USS West Zula

USS West Zula (ID-3501) was a United States Navy cargo ship in commission from 1918 to 1919.

SS West Zula underway ca. September 1918, probably during her builder's trials, and prior to her acquisition by the United States Navy for service as USS West Zula (ID-3501). She is painted in dazzle camouflage.
History
United States
Name	USS West Zula
Namesake	Previous name retained
Builder	Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, San Pedro, Los Angeles
Launched	4 July 1918
Completed	September 1918
Acquired	26 September 1918
Commissioned	26 September 1918
Decommissioned	24 February 1919
Stricken	24 February 1919
Fate	Transferred to United States Shipping Board 24 February 1919 In reserve 1919–1933 Abandoned 1933, scrapped 1937
General characteristics
Type	Design 1013 ship (cargo ship)
Tonnage	6,000 Gross register tons
Displacement	12,287 tons
Length	423 ft 9 in (129.16 m)
Beam	54 ft (16 m)
Draft	24 ft 2 in (7.37 m)
Propulsion	Steam engine
Speed	10.5 knots
Complement	71
Armament	None

SS West Zula in port ca. September 1918, probably at the time of her completion by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of San Pedro, Los Angeles, and prior to her acquisition by the United States Navy for service as USS West Zula (ID-3501). She is painted in dazzle camouflage.

Construction, acquisition, and commissioning

West Zula was built as the commercial cargo ship SS West Zula by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at San Pedro, Los Angeles, for the United States Shipping Board. Launched on 4 July 1918, she was completed in September 1918, and the U.S. Navy acquired her from the Shipping Board on 26 September 1918. Assigned the naval registry identification number 3501, she was commissioned that day as USS West Zula (ID-3501) at San Pedro, California.

Operational history

Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, West Zula conducted sea trials and then departed for Chile. She loaded a cargo of guano at Arica, Chile, got underway on 22 November 1918, and proceeded via the Panama Canal toward New York City. After passing through the canal, however, she was re-routed to Jacksonville, Florida, where she unloaded her cargo of nitrates before steaming on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for repairs which lasted until the end of January 1919.

Shifting to New York City on 31 January 1919, West Zula underwent further repairs there before she was decommissioned on 24 February 1919. She was returned to the Shipping Board that day and simultaneously stricken from the Navy List.

Once again SS West Zula, she was berthed in the Shipping Board's reserve fleet at Norfolk, Virginia. While she was laid up there, she deteriorated until she was abandoned in 1933.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: S.S. West Zula (American Freighter, 1918). Served as USS West Zula (ID # 3501) in 1918–1919
• NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: West Zula (ID 3501)