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USS ''West Ekonk'' (ID-3313) was a cargo ship for the United States Navy during World War I. She was later known as SS ''West Ekonk'' in civilian service under American registry, and as SS ''Empire Wildebeeste'' under British registry. ''West Ekonk'' was launched for the in June 1918 as a part of the ''West'' ships, a series of steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States for the World War I war effort. At one point ''West Ekonk'' had the distinction of being the ninth fastest-built ocean-going ship in the world. Pressed into cargo service for the US Navy, USS ''West Ekonk'' was commissioned into the and completed three round-trip voyages to Europe for the Navy. After decommissioning in mid 1919, she was briefly in cargo service out of Baltimore and New York before being laid up in Norfolk, Virginia. ''West Ekonk'' was reactivated for cargo service out of Los Angeles in early 1924. By 1926, she was sailing out of New York and called at ports such as Liverpool and Hamburg. In 1933, she was sold to the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company and operated for two of its subsidiary shipping lines through the mid-1930s. In late 1940 she was sold to British interests to help fill the United Kingdom's urgent need for merchant ships. After sailing to the UK as ''West Ekonk'', the ship was renamed ''Empire Wildebeeste'' and sailed in transatlantic convoys, making three round-trips between March 1941 and December 1942. On the westbound leg at the beginning of her fourth round-trip, she straggled behind her convoy and was torpedoed and sunk by on 24 January 1942. Nine men died in the attack; the 22 survivors were rescued by American destroyer and landed at Bermuda. == Design and construction == The ''West'' ships were cargo ships of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the West Coast of the United States for the for emergency use during World War I. All were given names that began with the word ''West'', like ''West Ekonk'',〔Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.〕 one of some 24 ''West'' ships built by Skinner & Eddy of Seattle, Washington.〔〔Skinner & Eddy was an emergency shipyard that only operated from 1916 until about 1920.〕 ''West Ekonk'' (Skinner & Eddy No. 25; No. 1178)〔 was laid down on 16 April 1918. She was launched on 22 June with an elapsed time of 57 working days—67 calendar days—from keel laying to launch.〔 ''West Ekonk'' was completed on 13 July, 73 working days after her keel laying, and in a list of the ten fastest-constructed ocean-going ships compiled in 1920 by Edward N. Hurley, the wartime chairman of the ,〔Hurley, ''The Bridge to France'', title page.〕 ''West Ekonk'' was listed as the ninth fastest-constructed ship in the world.〔Hurley, pp. 92–93.〕 ''West Ekonk'' was the fourth ship built under a contract that called for Skinner & Eddy to deliver 14 ships at a cost of $1,672,000 each,〔 but the cost of extras during her construction added $35,268.〔Shipping Board Operations, pp. 414–15.〕 Skinner & Eddy received a $69,200 bonus for ''West Ekonk''s early completion,〔Shipping Board Operations, p. 624.〕 which brought the total cost of the ship to $1,776,468. ''West Ekonk'' was ,〔 and was long (between perpendiculars) and abeam. ''West Ekonk'' had a steel hull and a deadweight tonnage of .〔 The ship had a single steam turbine that drove her single screw propeller which moved the ship at an pace.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「USS West Ekonk (ID-3313)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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