USAT Meigs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 S.S. West Lewark, later renamed USAT Meigs |
|
| Career (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | Before September 1919 |
| Commissioned: | 1923 |
| Out of service: | 19 February 1942 |
| Renamed: | 1923 |
| Fate: | Sunk by Japanese air attack |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 11,358 tons |
| Length: | 430.7 ft (131.3 m) |
| Beam: | 54.3 ft (16.6 m) |
| Draught: | 26.2 ft (8.0 m) |
The USAT Meigs, a United States Army transport vessel (sometimes incorrectly referred to as the USS Meigs), was sunk in Darwin Harbour during the first Japanese air raid against the Australia mainland on February 19, 1942.
Built San Pedro, California, in 1921 as the West Lewart, the Meigs had a steel hull, measured 12,568 Gross Tons (also cited as 11358 tons), 430.7 feet (140m) long, 54.3 feet (16m) beam and 26.2 feet draft. USAT Meigs was part of the Pensacola Convoy attempting to reinforce the Philippines during the early stages of World War II. As the largest vessel in Darwin Harbour she was frequently under air attack, and went down in flames after being struck by incendiary bombs and aerial torpedoes. Two of its crew of sixty-six were killed.
Although the superstructure of the wreck was salvaged after the war by Fujita Salvage of Osaka, Japan, the cargo of munitions, railway lines, Bren gun carriers and trucks intended for Allied forces in Portuguese Timor remains. The Meigs is now a dive site, where the remnants of the cargo are as visible as the remains of the vessel itself. It lies in 26 metres (85 ft) of water, and due to the large tidal movements creating strong currents and poor visibility, is only divable around neap tides.
[edit] Namesakes
The name "USS Meigs" is incorrectly applied to the USAT Meigs and also to the USS General M. C. Meigs (AP-116), which saw service in the Korean War.
