USS Leedstown (AP-73)

History
Name	Santa Lucia; Leedstown;
Namesake	Leedstown, Virginia
Owner	Grace Line
Operator	Grace Line; WSA (Grace Line as agent); U.S. Navy (under sub-bareboat charter);
Port of registry	San Francisco
Route	New York - San Francisco/Seattle via Havana, Panama, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico & Los Angeles
Builder	Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey
Yard number	123
Laid down	28 September 1931
Launched	3 October 1932
Completed	Delivered: 9 February 1933; Acquired by Navy: 6 August 1942;
Commissioned	(Navy) 24 September 1942
Maiden voyage	17 February 1933, New York to San Francisco
Stricken	(Navy) 7 December 1942
Identification	U.S. Official number: 232101; Signal: WKER;
Fate	Sunk off the Algerian coast by U-331, 9 November 1942
General characteristics
Tonnage	9,135 GRT, 3,839 NRT
Displacement	Commercial 16,500 tons; 8,600 long tons (8,738 t) light; 9,135 long tons (9,282 t) full;
Length	508 ft (154.8 m) (overall); 484.4 ft (147.6 m) (registry);
Beam	72.2 ft (22.0 m)
Draft	26 ft 2.5 in (8.0 m)
Depth	25.8 ft 11 in (8.1 m) (register); 38 ft 11 in (11.9 m) (molded to B deck);
Installed power	4 X Babcock & Wilcox boilers furnishing steam for main engines & auxiliaries. 2 X 500 kw DC generators 1 on each main engine low pressure side, 2 X 500 kw standby generating sets
Propulsion	2 X General Electric double reduction gear steam turbines, 6,000 shp normal, 6,600 shp max (propeller speeds 95/98 rpm),
Speed	18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) (contract); 20.05 knots (37.13 km/h; 23.07 mph) (trial);
Capacity	Passengers:; 225 first, 65 third class; (As troopship) 2,505; Cargo:; 250,000 cu ft (7,079.2 m3) (hold); 42,000 cu ft (1,189.3 m3) (refrigerated);
Crew	180 (registry, commercial); (Navy) 538;

USS Leedstown (AP-73), built as the Grace Line passenger and cargo ocean liner SS Santa Lucia, served as a United States Navy amphibious assault ship in World War II. The ship had first been turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) and operated by Grace Line as the WSA agent from February to August 1942 in the Pacific. In August the ship, at New York, was turned over to the Navy under sub-bareboat charter from WSA. She was sunk 9 November 1942 off the Algerian coast by a German submarine after German bombers caused damage the day before.

Santa Lucia was the third of four sister ships sometimes dubbed "The Four Sisters" or "Big Four" ordered in 1930 by Grace Line for its Panama Mail Service from the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Kearny, New Jersey. All four ships were launched in 1932. The other ships in order of launch were Santa Rosa, Santa Paula and, after Santa Lucia, Santa Elena.

History


Name	Santa Lucia Leedstown
Namesake	Leedstown, Virginia
Owner	Grace Line
Operator	Grace Line WSA (Grace Line as agent) U.S. Navy (under sub-bareboat charter)
Port of registry	San Francisco
Route	New York - San Francisco/Seattle via Havana, Panama, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico & Los Angeles
Builder	Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey
Yard number	123
Laid down	28 September 1931
Launched	3 October 1932
Completed	Delivered: 9 February 1933 Acquired by Navy: 6 August 1942
Commissioned	(Navy) 24 September 1942
Maiden voyage	17 February 1933, New York to San Francisco
Stricken	(Navy) 7 December 1942
Identification	U.S. Official number: 232101 Signal: WKER
Fate	Sunk off the Algerian coast by U-331, 9 November 1942
General characteristics
Tonnage	9,135 GRT, 3,839 NRT
Displacement	Commercial 16,500 tons 8,600 long tons (8,738 t) light 9,135 long tons (9,282 t) full
Length	508 ft (154.8 m) (overall) 484.4 ft (147.6 m) (registry)
Beam	72.2 ft (22.0 m)
Draft	26 ft 2.5 in (8.0 m)
Depth	25.8 ft 11 in (8.1 m) (register) 38 ft 11 in (11.9 m) (molded to B deck)
Installed power	4 X Babcock & Wilcox boilers furnishing steam for main engines & auxiliaries. 2 X 500 kw DC generators 1 on each main engine low pressure side, 2 X 500 kw standby generating sets
Propulsion	2 X General Electric double reduction gear steam turbines, 6,000 shp normal, 6,600 shp max (propeller speeds 95/98 rpm),
Speed	18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) (contract) 20.05 knots (37.13 km/h; 23.07 mph) (trial)
Capacity	Passengers: 225 first, 65 third class (As troopship) 2,505 Cargo: 250,000 cu ft (7,079.2 m³) (hold) 42,000 cu ft (1,189.3 m³) (refrigerated)
Crew	180 (registry, commercial) (Navy) 538