User:Bellhalla/SS Princess Alice/Research

The Times archive
Ad from The Times, 1903-10-20, p. 2:

Calls at Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nagasaki, Hyōgo, and Yokohama

Kiautschou to sail on 3 November

Web resources

 * http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/Princess_Matoika.html
 * http://books.google.com/books?id=JUYEAAAAMAAJ&q=princess+matoika&dq=princess+matoika&pgis=1 (Bonsor book snippets)

Public domain sources
Sources in this section are public domain texts.

The Navy book of Distinguished Service…
Captain William D. Leahy was awarded the Navy Cross for commanding USS Princess Matoika.
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 * LEAHY, W. D. Capt. U.S.N. For distinguished service in the line of his profession as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Princess Matoika engaged in the important, exacting and hazardous duty of transporting and escorting troops and supplies through waters infested with enemy submarines and mines.


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 * The Navy Book of Distinguished Service…

Annual Reports of the Navy Department…

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 * Marine died from a gunshot wound to the head at the Norfolk Naval Hospital; was transferred from Princess Matoika on 1 January 1919; died 10 June 1919


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The one death was that of John Archibald Weber private United States Marine Corps admitted from the USS Princess Matoika January 1 1919 with bullet wound of skull This wound had destroyed the left eye and penetrated the left frontal lobe of the brain and left several small fragments of metal in the left frontal lobe Brain abscess formed and was evacuated with improvement up to May 25 1919 when meningitis developed resulting in death June 10 1919
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Annual Reports of the Navy Department…
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U-151

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 * Tracking activity of U-151. Possible sub sighting by Princess Matoika on 16 June 1918 was not U-151. Include some details of sinking of SS Dwinsk.


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After the sinking of the Kringsjaa on June 14 the U 151 began her homeward journey The fact that the City of Calcutta sighted a submarine in latitude 39 08 N longitude 66 18 W on June 15 indicates that on that date submarine was well on her homeward way and was not sighted by the British steamship Aras on June 15 or by the Princess Matoika on June 16 or the U.S.S. Mexican on June 17 as was reported at the time. The assumption is further substantiated by the fact that on June 18 at 9.20 a.m. the British steamship Dwinsk 8,173 gross tons commanded by Lieut Commander H Nelson R.N.R. was torpedoed and subsequently sunk by gunfire about two hours later in latitude 38 30 N longitude 61 15 W
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About two and one half hours after the Dwinsk had been abandoned the U.S.S. Von Steuben appeared on the scene and bore down on the lifeboats She suddenly stopped however avoiding a torpedo and opened fire on a periscope firing 19 shots and dropping depth charges.

German Submarine Activities…
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U-152, U-153

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 * Reports from Princess Matoika help clarify subs responsible for two separate attacks


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Capt. Patterson [of SS Briarleaf] advised also that while the submarine was shelling his vessel a wireless message was received from the S.S. Lucia calling for help. The Lucia said in her message that she had been torpedoed and was sinking and gave her position as about 100 miles north of the position of the S.S. Briarleaf It was formerly believed that the Ü-152 was responsible for the sinking of the Lucia on the same day that the attack on the Briarleaf took place. Both the U-152 and the U-155 were in the vicinity at the time and it is the testimony of Capt Patterson and the War Diary of the U.S.S. Princess Matoika that leads to the decision that each was engaged in a separate attack.
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"At about 4 p.m. August 17 the signal from the Briarleaf came in. Plotted on the chart the Briarleaf bore from the Princess Matoika and the Pastores 219 true distance about 15 miles. By inspection of the chart would pass within 6 miles of the allo. About 4.40 p.m. gunfire was heard ahead sometimes to port and sometimes to starboard. At 4.52 sighted object ahead on horizon resembling heavy smoke. Firing could be heard and gun flashes visible. Transports changed course to bring objects abeam where they were last seen. Firing no longer heard. Briarleaf escaped and headed for Bermuda. Shortly after the change of course was made at 5 p.m. the allo from the Lucia was received. The allos were 150 miles apart."

''German Submarine Activities on the Atlantic Coast…
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Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Navy…

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 * Two sailors aboard Princess Matoika died from Spanish flu outbreak


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TIDBALL, CHARLES BROWNHILL seaman United States Navy Enlisted Kansas City Mo April 14 1917 Died U.S.S. Princess Matoika died at St Nazairc France October 7 1918 Cause Broncho pneumonia Next of kin Father Charles Martin Tidball Fayetteville Ark (p. 729)
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WORKMAN CLARENCE ALBERT storekeeper second class United States Navy Enlisted Pensacola Fla October 15 1915 Died U.S.S. Princess Matoika October 5 1918 Cause Broucho pneumonla Next of kin Father James E Workman Flora Ill (p. 797)

Links;
 * Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Navy… p. 729
 * Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Navy…, p. 797

American Merchant Marine Letter…
Service (proposed?) from New Orleans, Louisiana to Valparaiso, Chile
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Next the west coast of South America. Since the opening of the Panama Canal and the consequent shortening of this run by some 7,000 miles our best schedule would seem to be something like this:
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Total length of voyage 43 days overhaul 17 days total 60 days or 6 voyages per year
 * From New Orleans to Valparaiso De Kalb, Martha Washington, Princess Matoika. Sailings on the 1st and 20th.
 * From Mobile to Valparaiso, Covington, Mercury, Powhatan. Sailings on the 10th and 30th
 * Time consumed in voyage (12 knots):
 * United States to Colon 5 days
 * Canal 1 day
 * Panama to Guayaquil 3 days
 * At Guayaquil 1 day
 * Guayaquil to Callao 3 days
 * At Callao 1 day
 * Callao to Valparaiso 5 days
 * Layover at Valparaiso 5 days


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 * American Merchant Marine Letter…

Trail of the 61st
Story of 'race' between Princess Matoika and Rijndam; Rjindam (and PM?) left France 9 March 1919 (p. 190); arrived Newport News, Virginia, 20 March (p. 205).
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U.S.S. Rijndam, the ship that brought the 133d Regiment home from France. "The rickity old Rijndam wasn't a very fast vessel. The best she had ever done in crossing the Atlantic was thirteen days. But her skipper was confident that she could do better and so he wagered that she would limp into Newport News ahead of the trim rigged Matoika, a larger and speedier transport. Both vessels left the harbor [on 9 March] within an hour of each other, the Rijndam going to sea first. Bulletins were posted each day showing the progress of the two vessels and when it appeared three days out from the American port that the Princess was gaining fast men from the 133d went to the boiler rooms as stokers. Their stajnina won the race—the Rijndam reached port [on 20 March] two hours ahead of the Princess breaking her service record by reaching God's country two days sooner than she had ever done on any previous occasion."——Kent Watson in History of the 133d Regiment
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 * Trail of the 61st

U.S. Official Pictures of the World War
Photos of many WW I troopships, including Princess Matoika. Google books images are blocky and of very poor quality. Better images could be obtained from scanning the original book.
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"The Olympic Games" in U.S. Air Service
First hand account of Olympian travel aboard SS Princess Matoika in 1920.
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On July 26 I sailed on the SS Princess Matoika with the Olympic teams. The ship was like a many ringed circus. Loomis, Eby, Meredith, Landon, Reamer, and all the other cracks were busy on starts, sprints, leg exercises, or whatever was called for by their particular branch. The boxers and wrestlers were always at it—shadow boxing bouts or medicine ball. The swimmers, including the girls, splashed about and worked hard in a canvas tank not getting anywhere. They were moored to one corner of the tank by a rope around their waists. It was a very unusual opportunity to see the finest strokes in swimming and in fact the utmost skill in every sport. We fencers worked in all three weapons twice each day and in fact every athlete aboard was trying his best to improve himself.
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I was fortunate in sharing a cabin with many others. Most of the men however were quartered in troop accommodations which might be all right for troops but certainly not conducive to bringing men to the games in the pink of condition. Let me say right here that the resolutions denouncing the executive committee of the American Olympic team for their lack of foresight and inexcusable inefficiency expressed our feelings so correctly that it was signed by every athlete excepting of course the Army representatives who could not. I think that each one who made the trip feels that he is as keen as ever to compete for his country at every opportunity but never again to do so under the management of the Executive Committee of the Olympic team of 1920.


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 * US Air Services

Base Hospital No. 9, A.E.F.
Description of return voyage on USS Princess Matoika. Departed (from Brest, France?) 16 April 1919—two days late becaue of storm in Bay of Biscay; arrived at Newport News, Virginia, on 27 April.
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We remained in Port two days because of a storm that was raging in the Bay of Biscay but on Wednesday April 16th at 3.10 a.m. we left the pier and were homeward bound.
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The voyage was a pleasant one. All of the troops wanted to land in New York but the Captain received orders to proceed to Newport News Va. We landed there on Sunday morning April 27th and went at once to Camp Hill.


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 * Base Hospital No.9…

Sale of Ex-German Ships
Congressional hearing on the sale and reconditioning of ex-German liners, including Princess Matoika. Includes estimated value (PM: $900,000, p. 8), bid for purchase (PM: $1,125,000, p. 26).
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 * Sale of Ex-German Ships…, p. 8
 * Sale of Ex-German Ships…, p. 26

History of the Twenty-Ninth Division…
Account of trip on USS Princess Matoika with 113th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division, on 15 June 1918 (p. 72) heading for France. Include photos of troops aboard PM on this voyage. (Would need the original for scanning.) Details of accommodations, ships in convoy, crowded conditions, two meals daily. Note: Include erroneous history of the ship.
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The outfit was hustled aboard the coast wise steamer Norfolk which conveyed the troops out into the harbor where the transport Princess Matoika lay at anchor…
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History of the Twenty-ninth Division…
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The Forty-seventh infantry
Account of a relatively uneventful trip to France with the 47th Infantry aboard PM; departed 10 May 1918; sub scare on 20 May (it was a bucket)'; two distress calls received on night of 22/23 May(?); arrival on 23 May (p. 177 for date of arrival)
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"America's Boss-Ridden Athletics"
Account of the 1920 Olympian experience on Princess Matoika
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(pdf file)
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Copyrighted sources
Works in this section are known (or assumed) to be under copyright protection. Material included below is summarized or paraphrased, unless otherwise noted. Any material directly quoted here is properly cited and identified as such and is here solely to assist in the preparation of a Wikipedia article on USS Princess Matoika (ID-2290).

The U.S. Navy in World War I
Princess Matoika left Brest, France in the company of Covington, Lenape, Rijndam, George Washington, DeKalb, Wilhelmina, and Dante Alighieri on 30 June 1918. Covington sunk by torpedo on 1 July. (p. 63) (More details about the sinking of Covington follow through p. 65)
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 * http://books.google.com/books?id=7O1yeZxemlUC&pg=PA63&dq=princess+matoika&as_brr=3&sig=dG3CP9S0sgjuABZ-EevG2mEhrRU#PPA63,M1

The Kaiser's merchant ships in World War I
Princess Matoika carried 34,937 troops before the end of the war. Lots of great info on this ship and others. Will need to check out.
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 * http://books.google.com/books?id=AzvOlkl-DNcC&pg=PA185&dq=princess+matoika&as_brr=3&sig=imWuxsuRKGJphatDLmByuOFSLHI

Savage Peace
In April 1919, Princess Matoika returned 5,000 troops to Charleston, South Carolina and then boarded 2,200 German POWs for return to Rotterdam.
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Goodbye, Darkness
Princess Matoika departed Brest in early February 1919 and arrived at Newport News on 12 February.
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 * http://books.google.com/books?id=wNo0v-6RXIAC&pg=PA19&dq=princess+matoika&as_brr=3&sig=xC7ZWyLumsaKH5SQiOAGCiALKi0#PPA19,M1

Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement
Another account of the "mutiny on the Matoika"
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 * Historical Dictionary…, p. 56

New York Times

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Chicago Daily Tribune

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Los Angeles Times

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The Washington Post

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Atlanta Constitution

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