USAT Etolin
From Our Contribution
 USAT Etolin entering New York with troops 1919 while named USS Matsonia | |
 c1946 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | USAT Etolin |
| Owner | Matson Navigation Company |
| Builder | Newport News Ship Building Company |
| Launched | 1913 |
| Fate | scrapped in 1957 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger Liner |
| Tonnage | 16,800 tons |
| Length | Length 501' 4" (152.81m) |
| Beam | Beam 58' 1" (17.70m) |
| Depth | Draft 29' (8.84m) |
| Propulsion | single screw |
| Speed | 17 knots (31.49 km/h) |
| Capacity | 72 crew |
Remarks
Built as a Passenger Liner for the Matson Navigation Company, she was originally named the SS Matsonia, and served during WW1 (1918-19) as a troopship with that name under the control of the US Navy. She made six round trips to Europe from the US before the Armistice, and after the Armistice made eight journeys returning US troops to America. Decommissioned in September 1919, she was returned to her owners.
In March 1937 she was sold to Alaska Packers of San Francisco, and renamed SS Etolin. Shortly before the war, she was chartered by the US Army and sailed as USAT Etolin. An early voyage saw her transport Latin Americans to the US for Internment. Her service during WW2 (August 1940 - April 46) was as an Army Troop Transport. From July 1943 until the end of the war she operated in the Pacific theatre.
Turned over to the War Shipping Administration in April 1946, the ship was laid up in the James River, before being scrapped at Baltimore in 1957. Armament: Four 6" mounts, two 1-pounders, and two machine guns.