S/S Panama History

Design and Construction (1936 – 1939):

After Congress overruled President Hoover's desire to disband the Panama Line in 1932, plans for new tonnage began, but came under attack from privately-owned companies opposed to a government-owned line diverting commercial trade.

As America began to strengthen defences of the Panama Canal, new building plans were revived in late 1936. This coincided with legislation to revive the U.S. Merchant Marine, and led to the creation of the Federal Maritime Commission which subsidized vessel construction and operation. After the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 had reaffirmed government encouragement of private steamship companies, upgrading a government-owned line prompted opposition; to which Panama Railroad responded by citing a Supreme Court decision of October 1935.

"We attach no importance to the fact that the railway company has utilized both its ships and railroad to carry private freight and passengers. The record shows that this is done to a limited extent compared; and that it is only incidental to the government operations."

In 1936 plans were finalized for three vessels designed by the noted naval architect George G. Sharp, to offer 52 passenger sailings a year versus the then present 26. They were wholly financed from profits, reserves and depreciation funds accrued over the years by Panama Railroad under the shrewd management of T.H. Rossbottom.

Bids were received on April 16, 1937, from Bethlehem Steel Co. ($4,040,000 per ship), New York Shipbuilding Corp. ($4,076.000 per ship), Federal Shipbuilding and Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock. On May 20, Secretary of War Harry H. Woodring announced a contract with Bethlehem Shipbuilding for "three modern fast fireproof combination passenger-cargo liners" of 10,000 grit, carrying 200 passengers and 100,000 cubic feet of cargo with a speed of 16.5 knots from steam turbines. Alternative specifications for diesel propulsion had been given, but no such bids were received. The ships were to be built at the Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts and delivered in 18, 20 and 22 months respectively.

Assigned yard numbers 1467, 1468 and 1469, the keels of the first two were laid down on October 25 and the third on November 15, 1937. Yard No. 1467 was christened PANAMA on September 24, 1938, by Mrs. Raquel de la Guardia de Boyd, wife of Dr. Don Augusto S. Boyd, Panama's ambassador to the United States. The 6,000-ton hull was 98 per cent complete with 90 per cent of the machinery also in place. On December 10, Mrs. Harry Woodring launched No. 1468 as ANCON. No. 1469 took to the water as CRISTOBAL on March 4, 1939, sponsored by Mrs. Clarence S. Ridley, wife of the Governor of the Panama Canal Zone, Brig. General Clarence S. Ridley.

Prewar Service with Panama Line (1939 – 1942):

The maiden voyages were announced on January 8, 1939; PANAMA on March 30, ANCON on June 8 and CRISTOBAL on August 18. On February 18, PANAMA's trials were set: first pierside machinery tests on the 21st, builder's trials on the 28th and acceptance trials on March 7. Evidently something proved amiss, for on March 25 her maiden voyage was set back to April 27.  Early on April 6 PANAMA left Quincy for Rockland, Maine, where she anchored at 11:00p.m. The next day she ran the Navy's measured mile course and averaged 18.76 knots at 9,138 shp and 98.28 rpm. The service speed of 16.20 knots was achieved at 5,420 shp and 83.88rpm. The very day PANAMA ran her trials, Panama Railroad observed its 90th anniversary; and a government-owned enterprise that was both profitable and essential.

The PANAMA (Capt. E.J. Eriksen) arrived at New York from Quincy, with 100 invited guests aboard, amid the usual noisy salutes on April 22, 1939, and tied up at Pier 65 North River at noon. Dressed overall and her aluminum-painted trim glistening in spring sunshine, PANAMA was the first new American liner since WASHINGTON. T.H. Rossbottom and the noted industrial designer Raymond F. Loewy hosted a luncheon for 250 guests on the 25th.

With George G. Sharp and the line's Vice-President W.R.Pfizer and Marine Superintendent W.K.B. Potts among only 65 passengers, PANAMA sailed on her maiden voyage on April 26, 1939, to Port-au-Prince, and Cristobal. These ships seldom transited the Panama Canal in peacetime; their Cristobal terminus being on the Atlantic side. However, on this occasion PANAMA made a special passage with guests including the Governor of the Canal Zone.  Leaving Cristobal at 6:00am, on May 3, she reached Balboa at 1:15 pm and hosted 6,000 visitors. She returned to New York on May 17 with 170 passengers. Captain Eriksen enthused to the "New York Herald Tribune" that PANAMA was one of "the steadiest and easiest maneuvering" ships he had commanded, and that she "handled very nicely ... I thought the old CRISTOBAL was the steadiest ship I ever sailed, but the PANAMA beats the CRISTOBAL."

WW2 War Service (1942 – 1946):

The S.S. Panama was turned over to the US Army Transport Service before Pearl Harbour, on the 13^th June 1941, at New York. She made a couple of trips to Bermuda and the Panama Canal Zone before undergoing hasty conversion to increase her troop carrying capacity. The ship was then renamed the James Parker in honour of Brigadier General James Parker, Class of 1876, U.S. Military Academy.

During the remainder of 1941 and early 1942, the Parker made numerous trips from New Orleans to Cristobal, and one trip from New York to the Caribbean. Starting in March 1942 she carried troops and supplies all over the globe: from New York to Brisbane, to New Zealand, to San Francisco, back to Auckland, New Zealand, then to Charleston, South Carolina. Here, there, and everywhere – it was all in a day’s work to the men on the James Parker.

She had many moments of danger. On one trip for instance … to Pointe Noire in Africa … the Parker reached her destination only to find the French authorities undecided as to whether their government was Vichy or Free French. She was refused permission to discharge her troops and equipment for fear of offending the Germans.

The Parker left Pointe Noire immediately and sailed to Matadi, 90 miles up the Congo River in the Belgian Congo. In London, the Belgian government-in-exile grasped at this wisp for their hope starved subjects and broadcast the arrival of American troops in Matadi. After this news, the Parker hurriedly discharged her troops and cargo and lost no time leaving the sub-infested African coast far behind. They also left behind them, in Matabi, bulldozers and crews in preparation for a string of airports across Africa.

The Germans spotted the Parker on her return to Charleston and a submarine gave chase but luckily without success.

Not only did the Parker cover most corners of the earth in her wartime travels, but she also carried a great variety of cargo and passengers. For instance: October 1942 she carried green troops to the Panama Canal Zone for training in jungle fighting; in December she carried 120 tons of turkeys for the Christmas dinners of the army and navy personnel, during the North African invasion. In February 1943, she carried an African task force to Casablanca on its way to Liberia.

On returning from Africa to New York alone, the Parker again narrowly missed disaster. Immediately ahead of her, as she approached the east coast near the Delaware Breakwater, a ship was sunk by a submarine. She went full speed into Delaware Bay after the area was cleared, and then continued on to New York.

Near the end of April 1943, she carried 105 nurses plus troops to Oran, Algeria and returned to the US with 1,100 German officer prisoners from the Afrika Elite Troppen Corps captured in North Africa. Even the most elite officers had not escaped a certain elusive desert enemy. They were taken immediately to Boston for delousing, a process which caused their ersatz uniforms to shrink several sizes.

In July 1943, the Parker was engaged in experiments in New York Harbour – and at sea – for four days, in connection with the use of helicopters in anti submarine warfare. Then back to the now familiar job of troop carrying – rotation troops, casualties, hospital units.  She then carried Canadian troops from Liverpool to Palermo, Sicily to relieve Patton’s armoured division. On the way to Palermo, two ships in the Parker’s convoy were sunk during an attack by 30 torpedo bombers and 20 glider bombers. At Palermo she picked up some of Patton’s troops to return them to Scotland to train for the Normandy invasion.

Axis Sally had broadcast a warning to the Patton troops when they were preparing to leave Sicily for Scotland that “the Axis will bomb you every day on your way!” Therefore much depended on departing in utmost secrecy. Sneaking out of Palermo Harbour the night of the 11^th November 1943, the whistle pull chain in the wheel house jammed, and the whistle of the lead ship of the convoy kept on blowing. This ship was famed the ocean wide for having one of the loudest whistles on any ship. And, you guessed it – this ship was the James Parker.

Fortunately, extremely bad weather kept the German planes from carrying out their threat. However, the convoy was harassed all the way by submarine attacks. The convoy had to travel almost to the Azores before going north because of the submarines and the added danger of land based bombers from France. But the convoy reached Scotland in safety.

Then more months of routine troop carrying in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. In July 1944, she carried squads of underwater demolition men from Oran to Naples. In August, the Parker carried troops to the Southern France invasion – a French Armoured Division of General DuVinger from Oran to St Tropez. Then back to Oran as flagship of a convoy carrying newly captured prisoners. And once again back to St Tropez, this time with Egyptian and British troops.

In September 1944, the Parker had the thrilling job of bringing 2,200 Air Corps evacuees to New York. These Air Corps men owe undying gratitude to the late Patriot Mihailovitch who assisted their escape from Yugoslavia to Naples where they were picked up by the Parker. On the 14^th July 1945, the Parker acted as a veritable showboat, carrying the largest theatre group ever put aboard a single ship, 212 entertainers bound for the former war zones in Europe to entertain American soldiers. These included Dixie Dunbar and the Rockettes, Shep Fields and his band, a cast to present Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” and another to present “Kind Lady”. And that was only the beginning. There were also casts for “Sons of Fun”, “Arsenic and Old Lace”, “The Late Christopher Bean”, and many more.

The James Parker also served her time carrying war brides and babies. In the spring of 1946 she made trips from Southampton and from Belfast. On the Southampton trip a great furore was caused by the birth of a baby boy at sea, attended by the transport surgeon, who found the experience a bit out of his ordinary routine.

The James Parker also brought back from Le Havre to New York 80 million dollars worth of famous paintings that the Germans had stolen from various European countries. Some tables were removed from the air conditioned main dining room and the pictures were stowed there. The paintings were taken to the National Art Gallery in Washington D.C.

The final trip of the James Parker in US Army Transport Service was made when she left Belfast on the 27^th April 1946 for New York, carrying Irish war brides.

Postwar Service with Panama Line (1946 – 1957):