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I. J. Merritt
I. J. Merritt shortly after completion
History
NamesakeIsrael J. Merritt
Owner
(1919–ca. 1935)
OperatorAs per owners
BuilderA. C. Brown & Sons (Tottenville, Staten Island)
CostAbout $350,000[a] (equ. to $6,150,000 today).
Launched8 Feb 1919
ChristenedI. J. Merritt
CompletedAug 1919
In service1919–early 1930s
Renamed
  • USS I. J. Merritt (ID-3780) (Aug–Dec 1919)
  • I. J. Merritt (Dec 1919)
Identification
  • U.S. Navy identifier: ID 3780
  • Official No: 219487
  • Sig. letters: LVJB
FateScuttled by owners, ca. 1935
General characteristics
TypeSalvage tug
Tonnage
Displacement1,300 tons
Length174 ft (53 m) loa
Beam34 ft (10 m)
Draft13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Depth of hold18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
Decks2
Installed power
PropulsionSingle screw
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Range10,000 mi (16,000 km)
ComplementUS Navy: 8 officers, 50 men
CrewMerchant: 24–26

I. J. Merritt was a large seagoing salvage tugboat built in New York in 1919 for commercial salvage work in the North Atlantic, chiefly along the United States East Coast. While still under construction, she was acquired by the United States Navy for salvage operations in European waters in the aftermath of World War I, but was completed too late to see service in this role. Instead, she briefly served with the Navy as the yard tug USS I. J. Merritt (ID-3780).

Resold in late 1919 to her original owners and restored to her original name, I. J. Merritt spent the rest of her career in her originally intended role as a North Atlantic salvage tug. She was scuttled by her owners in the early 1930s, during the prolonged shipping slump caused by the Great Depression.

Construction and design

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I. J. Merritt, a wooden-hulled, screw-propelled salvage tug, was built in 1919 by A. C. Brown & Sons of Tottenville, Staten Island.[3][4] She was named after Israel J. Merritt, founder and former head of the firm that ordered the vessel, the Merritt & Chapman Derrick & Wrecking Company of New York.[5] While still under construction, the tug was acquired by the United States Navy and completed at the Brown yard under naval supervision. The vessel was launched at 2:35 pm on Saturday, February 8, 1919, with attendees including company officials, yard workers and a number of naval officers. Some days later, the tug was towed to the dock of the W. & A. Fletcher company in Hoboken, New Jersey, for installation of her engine and boilers.[3]

I. J. Merritt just prior to launch

I. J. Merritt had gross and net register tonnages of 794 and 394 respectively,[6] and a displacement of about 1,300 long tons. She had two decks,[6] an overall length of 174 feet (53 m), beam of 34 feet (10 m),[6][4] hold depth of 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m)[6] and mean draft of 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m).[4] When new, the steamer was reported by several journals to be the largest salvage tug in American service as well as the best equipped,[5] but in fact her Merritt & Chapman stablemate Relief, a steel-hulled tug built in 1907, was slightly larger in both length and gross tonnage.[7]

The Merritt was powered by a three-cylinder, 1,000 ihp (750 kW) triple expansion steam engine, with cylinders of 18, 28 and 45 inches (46, 71 and 114 cm) by 30-inch (76 cm) stroke, driving a single screw propeller.[6] Steam was supplied by two Babcock & Wilcox[3] water-tube boilers with an operating pressure of 225 psi (1,550 kPa).[6] The tug had an operational range of 10,000 miles (16,000 km) and a speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph).[4] In naval service, she was crewed by 8 officers and 50 men,[3] while in later merchant service, she had a crew of 24.[8]

Service history

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U.S. Navy service, August–December 1919

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The Navy had originally intended to assign I. J. Merritt to its European naval salvage service in the aftermath of World War I, but these operations were concluded by May 1919, while the tug was still under construction.[9] Accordingly, on completion of the vessel in August, she was transferred on the 27th to serve in American waters with the 3d Naval District, under the identifier ID 3780.[4] On December 13, after barely more than two months of naval service, the tug was resold for $300,000[2] (equivalent to $5,300,000 in 2023) to her original owner, the Merritt & Chapman Derrick & Wrecking Company.[4]

Merchant service, 1920–1935

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Following her reacquisition by Merritt & Chapman, I. J. Merritt was homeported in Norfolk, Virginia,[10] and would spend the remainder of her career in the salvage role. Some of her activities during this period are outlined below.

1920-1924

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The tanker F. D. Asche at Robins Drydock, looking from inside the hull through one of the holes made by reefs

In October 1922, the Standard Oil tanker F. D. Asche was caught in a hurricane off the Bahamas and driven about a mile (1.6 km) over two reefs, losing almost two-thirds of her bottom in the process.[11][12] Her survival, considered remarkable, was attributed to her Isherwood longitudinal framing design.[12] I. J. Merritt and her stablemate Willard were dispatched to the stricken vessel, which was refloated after about three weeks by pontoons placed internally, and by patching the ship's own oil tanks and filling them with air.[12] Following temporary repairs made locally,[11] the Asche was towed by the two tugs to Robins Dry Dock in New York for the completion of repair work.[11][12][13]

On the night of December 16, 1921, the steamship SS Panama rammed the destroyer USS Graham off Sea Girt, New Jersey, damaging the latter amidships.[14][15] Nobody aboard Panama was injured, but one of Graham's sailors was killed and six more injured.[16] Thanks to the recent innovation of ships' radio, the Merritt & Chapman tugs I. J. Merritt and Willett were dispatched to the scene within minutes of the accident, arriving a few hours later to tow the damaged warship slowly back to port.[15][17] In spite of Graham having been built only two years' prior at a cost of $1,750,000 ($30,000,000) and repairs being estimated at a relatively modest $150,000 ($2,600,000), the Secretary of the Navy, Edwin Denby, decided to scrap the ship due to an acute shortage of funds.[18]

On December 26, 1922, the Grace Line steamship Santa Rosa grounded in a fog outside Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.[19][1] Over the course of the following three days, much of the ship's cargo was removed by lighterage, but a fleet of seven tugboats was still unable to free the steamship, and I. J. Merritt was then hired, on a "no cure, no pay" basis.[19][1] The Merritt supplied Santa Rosa with salvage anchors and heavy duty cables, by which means the ship was able to winch herself off the sandbar with Merritt's assistance,[19][1] the tug later towing the vessel into the harbor. In a subsequent lawsuit, the court, noting that the Merritt's "value is greater than that of all the other libeling tugs put together, and her equipment incomparably more efficient",[1] found that the tug was primarily responsible for the success of the salvage, consequently awarding her the sum of $25,000 ($455,000), the other tugs each receiving $2,500 ($46,000) or less.[1]

In March 1924, the Merritt & Chapman Company paid $10,000 ($178,000) for the salvage rights over the derelict battleships Alabama, Indiana and San Marcos, whose combined scrap metal value was estimated at $75,000 ($1,330,000).[20] All three battleships had been sunk some years earlier by US Navy target practice in shallow waters of Chesapeake Bay, the first two having been sunk by the then-experimental means of aerial bombing.[20] I. J. Merritt was assigned to the salvage, and by May Indiana had been raised,[21] but Merritt & Chapman later sold the salvage rights for Alabama to another company,[22] and it appears that the salvage of San Marcos was not completed, as the ship continued to be used for target practice throughout World War II.[23]

1925–1930

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Arrangement by which S-19 was refloated by I. J. Merritt and USS Wandank

In the early hours of January 13, 1925, the submarine USS S-19 became stranded on a sandbar off Chatham, Massachusetts, after drifting off course in heavy fog.[24] Although the crew were rescued the following day,[24] the sub itself proved much more difficult to retrieve.[25] After several unsuccessful attempts, a joint effort between the Navy and Merritt-Chapman was organized, with I. J. Merritt taking a lead role.[25] Over the course of two months, a complex arrangement of gear involving a shore tackle and purchase, block and buoy, winches and a dozen salvage anchors enabled the Merritt, with assistance from the Navy tug Wandank, to finally pull the sub free on March 17.[26] The submarine—little damaged for her ordeal—was later towed to the Charleston Navy Yard for repairs.[27]

On November 2, 1926, the dredge Magic City, stranded by a hurricane in September, became stuck during attempts by the Merritt to refloat her, her position blocking transit in Florida's Miami Ship Channel for most of the day.[28] The dredge was eventually refloated by use of the Merritt's anchors and winches, with the local tug Gladiator assisting.[28] Just three days later, the passenger steamer Berkshire grounded in the same channel, again blocking it for much of the day.[29] She was freed by use of anchors and winches, together with the assistance of the Merritt and the tug Miami.[29]

On May 27, 1927, while on her initial trial trip near the Nantucket lightship, the SS Malolo—the largest and most luxurious American passenger liner of her day—was severely damaged in collision with the Norwegian freighter Jacob Christensen, Malolo's survival being attributed to her technically advanced watertight compartments. The Merritt & Chapman tugs Resolute, Commissioner, I. J. Merritt and Relief were able to tow the stricken vessel to Todd Shipbuilding, New York, but Malolo still proved to be drawing too much water to enter drydock, necessitating the use of divers and pumps to first improve the ship's buoyancy.[30]

During a gale on December 4, 1927, the small Norwegian steamer Cibao, then under charter to the United Fruit Company, was driven ashore near Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina.[31] Because the ship had been driven over about a mile (1.6 km) of shallow water and two sandbars before coming to rest,[31] rescue of the crew could only be achieved by the unusual and hazardous means of dragging them by long ropes through a mile of raging surf to a lifesavers' motorboat.[32] The long stretch of shallow water also presented difficulties for salvage of the ship itself, so after removal of Cibao's cargo, the I. J. Merritt was obliged to employ an 800-fathom (1.46 km) towline, believed at the time to be the longest ever used for such a purpose.[b] After 20 days of gradual progress, Cibao was returned by the Merritt to deep water on December 24, following which the ship was towed to Virginia Capes for inspection.[32]

On the night of March 9, 1928, while on her regular winter trip from Boston to New York, the Eastern Steamship Lines steamship Robert E. Lee was driven onto Mary Ann Rocks, near Manomet Point, Massachusetts, during a gale and severe snowstorm. The following day, the steamer's 150 passengers and 113 crew were safely brought to shore by surfboats, but three lifesavers were drowned when one of the boats capsized in the surf.[33][34] Shortly thereafter, the Merritt & Chapman Company was contracted to salvage the ship. At least three of the company's salvage tugs, Relief, Resolute and I. J. Merritt, would become involved in the 53-day salvage operation, with the tugs taking turns to tow the salvage schooner John W. Chittenden to and from the stranded ship and port to remove some 500 tons of cargo.[34][35][36] With this accomplished, the Lee's holds were pumped dry and the ship refloated, then towed by the three tugs—with pumps still in operation—to a drydock in East Boston.[34] I. J. Merritt and Relief later towed the vessel to the Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company of New York for comprehensive repairs.[37]

I. J. Merritt's last known assignment, completed in November and December 1930, was for the towing of two sections of a six-section sectional dock, belonging to the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, from Charleston, South Carolina, to Baltimore, the remaining four sections being towed by two other tugs.[38][39]

Fate

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I. J. Merritt was scuttled by her owners in 1935, during the prolonged shipping slump caused by the Great Depression.[40][41]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Estimated value of the tug in 1924;[1] note also that she was resold by the Navy to Merritt & Chapman in 1919 for $300,000.[2]
  2. ^ According to the Virginian-Pilot.[31]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "The Santa Rosa, et al". The Federal Reporter. St. Paul: West Publishing Company. Mar–Apr 1924. pp. 350–358.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  2. ^ a b Annual Report of the Paymaster General of the Navy for the Fiscal Year 1920 (Report). Washington, D.C: Navy Department. p. 2257.
  3. ^ a b c d "Big Naval Tug is Launched". Perth Amboy Evening News. 1919-02-16.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Cressman, Robert J. (2022-05-27). "I. J. Merritt (Id.No. 3780)". Naval History and Heritage Command. United States Navy. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  5. ^ a b "Shipbuilding Notes". Shipping: A Weekly Record of Marine Transportation. 6 (10): 34. 1919-03-08.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Record of American and Foreign Shipping. New York: American Bureau of Shipping. 1922. p. 518.
  7. ^ Record of American and Foreign Shipping. American Bureau of Shipping. 1922. p. 910.
  8. ^ First Supplement to the List of Merchant Vessels of the United States for the Year Ended June 30, 1919. Washington, D.C: Bureau of Navigation. 1920. p. 7.
  9. ^ "Naval Salvage Service". Naval Investigation: Hearings Before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Naval Affairs United States Senate; Sixty-sixth Congress, Second Session (Report). Vol. 2. Washington, D.C. 1921. pp. 2529–2534.
  10. ^ "Shipping News". Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, VA. 1921-12-25. p. Part 2, page 5.
  11. ^ a b c "Docking a Bottomless Tanker". Pacific Marine Review: 123–124. Feb 1922.
  12. ^ a b c d "Bottom Torn Off, Tanker is Towed from Bahamas". Plainfield Courier-News. Plainfield, NJ. 1921-12-06. p. 6.
  13. ^ "W. H. Todd Dined at the Bossert". The Brooklyn Daily Times. 1916-09-13. p. 3.
  14. ^ "Graham (Destroyer No. 192)". Naval History and Heritage Command. United States Navy. 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  15. ^ a b "Destroyer Hit by Liner; 6 Men Injured". New York Tribune. 1921-12-17. p. 1.
  16. ^ "Ship Crash Results in Sailor's Death; Clash Over Blame". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1921-12-18. p. 4.
  17. ^ "Destroyer Hit by Liner; 6 Men Injured". New York Tribune. 1921-12-17. p. 4.
  18. ^ "Navy Orders Dismantling of Destroyer". The Brooklyn Daily Times. 1922-03-03. p. 7.
  19. ^ a b c "Shipping News". The Seamen's Journal. 38 (7). San Francisco, CA: International Seamen's Union of America: 213.
  20. ^ a b "Wreckers Depart to Raise Hulls of Sunken Warships". Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, VA. 1924-03-26. p. 16.
  21. ^ "Wrecked Ship is Floated Again". The Roanoke Times. Norfolk, VA. 1924-05-21. p. 9.
  22. ^ "An Outside Bomb Sank the Alabama". The Daily Post. Jefferson City, MO. 1926-08-20. p. 6.
  23. ^ Reilly, John C.; Scheina, Robert L. (1980). American Battleships 1896–1923: Predreadnought Design and Construction. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-87021-524-7.
  24. ^ a b "Crew of Stranded Submarine Removed; All Efforts to Float the Craft Fail". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. 1925-01-15. p. 1.
  25. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bartholomew was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Bartholomew, Captain C. A. (1990). Mud, Muscle and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy. Washington, D.C: Department of the Navy. pp. 23–26. ISBN 0-945274-03-3.
  27. ^ "Submarine S-19 at Provincetown". The Boston Daily Globe. 1925-03-21. p. 20.
  28. ^ a b "Ship Channel Blocked". The Miami Herald. 1926-11-03. p. 2.
  29. ^ a b "Ship Channel Cleared". The Miami Herald. 1926-11-06. p. 2.
  30. ^ "Liner Malolo is Towed to New York Harbor Today". New Britain Herald. New Britain, CT. 1927-05-28. p. 13.
  31. ^ a b c "Tug Must Tow Cibao Almost Mile to Get Her off Sand Beach". Virginian-Pilot. 1927-12-15. p. 8.
  32. ^ a b "Stranded Steamer Cibao, Driven Ashore in Storm, Floated by Wrecking Tug". Virginian-Pilot. 1927-12-25. p. pt. 2 p. 10.
  33. ^ "Rescue of Passengers and Crew of Robert E. Lee Costs Three Lives". Daily Press. Newport News, VA. 1928-03-11. p. 1.
  34. ^ a b c "Steamer Robert E. Lee Floated and is Towed to Drydock Here". The Boston Globe. 1928-05-02. p. 36.
  35. ^ "Shipping". Daily Press. Newport News. VA. 1928-03-30. p. 9.
  36. ^ "Port of Boston". The Boston Daily Globe. 1928-04-17. p. 15.
  37. ^ "Steamer Robert E. Lee is in Drydock". The Yonkers Herald. 1928-05-16. p. 11.
  38. ^ "Sections of Drydock Arrive". The Sun. Baltimore, MD. 1930-11-20. p. 16.
  39. ^ "Local Port News and Ship Activity". The Sun. Baltimore, MD. 1930-12-02. p. 13.
  40. ^ "A. C. Brown & Son". shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  41. ^ Merchant Vessels of the United States For the Year Ended June 30, 1935. Washington, D.C: Department of Commerce. 1936. p. 1033.


Category:1919 ships Category:Ships built in Staten Island Category:Salvage tugboats




refs

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  • m-c book[1]
  • early ad[2]
  • merritt-chapman fleet 1923[3]
  • npc 1945-50 done
  • 1860 to 1885 done








old merritt

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merritt

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  • l'amerique description[52]
  • l'imperatrice eugenie built by John Scott at St. Nazaire[53]



merritt co formation

[edit]
  • merritt bio, image[54]
  • coast wrecking co 1860 etc[55]
  • overview with images[56]

princess anne

[edit]
  • detailed description 1897[57]
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