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NavSource Online: Army Ship Photo Archive

USAT City of Houston

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Freighter:
  • Laid down in 1919 as the Cargo ship SS Lake Strymon at McDougall-Duluth Shipbuilding, Duluth, MN.
  • Launched, date unknown
  • Completed, November 1919
  • Delivered to the United States Shipping Board in April 1920
  • Sold to Southern Steamship Co., Philadelphia, PA., date unknown
  • Name changed to SS City of Houston in 1923
  • Acquired by the War Shipping Administration, 1 June 1942, from the Southern Steamship Co. at Galveston, TX.
  • Time Charter to Agwilines Inc, 1 June 1942
  • Delivered to the War Department, 14 June 1943, as a sub bare bottom charter, at Hoboken, N.J.
  • Re-delivered to Southern Steamship Co., 4 January 1946, at Shanghai, China
  • Sold to the Republic of China by Southern Steamship Co., 4 January 1946, for $153,535.39, renamed SS Hai Wai
  • Rebuilt in 1947, tonnage change to 2,647 t. (gross) - 1,483 t. (net)
  • Final Disposition, broken up in Taiwan in 1954
    Specifications:
    Displacement 2,609 gross tons
    Length 251'
    Beam 33'
    Draft 28'
    Speed 10.7 kts
    Complement
    Officers unknown
    Enlisted, unknown
    Troopship Passenger Capacity unknown
    Cargo Capacity unknown
    Cruise Radius unknown
    Propulsion
    Triple expansion steam engine
    single shaft, 1,500shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Merchant Service
    City of Houston
    302202201    		 44k SS Lake Strymon moored pierside, circa 1919-1923, location unknown.
    Bowling Green State University, University Libraries, Historical Collection of the Great Lakes    		 John Spivey
    USAT City of Houston
    City of Houston
    302202202    		 42k Aerial port side view of USAT City of Houston in Australian waters, date unknown. Note the 3inch gun and 20mm Oerlikon AA guns aft. Tow other Oerlikons are mounted above the bridge. (Naval Historical Collection)
    Australian War Memorial    		 John Spivey
    There is no history record for USAT City of Houston available at NavSource
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The US Army Ship Index Back To The US Army Cargo Ships Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 17 March 2023