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Rear Admiral Ross A. Dierdorff, usn (ret.).—As an old “West-Coaster” (Oregon), I have just read with great interest Mr. Carrother’s excellent article— “Hot Foot”-—The Story of a Ship—in the February Proceedings.
In a general sense Mr. Carrothers is correct in the statement that J. J. Hill had the Great Northern and Northern Pacific built for the Portland-San Francisco run. But Portland is 110 miles from the sea, and, in addition, the river has to be run at moderate speeds. Actually Mr. Hill had a large ship- rail terminal built at Flavel, about ten miles below Astoria and just inside the Columbia’s mouth. Here the twin speed queens were docked, their passengers transported to and from Portland by special boat-trains over the Astoria and Columbia River Railroad (a Hill subsidiary). Even with that additional travel, the over-all schedule was, I believe, a bit faster than the competing Southern Pacific, then running the old Cow Creek Canyon-Siskiyou route.
Mr. Carrothers notes (and very correctly) that, on the Seattle-California run, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor darkness” obstructed Hot Foot’s speed. But Cake Rock in the entrance to Puget Sound did in 1932, I believe, when she waded into it in a fog. I saw her in a Seattle drydock soon thereafter. Her beautiful bow was intact above the waterline. Below it, her forefoot, fore-peak and all adjoining had been pushed back about forty feet. Otherwise the encounter didn’t seem to have bothered her much.
As CO of the Army Transport General
George S. Simonds, I was in a convoy with Hot Foot from Oran to New York, 1943. The old gal, still beautiful, was getting a little asthmatic then and her pillar of cloud by day was the Convoy Commodore’s despair. Also her direct-drive turbines wouldn’t slow down to much less than ten knots. In convoy maneuvers she had to either steam or coast, not conducive to good station-keeping. Guess the grand old lady just didn’t like to be fenced in, hadn’t been used to it, God bless her!
Commander B. T. Tilley, usn (ret.).— Having commissioned the USS Great Northern at Bremerton, Washington, Navy Yard in 1917 as Senior Engineer Officer, and served on her two full years until November, 1919, I feel qualified to confirm or refute many of her worthy records and exploits. This fine ship sailed under the U.S. Navy Transport service during World War I (Admiral Albert Gleaves, Commanding, Navy Transport Service), and until late November, 1919, all her trans-Atlantic records and “speed- binges,” performance records, etc., were made while under U. S. Navy command, and not for a second under Army supervision, as indicated in Mr. Carrother’s fine article. Serving as Senior Engineer and Executive Officer, later, throughout her entire World War I naval career, I gladly correct these errors.
Mr. Carrothers brings up many memories and experiences. One performance record— (old man weather was nice to us this time) was a round trip at nineteen knots, with no top-off fuel in Brest, France. We figured Great Northern’s draft, drag, and trim to the fraction of an inch, ahead of time—took no fuel oil in France and averaged nineteen
From Famous American Ships (1950) by Frank U. Braynard
THE GREAT NORTHERN—"HOT FOOT"—ONE OF THE ALL-TIME SPEED QUEENS OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
A recent Proceedings article on the Great Northern revealed how vividly this gallant ship is remembered by many who saw her, rode her, sailed in her, or just heard of her. Extracts from several letters on this ship’s varied career are carried in this month’s “Discussions.”
knots (economical speed for her direct-drive Parson’s turbines) to Brest, France, and return to Hoboken, New Jersey. The Engineer’s force almost suffered a stroke on this homeward bound voyage. It was still wartime, and I had the strictest and also the best Navy skipper aboard—Captain W. W. Phelps, usn. On sounding service tanks off Hoboken, New Jersey—readings showed just 65 barrels! The fuel oil tanks held a little over 22,000 barrels, when fully loaded! We got a “very well done” from Admiral Gleaves at this time, because fuel oil was so scarce in French ports due to German submarine activity.
During World War II, I was again on active duty and heard that the Hot Foot was operating again under her old name, General George Morton. I submitted several requests to serve on her again, but I never knew why my requests went unacknowledged. Your article helps explain this mystery; Hot Foot was then operating under the direction of the U. S. Army and was named the General George S. Simondsl
Captain J. M. Kennaday, usn (ret.).— Mr. Carrothers’ stirring article is a well- deserved and overdue tribute to a distinguished ship. Certainly the Great Northern's exploits have been little known and underpublicized, especially her extraordinary Atlantic round-trip just after World War I. As I recall, no mention at all was ever made in 1952 of this when the United States officially captured the “Blue Riband of the Atlantic” for this country. I suppose that the Great Northern’s record was not considered official, having been made under special conditions, but it seems too bad that more was not made of it for the sake of the prestige of our merchant marine.
I was an ensign aboard USS Colorado operating out of San Pedro, during her Hot Foot days. I regret to say that we youngsters knew so little about her that some of us thought she was a former German ship taken over during the war. We knew she was one of the fastest ships afloat, but not exactly how fast, nor much at all about her history. Once, in 1926, I think, when I happened to have the second dog watch in port, she was slipping past us on her way out of harbor, after dark, when we heard a crash. Quick work with a signal searchlight revealed a small fishing boat—certainly very poorly lighted, because it had not been seen at all on board the Colorado—which the Hot Foot had run down. We had a liberty boat alongside which was able to get out very promptly and pick up the lone fisherman. The Hot Foot did slow; then, I suppose seeing that we had the rescue work well in hand, on she went! It seemed pretty hard-boiled to us at the time, but she had that iron-bound schedule to maintain.
About the same time I witnessed, at close hand, the avoiding of a similar accident by one of Hot Foot’s famous contemporaries, the Harvard—also a racehorse and a proud World War I veteran. The Colorado was berthed as usual in “A-3,” just inside the original (Point Firmin) breakwater. I was on the quarterdeck inspecting a landing force drill. The Harvard was entering the harbor and was just about to round the end of the breakwater and the Colorado’s stern and proceed up the inner harbor channel. Just as she started her turn a fishing boat which had been hugging the outside of the breakwater cleared its end and—the skipper probably looking only where he was going—headed right across the Harvard's bow, from port to starboard. Instantly the Harvard swung hard left, cut astern of the fisherman, between him and the light, between the Colorado and the light and breakwater, then right again between the Colorado and the West Virginia in “A-2” and rushed on up the channel without slowing a turn! It was an extraordinary exhibition of what a fine seaman can do with a fine ship which he thoroughly knows, in waters he also knows thoroughly.
Editor’s Note: The following was written by Mr. J. C. Carrothers who wrote the Hot Foot article in the February, 1956 Proceedings.
I have read with considerable interest the many letters written to the editors of the Proceedings, and to me, as a result of the Hot Foot story published in the February, 1956 issue of the Proceedings. It is always gratifying when people think enough of one’s efforts to take the time to write, especially when the letters are complimentary in nature.
One letter received had particular significance to me because it was written by Commander B. F. Tilley, usn (ret.) who had served on the USS Great Northern as her engineering officer and later as her executive officer during Hot Fool’s tour of duty with the Navy in World War I. Commander Tilley has called to my attention the fact that the Great Northern was not turned over to the Army Transport Service immediately after hostilities ceased in Europe (World War I). He states that she remained in the Navy during the full period of returning the troops home from overseas, and she was not turned over to the Army until just prior to her departure for San Francisco. Her record breaking trips were made while she was in the Navy and not under the colors of the Army Transport Service. This error has been called to my attention several times since the story was published.
In no way do I attempt to alibi. However, I feel that a plausible explanation will be favorably received. In 1922, at the ripe old age of seventeen, I joined the H. F. Alexander as a shaft-alley oiler and served on her for a short period of time. I realized immediately that here was no ordinary ship. Wide-eyed, I listened to many of the old timers tell stories of her various records and accomplishments. It was then that the seed for the story was planted.
From 1922 until she was broken up in 1948, I was able to keep track of her because of my association with the steamship industry. I also worked on her, for the second time, in preparing her as a troop transport for service in World War II. Because of this association, this portion of her life was easy for me to write about. However, the period from her building (1914) until 1922 was a different story, because all of my information was hearsay. Therefore, it was necessary for me to do considerable research. What appeared in the article was done as a result of this research and was presented as faithfully as possible.
The research consisted of reading every written word concerning the Great Northern and Northern Pacific as published in the New York Times from 1913 through 1922; cor-
respondence with the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railroads; personal interviews with the late Mr. H. F. Alexander; histories obtained from the Navy, the Army, the Maritime Commission, the Shipping Board, and the American Bureau of Shipping. I also discussed the ship with every naval veteran of World War I that I encountered. From these veterans, I listened to many tall stories. The seafaring man has never been known to spoil a good story with the truth, and some of the yarns I heard would have put Paul Bunyan to shame. One old time chief machinist’s mate told me in all sincerity that she was so fast it was necessary for her to run at a reduced speed so that the escorting destroyers could keep up with her. In delving through this material some of the facts were ambiguous, and it was necessary for me to form my conclusions from this clouded background.
I have also been “called” several times for writing that /lot Foot traveled in convoy. Mr. John E. Slater, President of the American Export Lines, Inc., wrote, “I sailed either on the Great Northern or the Northern Pacific on its first trans-Atlantic voyage in World War I. It is my distinct recollection that on this voyage the ship did not have a convoy until we were fairly close to the area °ff the British coast where the submarines were most active. Again in World War II some of the fast ships sailed without convoy because it was felt they did not require it.”
Mr. Slater further writes, “I am sure this was the case of Hot Foot, and her sister ship for some of the voyages. It certainly was the case on many voyages which took place early in 1918.”
When the story was written I was aware of the fact that many of the fast liners traveled alone. The procedure was for a group to leave various East Coast ports at approximately the same time. They would gradually converge and join up with the naval escort ships at the outside fringe of the war zone. They would then run in convoy to their destination. Because of the fact that they were escorted for a portion of the crossing I used “poetic license” as a means of injecting the other ships into the story.
A question frequently raised has been, “What made her go?” The Great Northern was powered by 25,000 horsepower direct connected turbine engines. Her three propellers revolved at the same speed as the engines (375 RPM) without the use of reduction gears. She maneuvered with her outboard engines and the center engine was used as a cruising turbine only. She was boilered with twelve Babcock & Wilcox watertube header type boilers installed in an unorthodox manner. The backs of the boilers were against the ship’s sides. Consequently, her boiler rooms ran fore and aft rather than from port to starboard. Her two boiler rooms were the closed type and entry was made through air locks. I do not recall what air pressure was maintained in the boiler rooms nor do I remember what her fuel oil consumption was. I do remember that when she was pushed at full power her fuel consumption was heavy.
Again permit me to thank the many people who have written.
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