Return to Naval Historical Center home page. Return to Online Library listing

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Photo #  NH 102524:  SS West Lewark in port, 1921


Online Library of Selected Images:
-- CIVILIAN SHIPS --

S.S. West Lewark (American Freighter, 1921)
Later became the U.S. Army Transport Meigs

West Lewark, a 7358 gross ton freighter, was built at San Pedro, California. Originally part of the World War I merchant shipbuilding program, her original construction contract was cancelled in September 1919, and she was completed in 1921 to an enlarged design. In June 1921 she was inspected for possible Navy use and assigned the registry ID # 4490. In about 1923 West Lewark was taken over by the U.S. Army and placed in service as the Army cargo ship Meigs. Following some two decades of Army employment, mainly in the Pacific, the ship was sunk at Darwin, Australia, on 19 February 1942 by a Japanese air attack.

This page features our only view of the freighter West Lewark and of the U.S. Army Transport Meigs.


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 102524

S.S. West Lewark
(American Freighter, 1921)

In port, probably upon completion of construction. Photograph is dated June 1921, when the ship was inspected by the Navy and assigned registry ID # 4490.
West Lewark was the first of five ships of Shipping Board design 1013 ordered from the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, San Pedro, California, during World War I. Her construction was cancelled on 19 September 1919, but she was completed to an enlarged design.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Online Image: 68KB; 740 x 470 pixels

 


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


Return to Naval Historical Center home page.

Page made 23 August 2004