St. Louis (1895)

Later names:
1898
USS St. Louis (Aux. cruiser)
1898
St. Louis
1918
USS Louisville ID-1644 (troopship)
1919
St. Louis


Builder:
William Cramp & Sons
Ship and Engine Building Co.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ordered:
N/A
Keel Laid:
N/A
Year Built:
1895
Launched:
November 12, 1894
Type:
Passenger
(Aux. cruiser / Troopship)
Completed:
May 1895
Fate:
Scrapped in Genoa, Italy July 1924.


Owner
American Steamship Company
(American Line)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1892:
International Navigation Company
(Red Star Line)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(American Line was acquired by Red Star, but ships continued to operate under American Line)


Dimensions, machinery and performance

Length:
535' 5" (PP)
Engines:
2 quadruple expansion
Beam:
63'
Boilers:
N/A
Draft:
N/A
Shafts:
2
Gross Tons:
11,629
HP:
N/A
Displacement:
14,910 (as aux. cruiser)
Speed:
19 knots
Crew:
N/A
Funnels:
2
Passengers:
1,370
Masts:
2


Timeline
June 5, 1895:
Maiden voyage New York - Southampton.
Apr. 1898:
Chartered by US Navy and converted into an auxiliary cruiser for service in the
Spanish-American War. Commissioned as USS St. Louis.
Sept. 1898:
Decommissioned and returned to passenger service.
Oct. 12, 1898:
Resumed New York - Southampton route.
1903:
Refit with new boilers and funnels were heightened.
1913:
Refit for 2nd and 3rd class only.
July 1914:
Moved to New York - Liverpool route.
April 1918:
Requisitioned for use as a troopship, commissioned as USS Louisville ID-1644.
Sept. 1919:
Returned to American Line, reverted to St. Louis.
Jan. 9, 1920:
While under refit at Hoboken, New Jersey the ship caught fire and sank at her mooring. She
was sold for use as an exhibition ship, but was never completed as such.
(Note: Sister ship St. Paul capsized at Pier 61, Hoboken on Apr. 25, 1918.)

May 20, 1924:
Departed New York under tow for Genoa, Italy. Scrapped on arrival.


Builder's Data
Page published Sept. 15, 2008