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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

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  • Boats-Ships--Support Ships
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  • Ship History
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War I 1917-1918
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Eastern Chief (Id.No. 3390)

1918-1919

The Navy retained the name carried by this vessel at the time of her acquisition.

(Id.No. 3390): displacement 9,606 (normal); length 358'0" (between perpendiculars); beam 51'0"; draft 22'9" (mean); depth of hold 28'6"; speed 12.0 knots; complement 70)

The steel-hull, single-screw cargo vessel Yoshida Maru No. 3  was completed near Yokosuka, Japan, by the Uraga Dock Co., , for the U.S. Shipping Board in December 1917; transferred to the Navy on 26 September 1918; having been renamed Eastern Chief and given the identification number (Id.No.) 3390, converted at Charleston Navy Yard, S.C.; and commissioned on 27 September 1918, Lt. Cmdr. Arthur P. Jensen, USNRF, in command.

Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS), Eastern Chief sailed from Hampton Roads, Va., on 9 October 1918 via Sydney, Nova Scotia, for repairs, and arrived at La Pallice, France, on 26 November to discharge her cargo and load ordnance and engineering stores. She departed that French port on 14 December 1918 and arrived at Norfolk on 8 January 1919. On 9 February she was again underway for France. Six days later, Eastern Chief went to the rescue of NOTS cargo ship Westhaven (Id.No. 2159), standing by until a tug came to assist. She helped tow her into Bermuda, then resumed course for La Pallice, which she finally reached the 23rd.

Shifting up to Belgium, she finished offloading at Antwerp, and sailed for Norfolk on 3 May 1919, arriving in 20 days. She was decommissioned and returned to the Shipping Board, both on 29 May 1919.

Updated, Robert J. Cressman

8 March 2023

Published: Wed Mar 08 17:05:50 EST 2023