The SS Manhattan was a 24,189-ton luxury liner of the United States Lines, named after the borough of New York City. On 15 June 1941, the Manhattan was commissioned as the USS Wakefield and became the largest vessel ever operated by the US Coast Guard. In 1942, the ship caught fire and was rebuilt as a troop ship. The Manhattan never saw commercial service again.
Construction
At the time of their construction, the Manhattan and her sister ship, the Washington, also built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, were the largest liners ever built in the United States, and the Manhattan was the first large liner built in the US since 1905. The Manhattan and the Washington were two of the few pure liners built by New York Shipbuilding, which had previously built a large number of cargo liners. United States Lines signed contracts in 1931 for the two ships at a cost of approximately $21 million each. This was considered an extreme cost in the Depression, and a risky gamble. The ship's keel was laid as New York Shipbuilding's hull 405 on 6 December 1930 with launch on 5 December 1931 and delivery to the owners on 27 July 1932. Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. christened the ship with speakers representing shipping lines joining interest into the new United States Lines. Those lines were International Merchantile Marine Company, Roosevelt Lines, and the Dollar Lines. The ship was length overall, length between perpendiculars and on water line. Eleven water tight bulkheads created twelve water tight compartments. Manhattan had nine decks; Sun, boat, promenade, and decks A through F. Registration shows, registered length, a crew of 481 and with official number 231779 and signal WIEA. The Manhattan was designed to carry 1,239 passengers; 582 cabin rooms, 461 tourist rooms, and 196 third class. The main cabin class public rooms, including a grand salon, library, palm court, verandah cafe, and open recreation or dance space aft, were on the promenade deck. Cabin class staterooms were forward on A deck with tourist class game space aft. B deck had tourist class public rooms. Cabin class entrance foyer, staterooms and dining were forward on C deck with tourist class entrance foyer, staterooms and dining aft. Third class lounge and an open promenade were aft of the tourist class spaces on C deck. D deck contained some cabin class staterooms, a swimming pool, and gymnasium, with tourist class staterooms aft. Crew quarters and mess hall/station were on E deck with third class dining room and staterooms aft. The ship had general cargo capacity of, refrigerated cargo space and for ship's cold storage. Prior to commercial passenger operation, the ship made a special twenty-four-hour cruise off New York with over seven hundred passenger agents representing companies and offices from across the nation. The guests were entertained with the full services passengers could expect, including dancing and viewing a new movie in the ship's theater.
Commercial Career
Beginning in August 1932, the Manhattan flew the US flag on the New York-Hamburg route, a route she would continue to serve with only one short break until December 1939, when President Roosevelt invoked the Neutrality Act against Germany. In 1936, the ship carried the US Olympic team to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. In 1938, she carried some of the Kennedy family to the United Kingdom when Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. Travel writer Douglas Ward claims in his book Berlitz Guide to Cruising that the alcoholic beverage "Manhattan" was named after the ship. However, there is little evidence to confirm this. A one way trip, offseason, in the cheapest room available cost roughly the equivalent of $1,800USD in 2019.
On 22 March 1939, the passengers embarking on the Manhattan in Hamburg included 88 unaccompanied children who were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany.. This roughly 24-hour journey from Hamburg to Southampton was part of the Kindertransport, as it later came to be known, between December 1938 and the outbreak of war in September 1939. 70% of the children had been born in Berlin.
Early WWII
In October 1939, the Manhattan transported passengers, mostly Americans, from England to New York. On 4 February 1940, the ship was seized by British forces in Gibraltar and released after 390 sacks of mail bound for Germany were confiscated. From January 1940 until Italy's entry into World War II in June 1940, the Manhattan sailed between New York and Genoa. On 12 January 1941, while in coastal service on the Atlantic seaboard, she went aground north of Palm Beach, and was re-floated 22 days later. On 6 March 1941, the commander of the marine inspection bureau suspended the master and first officer after finding them guilty of negligence in the grounding. The master received an eight-month suspension while the first officer was suspended for one month.
As a Troopship
On 14 June 1941 the Manhattan was delivered to the War Shipping Administration which immediately delivered the ship to the US Navy for operation under bareboat charter. The ship was subsequently commissioned as the troopship USS Wakefield on 15 June 1941. Assigned a Coast Guard crew under Commander Wilfrid N. Derby, she became the largest vessel ever operated by the Coast Guard. On 18 September 1942 the ship was purchased by the Navy. The Manhattan would never re-enter commercial service. On 3 September 1942, while en route from Clyde to New York as part of convoy TA-18, a fire broke out aboard. Taken in tow by the Canadian Salvage vesselFoundation Franklin, the Wakefield reached Halifax five days later, still burning. By the time the last flames were extinguished, her hull was effectively gutted. Paid off by the US Navy, she was towed to Boston Navy Yard and rebuilt to troopship specifications.
