USAT Arcata

USAT Arcata, was built in 1919 as the SS Glymont for the United States Shipping Board as a merchant ship by the Albina Engine & Machine Works in Portland, Oregon. The 2,722-ton cargo ship Glymont was operated by the Matson Navigation till 1923 in post World War I work. In 1923 she was sold to Cook C. W. of San Francisco. In 1925 she was sold to Nelson Charles Company of San Francisco. In 1937 she was sold to Hammond Lumber Company of Fairhaven, California. For World War II, in 1941, she was converted to a US Army Troopship, USAT Arcata. She took supplies and troops to Guam. On July 14, 1942, she was attacked by Japanese submarine I-7 and sank. She was operating as a coastal resupply in the Gulf of Alaska, south of the Aleutian Islands at (53.68333°N, -157.75°W), approximately 165 nmi southeast of Sand Point, when she sank. She was returning after taking supplies to Army troops fighting in the Aleutian Islands campaign.

SS Glymont
Glymont was an Emergency Fleet Corporation design 1049 cargo ship, delivered in May 1919 to the United States Shipping Board. Her hull number was 14 and United States Shipping Board #1691, her official ship number was 217972. In the 1920 and 1930 as the SS Glymont, traveled to ports in China, Hawaii, San Pedro, Seattle, Vancouver Hong Kong, Ichang Chungking Tientsin Manila Kobe and Singapore. In 1921 she was sold to the Robert Dollar Company and used on the same routes.

Construction
Glymont was built in 1919 by Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland, Oregon. The designation Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) Design 1049 "Albinia Type" ship was applied to an existing Albina design after the United States Shipping Board (USSB) requisitioned the ships. The hull was Albina's yard hull number 14, USSB/EFC hull number 1691.

The type was, , , 289 ft in registry length, 44.1 ft beam and 19.2 ft draft. The ship was oil fired with triple expansion steam engines.

Sinking
On July 14, 1942, the USAT Arcata was attacked with the deck gun and machine guns of Japanese Submarine I-7. The Arcata was not carrying any troops when attacked. She had a crew of 29 and four passengers. The four passengers were three US Navy personnel and one civilian. When attacked she was traveling from Bethel, Alaska to Seattle, Washington. One of the submarine's deck gun shells hit the bridge and killed one sailor. The captain gave the abandon ship order, the ship was unarmed. The crew and passengers loaded into lifeboats. The submarine machine gunned the lifeboats, injuring more crew. The lifeboat drifted in the Bering Sea. Some of the crew died of exposure and hypothermia. The USS Kane (DD-235) found one of the lifeboats and rescued eleven survivors of the SS Arcata. An Alaskan fishing boat Yukon found and picked up the other lifeboat with fourteen survivors. In the end eight died, two crew killed from the attack, six from exposure and four passengers survived.