SS H.M. Storey
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=USS_W_S_Rheem.jpg |Ship caption=Oil tanker SS W.S. Rheem, sister ship to SS H.M. Storey and SS F.H. Hillman }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country= United States |Ship flag= {{USN flag|1973}} |Ship name= H.M. Storey |Ship namesake=Henry M. Storey |Ship owner=Standard Oil of California |Ship operator= |Ship registry= |Ship route= |Ship ordered= |Ship awarded= |Ship builder= Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., Alameda |Ship original cost= |Ship yard number=5312 |Ship way number= |Ship laid down= 19 January 1921 |Ship launched= 28 September 1921 |Ship sponsor= |Ship christened= |Ship completed= |Ship acquired= |Ship maiden voyage= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship renamed= |Ship reclassified= |Ship refit= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship homeport= |Ship identification= |Ship motto= |Ship nickname= |Ship honors= |Ship captured= |Ship fate= Sunk, 17 May 1943 |Ship notes= |Ship badge= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class= |Ship type=Tanker |Ship tonnage=*{{GRT|9838}}
|Ship displacement= {{convert|16,000|LT|t|0|lk=on|abbr=on}} |Ship length=*{{convert|500|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}} o/a |Ship beam= {{convert|68|ft|3|in|abbr=on}} |Ship height= |Ship draft= {{convert|30|ft|0|in|abbr=on}} |Ship depth= |Ship hold depth= |Ship decks= |Ship deck clearance= |Ship power= {{convert|2,700|hp|abbr=on}} |Ship propulsion=triple-expansion engine with dual shaft and 2 screws. |Ship speed= {{convert|10.5|kn}} |Ship range= |Ship endurance= |Ship boats= |Ship armament=*During World War II
|Ship capacity= |Ship crew= 47 sailors, 15 armed guards |Ship notes= }} |
H.M. Storey was an oil tanker built in 1921. She escaped an attack in California in 1941, but was sunk in an attack in 1943. She was owned by Standard Oil Company of California and built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at the Alameda Works Shipyard with a hull# of 5312. She had a max capacity of {{convert|306,115|USgal}} of fuel oil. Her keel was laid on 19 January 1921 and she was launched on 28 September 1921. Her sister ships are the SS F.H. Hillman and SS W.S. Rheem. She had a range of 7,717 miles, 10,763 DWT and a 16,000-ton displacement. She had a length of {{convert|500|ft}}, a beam of {{convert|68.2|ft}} and a draft of {{convert|30|ft}}. The engines created {{convert|2700|hp}}, made by a triple-expansion engine (twin 3-cylinder reciprocating steam engine) with dual shaft and two screws. She had three Scotch boilers.Pacific Marine Review, Volume 18, page 686 Named for Henry Martin Storey, vice president of the Standard Oil Company.
A Standard Oil Company first, the H.M. Storey was the first ship to bring oil from Estero, Florida to California in 1930.[https://oac.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb3c6005zx;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00045&toc.id=0&brand=oac4 CHEVRON SHIPPING COMPANY LIST OF "FIRSTS"]
World War II
The SS H.M. Storey was appropriated by the War Shipping Administration for World War II and operated with Merchant Marine and United States Navy Armed Guards to man the deck guns. H.M. Storey was bringing oil to Los Angeles when on 22 December 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy's submarine {{Jsub|I-19||2}} chased the ship for an hour. Then {{convert|2|mi|spell=in}} off Point Arguello California, {{convert|55|mi}} north of Santa Barbara, the captain of I-19, Narahara, fired three torpedoes at H.M. Storey, all missed.{{cite book |last1=Hoover |first1=Mildred Brooke |title=Historic Spots in California |last2=Rensch |first2=Hero Eugene |last3=Rensch |first3=Ethel Grace |last4=Abeloe |first4=William N. |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1966 |edition=3rd |location=Stanford, Calif. |pages=415 |language=en-us}} A US Navy plane saw the sub and dropped depth charges, the sub was forced to dive and end the attack.
H.M. Storey was bringing oil from Noumea, New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean to Los Angeles, when on 17 May 1943, when the {{Jsub|I-25}} fired shells at the ship and launched torpedoes, killing two of the crew. The surviving 63 crew members (including all 15 armed guards) made it in to the ship's lifeboats before she sank. The US destroyer {{USS|Fletcher|DD-445|6}} rescued the crew in the lifeboats and took them to Port Vila Efate, Vanuatu in the South Pacific.[http://www.militarymuseum.org/Storey.html militarymuseum.org H.M. Storey][http://merchantships2.tripod.com/ian/ianfergusonshomepage1.html merchantships2.tripod.com H.M. Storey][https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?37238 wrecksite.eu H.M. Storey (1943)]Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam General, by Hocking[https://www.world-war.co.uk/warloss_863usa.php3 world-war.co.uk War Loss]
On 3 September 1943, I-25 was sunk by US destroyers: {{USS|Ellet|DD-398|6}}, {{USS|Patterson|DD-392|6}} and others off the New Hebrides islands approximately {{convert|150|mi}} northeast of Espiritu Santo.{{Cite web |url=http://www.capeblancoheritagesociety.com/port-orford-lifeboat-station/historical-articles/japanese-submarine-attack/ |title=Japanese Submarine Attacks on Curry County in World War II |accessdate=23 May 2019 |last= |first= |work=Cape Blanco Heritage Society |archive-date=24 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524001432/http://www.capeblancoheritagesociety.com/port-orford-lifeboat-station/historical-articles/japanese-submarine-attack/ |url-status=dead }} I-19 was sunk by depth charges from {{USS|Radford|DD-446|6}} on 25 November 1943 {{convert|50|nmi|km|0}} west of Makin Island.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170301021020/http://ijnsubsite.info/Commander%20Details%20k-o/kinashi_takakazu.htm kinashi takakazu]}}
Sister ships
=SS ''F.H. Hillman''=
SS F.H. Hillman was an oil tanker ship built in 1921 with the same specifications as the H.M. Storey. She was owned by Standard Oil Company of California and built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at the Alameda Works Shipyard. She was launched on 12 Oct 1921. She was named after F. H. Hillman, Director of Producing for Standard Oil Company. At completion she was the largest steel tank ship on the Pacific west coast and the largest owned by Standard Oil. Ship Number 221884221884.Standard Oil Stocksm By General Service Corporation (New York, N.Y.) page 68Pacific Marine Review, Volume 18{{Cite web |url=https://calmaritimes.com/along-the-waterfront-5/ |title=Along the Waterfront - California MariTimes, November 2, 1921 |access-date=27 January 2020 |archive-date=27 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127011309/https://calmaritimes.com/along-the-waterfront-5/ |url-status=dead }}[https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/5041 vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov SS F.H. Hillman]
=SS ''W.S. Rheem''=
SS W.S. Rheem was an oil tanker ship built in 1921 with the same specifications as the H.M. Storey. She was owned by Standard Oil Company of California and built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at the Alameda Works Shipyard with a hul# 5313. Her radio call sign was WGAO. Her keel was laid on 1 March 1921 and she was launched on 10 Nov. 1921. She was named after William Rheem, president of the Standard Oil Company of California (today's Chevron Corporation) from 1917 until his death on 19 April 1919.{{cite news|last1=Rego|first1=Nilda|title=Chevron Beginnings: W.S. Rheem|url=http://www.eastbaytimes.com/nildarego/ci_11462261|access-date=19 February 2009|work=Contra Costa Times|date=18 January 2009}} W.S. Rheem was the first tanker to take crude oil from Bahrain to Japan in 1934.[https://oac.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb3c6005zx;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00045&toc.id=0&brand=oac4 CHEVRON SHIPPING COMPANY LIST OF "FIRSTS" 1934][http://www.pier70sf.org/history/shipsBuilt/ShipsBuiltAll.html pier70sf.org Ships][http://www.shipscribe.com/shiprefs/USSB_1920/pages2/W%20S%20Rheem%20-%20Waukegan.html SShip ScribeS W.S. Rheem]{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
On 31 August 1943 the W.S. Rheem. was torpedoed by the {{Jsub|I-20||2}}. The W.S. Rheem was attacked {{convert|10|mi}} north of Bougainville Strait, near Espiritu Santo, at 15.51 S 167.02 E, no one was killed in the attack. At the time the ship had a crew of 40 sailors and 25 armed guards. The crew began to abandon ship but Master Gustaf Johnson saw that the forward bulkheads remained functional. By moving the cargo from the forward tanks to the stern tanks, the ship was able to move without sinking, so she delivered her oil cargo. W.S. Rheem made it to Espiritu Santo for temporary repairs to the large {{convert|20|by|25|ft|adj=on}} hole in the port side of the dry cargo hold forward, by the crew of {{USS|Vestal}}.[http://marksremnants.blogspot.com/2013/09/repairs-to-torpedo-damaged-ss-ws-rheem.html marksremnants, Repairs to torpedo damaged SS W.S. Rheem ][https://www.world-war.co.uk/warloss_869usa.php3 UK War losses]{{Cite web |url=http://www.usmm.org/msm.html |title=www.usmm.org Merchant Marine Heroes: Meritorious Service Medals Awarded "for Conduct or Service of a Meritorious Nature" during World War II |access-date=2020-01-27 |archive-date=2020-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122062841/http://www.usmm.org/msm.html |url-status=dead }} {{USS|Wadsworth|DD-516|6}} a {{sclass|Fletcher|destroyer|1}} was sent out to hunt down I-20. On 1 September 1943 Wadsworth found the sub and dropped seven patterns of depth charges. I-20 was not heard from or seen again. W.S. Rheem. was renamed twice: SS Shreveport and later SS Cities Services Koolmotor[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/wadsworth-ii.html US Navy, Wadsworth II (DD-516)][https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/warships1discussionboards/this-day-in-military-history-t23118-s1500.html This day in military history ][http://ww2f.com/threads/today-in-the-history-of-the-pacific-theater.4493/page-13 Today in the History of the Pacific Theater][http://www.faithbroadcastingnetwork.info/WBM%20MerchantMarine.pdf U.S.S. W. S. Rheem ]