'USS Wakefield' under tow, Boston, 1942
Contributed by National Archives at Boston
Item 67326
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On September 3, 1942 in convoy from the United Kingdom to New York with more than 1,400 passengers and crew aboard, the U.S.S. Wakefield caught fire south of Nova Scotia. The fire was contained using new waterfog nozzles that had been flown out to the ship.
The same firefighting nozzles were used in training sailors on Little Chebeague Island in Casco Bay during World War II when the Navy had a large presence there.
When built in 1932 for United States Lines as the SS Manhattan, the ship that became the Wakefieldship was the largest liner ever built in the United States. In June 1941, she was chartered by the U.S. Navy.
In the picture, the ship is arriving at the Boston Navy Shipyard for repair in November 1942.
Other Information
- Title: 'USS Wakefield' under tow, Boston, 1942
- Creator: Department of the Navy. First Naval District. Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Administration. Office of the Historical Officer.
- Creation Date: 1942
- Subject Date: 1942
- Town: Boston
- County: Suffolk
- State: MA
- Media: Photograph
- Dimensions (cm): 25.4 x 30.5
- Local Code: ARC # 1138081, Box P-D 001, 12/12/09
- Collection: Record Group 181: Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments; Administrative History of the First Naval District in World War II
- Object Type: Image
For more information about this item, contact:
National Archives at Boston
380 Trapelo Road, Waltham, MA 02452
(781) 663-0144
http://www.archives.gov
Cross Reference Searches
LC Subject Headings
Fire extinction--Equipment and supplies
Naval convoys
World War, 1939-1945
Ocean liners
Ships
United States. Navy
Fires
Wakefield (Ship)
Manhattan (Ship)
Other Keywords
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