Return to Naval History and Heritage Command home page.
Return to Online Library listing
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060
Online Library of Selected Images:
-- CIVILIAN SHIPS --
S.S. West Grama (American Freighter, 1918)
Served as USS West Grama (ID # 3794) in 1919
West Grama, a 12,225-ton (displacement) freighter, was
built in 1918 at Los Angeles, California, as part of the World
War I merchant ship construction program. Taken over by the Navy
in early 1919 and commissioned as USS West Grama (ID #
3794), she carried a cargo of flour from California to the East
Coast, arriving at the end of February, then went on to the Mediterranean,
where she unloaded the flour at Constantinople, Turkey, and Varna,
Bulgaria. Returning to Norfolk, Virginia, in mid-June 1919, she
was soon decommissioned and returned to the U.S. Shipping Board.
As a commercial freighter West Grama saw intermittant service
during the 1920s and 1930s, and was actively employed during World
War II. On 8 June 1944, during the Normandy Invasion, she was deliberately sunk as part of the "Gooseberry" breakwater off "Omaha" Beach.
This page features all the views we have concerning the
freighter West Grama and USS West Grama (ID
# 3794).
Click on the small photograph to prompt
a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 102521
S.S. West Grama (American Freighter, 1918)
Underway, possibly while in Naval service in 1919.
This ship was acquired by the Navy and placed in commission on
9 January 1919 as USS West Grama (ID # 3794). She was
returned to the U.S. Shipping Board on 16 June 1919.
Note that she wears a peacetime paint scheme, but flies a Jack
at her bow.
The original print is in National Archives' Record Group 19-LCM.
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Online Image: 70KB; 740 x 525 pixels |
 |
Photo #: NH 102522
S.S. West Grama (American Freighter, 1918)
Underway, possibly while in Naval service in 1919.
This ship was acquired by the Navy and placed in commission on
9 January 1919 as USS West Grama (ID # 3794). She was
returned to the U.S. Shipping Board on 16 June 1919.
Note that she wears a peacetime paint scheme, but flies a Jack
at her bow.
The original print is in National Archives' Record Group 19-LCM.
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Online Image: 72KB; 740 x 500 pixels |
 |
Photo #: NH 106600
USS West Grama (ID # 3794)
Photographed on 11 March 1919.
Donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2009.
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Online Image: 64KB; 900 x 555 pixels |
 |
S.S. West Grama is partially visible at the far right
in the following photograph of another ship:
Photo #: NH 51323
USS Lexington (CV-2)
In the final states of fitting out, at the Bethlehem Steel Company
shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, in November 1927.
Merchant ship partially visible at right is the S.S. West
Grama, which served as USS West Grama (ID # 3794)
in 1919.
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Online Image: 93KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
 |
NOTES:
To the best of our knowledge, the pictures referenced here
are all in the Public Domain, and can therefore be freely downloaded
and used for any purpose.
Some images linked from this page may bear obsolete credit lines
citing the organization name: "Naval Historical Center".
Effective 1 December 2008 the name should be cited as: "Naval
History and Heritage Command".
Return to Naval History and Heritage Command home page.
Page made 16 June 2004
New image add 23 December 2009