Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online:
Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive

Narragansett (SP 2196)



Call sign:
George- Quack - Mike - Sail
Coastal Passenger Steamship:

  • The second Narragansett was built in 1913 by Harlan and Hollingsworth and Co., Wilmington, DE for the Central Vermont Transportation Co. of New London, CT
  • Acquired by the Navy 11 January 1918
  • Commissioned USS Narragansett (SP 2196), 28 January 1918
  • Decommissioned 12 September 1919 at Hoboken, NJ
  • Sold 13 August 1920
  • Sold in 1923 to the Canada Steamship Lines, Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, reconstructed as a passenger ship by Davie Shipbuilding and Repair, Ltd. of Lauzon, Quebec and renamed Richelieu
  • Renamed Passenger 3 in 1966
  • Sold for scrap 9 June 1966 to Joseph de Smedt, Shipbreakers of Antwerp, Belgium.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 19,503 t.
  • Length 320' 2"
  • Beam 48' 1"
  • Draft 16'
  • Speed 23 kts.
  • Complement 165
    • Propulsion: Six single ended boilers, two vertical triple expansion steam engines, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS Narragansett (SP 2196)
    Favorite 116k USS Favorite (ID 1385) assisting in the salvage of the coastal transport Narragansett which had run aground off the Isle of Wight on 31 January 1919. The two other visible salvage ships are probably British civilian craft
    U.S. Navy photo from Shipscribe.com    		 Robert Hurst
    Narragansett 107k Stranded on Bembridge Ledge, Isle of Wight, circa early February 1919. She had gone aground while en route to Southampton, England, during post-World War I transport operations, and was later refloated and returned to service
    U.S. Navy photo NH 568    		 Naval Historical Center
    Narragansett 72k Aground on the Isle of Wight, circa 1 February 1919. She was stranded while en route to Southampton, England, during post-World War I transport operations. In the distance is the British troopship Empress Queen, which was also aground
    U.S. Navy photo NH 45640
    SS Richelieu
    Narragansett 101k Historical Collections of the Great Lakes
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR William R. Allen USNRF - Awarded the Navy Cross28 January 1918
    Courtesy Joe Radigan
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: The second Narragansett (SP-2196), launched by Harlan and Hollingsworth and Co., Wilmington, Del., in 1913, was acquired through purchase from the Central Vermont Transportation Co., 11 January 1918, and commissioned at New London, 28 January 1918, Lt. Comdr. William R. Allen USNRF, in command.

    On 14 February 1918, Narragansett departed New London and steamed to Wilmington, Del., for overhaul and alterations necessary for troop transport service. In May, she shifted to Philadelphia, whence she sailed, in June, to New York. On 10 July, she departed New York, in convoy, arriving at St. Nazaire and reporting for duty in the Cross Channel Fleet on the 21st. From that time until the Armistice Narragansett served as a unit of that fleet, which was charged with the highly important mission of keeping men and material, especially coal, flowing from the British Isles to the Continent. During August and September, Narragansett crossed from Southampton to Le Havre twice a week. In October, she cut back to once a week, but, throughout, she carried an average of over 1,400 troops per voyage.

    After the Armistice, the transport reversed her mission and commenced carrying troops from France to England. With the new year, 1919, she extended her operational area to include the North and Baltic Seas ports of Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Copenhagen. On 31 January, however, Narragansett, en route to Southampton, went aground on the Isle of Wight and repairs required two months. She departed Plymouth for New York 30 May and arrived in New York 15 June. Decommissioned 12 September at Hoboken, N.J., she was sold 13 August 1920.

    Back To The Main Photo Index Back to the Patrol Craft/Gunboat/Submarine Chaser Ship Index Back to the Section Patrol Craft (SP) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster
    This page created by Joseph M. Radigan and maintained by David Wright
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History