Home  |   Copyright  |   Contact  |   American Export Lines  |   New York Ship Building Co  |   4 Aces  |   Yankee Cruise
WWII: Refugees  |   WWII: North Africa  |   WWII: Guadalcanal

SS EXCAMBION (I)

The name "Excambion" comes from the Scottish word "Excambion", which is a type of land exchange or barter exchange, commonly used in Scottish law.

Last updated June 2009

General Specifications

Type Cargo Liner, single funnel (American Export)
Displacement 9,360 tons (lt)
Length 450 ft
Beam 62 ft (19 m)
Draft 26 ft (7.9 m)
Propulsion Single Screw Steam turbine
Speed 16 kt
Accomodations 125 First Class

SS Excambion
SS Excambion (I), New York Harbor, 1931

The SS Excambion (I) was built by New York Ship Building Company, of Camden, New Jersey, under contract #397. The keel was laid on Oct 25, 1930. The ship was launched on May 28, 1931. The SS Excambion (I) was one of the "4 Aces", owned by American Export Lines and was placed in service between the US and the Mediterranean in 1931. The SS Excambion took mail, cargo, and First-Class passengers on "Yankee Cruises to the Mediterranean", originating in Jersey City, New Jersey (New York harbor), for durations up to 40 days. Her sister ships were SS Excalibur (I), SS Exochorda (I), and SS Exeter (I).

From 1940 to 1941 the Excambion made many round trips between Lisbon, Portugal and New York. The SS Excambion was instrumental in the success of the war-time Emergency Rescue Committee; transporting thousands of Nazi refugees in Europe to freedom in the United States.

After the United States entered WWII, the SS Excambion was acquired by the Navy on January 8, 1942 and commissioned as the USS John Penn on April 6, 1942. The USS John Penn served in the Allied invasion of North Africa (Morocco) in 1942, and in the battle for Guadalcanal in 1943. USS John Penn was sunk by enemy action in Guadalcanal in August 1943. In December 1944, the sunken USS John Penn was replaced by the Navy with a new ship of the same design, called the USS Queens.

After the war, in June 1946, the USS Queens was decomissioned and sold to American Export Lines. The USS Queens was converted to a commercial combiliner and named the SS Excambion (II). The Excambion (II) was placed into service on the New York to Mediterranea run in 1948, and served until 1958, when she was laid up.

In 1965 the SS Excambion (II) was sold to the Texas Maritime Academy, renamed the USTS Texas Clipper, and used as an educational training ship. The USTS Texas Clipper was laid up in 1996, and later sunk in Galveston Bay in 2006. The USTS Texas Clipper is now an artificial reef.

Sources