SS President Harrison

Kachidoki Maru
History
United States
Name
  • Wolverine State (1920–1922)
  • President Harrison (1922–1941)
Namesake
Owner
Operator
Port of registrySan Francisco
Ordered1 July 1918
BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden
Yard number248
Laid down13 May 1919
Launched16 September 1920
Sponsored byMrs. Edith W. Tweedale
Commissioned6 January 1921
Maiden voyage22 January 1921
Identification
FateRan aground, 8 December 1941
Empire of Japan
NameKachidoki Maru (勝鬨丸)
In service1942-1944
Identification5025
FateSunk by USS Pampanito, 12 September 1944
General characteristics
TypeDesign 1095 Passenger-cargo ship
Tonnage
Length502.1 ft (153.0 m)
Beam62.2 ft (19.0 m)
Depth28.3 ft (8.6 m)
Installed power782 Nhp, 7,000 ihp
Propulsion
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)

Wolverine State was a steam passenger-cargo ship built in 1919–1920 by New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The ship was initially employed on the United States to India route until its cancellation in Spring 1922. After remodeling, the vessel was briefly used by the Los Angeles Steamship Company on a run between Los Angeles and Honolulu as an emergency replacement for one of their burned out steamers. In April 1922 the steamer was renamed President Harrison. In 1923 she conducted several trips between California and the east coast of South America, before being sold together with several other ships of her class to the Dollar Steamship Company. The vessel was captured in 1941 by the Japanese after she was deliberately run aground to avoid the capture. After repairs, the ship was renamed Kachidoki Maru (勝鬨丸), put under control of NYK Line and entered the Japan to Taiwan route, but soon after was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army. Under IJA control the ship sailed between Japan, Singapore and the Philippines carrying troops and military supplies. She was torpedoed and sunk on 12 September 1944 on one of her regular trips, while carrying 950 Allied prisoners of war of which 431 were killed.