship construction program. Taken over by the Navy in early 1919 and commissioned as USS West Grama (ID # 3794), she carried a cargo of flour from California to the East Coast, arriving at the end of February, then went on to the Mediterranean, where she unloaded the flour at Constantinople, Turkey, and Varna, Bulgaria. Returning to Norfolk, Virginia, in mid-June 1919, she was soon decommissioned and returned to the U.S. Shipping Board. As a commercial freighter West Grama saw intermittant service during the 1920s and 1930s, and was actively employed during World War II. On 8 June 1944, during the Normandy Invasion, she was deliberately sunk as part of the "Gooseberry" breakwater off "Omaha" Beach.
This page features the only views we have concerning the freighter West Grama, which was USS West Grama (ID # 3794) in 1919.
| If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
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Photo #: NH 102521 S.S. West Grama (American Freighter, 1918) Underway, possibly while in Naval service in 1919. This ship was acquired by the Navy and placed in commission on 9 January 1919 as USS West Grama (ID # 3794). She was returned to the U.S. Shipping Board on 16 June 1919. Note that she wears a peacetime paint scheme, but flies a Jack at her bow. The original print is in National Archives' Record Group 19-LCM. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 70KB; 740 x 525 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 102522 S.S. West Grama (American Freighter, 1918) Underway, possibly while in Naval service in 1919. This ship was acquired by the Navy and placed in commission on 9 January 1919 as USS West Grama (ID # 3794). She was returned to the U.S. Shipping Board on 16 June 1919. Note that she wears a peacetime paint scheme, but flies a Jack at her bow. The original print is in National Archives' Record Group 19-LCM. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 72KB; 740 x 500 pixels |
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S.S. West Grama is partially visible at the far right in the following photograph of another ship:
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Photo #: NH 51323 USS Lexington (CV-2) In the final states of fitting out, at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, in November 1927. Merchant ship partially visible at right is the S.S. West Grama, which served as USS West Grama (ID # 3794) in 1919. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 93KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
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| If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
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Historical Center home page.Page made 16 June 2004
Text updated 19 August 2004