page_title: SS Sylvan Arrow
section_title: Design and Construction
hierarchical_section_title: SS Sylvan Arrow / Design and Construction
caption_attribution_description: English: Commercial tanker SS Sylvan Arrow is launched. She later served as the United States Navy tanker USS Sylvan Arrow
context_page_description: Sylvan Arrow was a steam tanker built in 1917–1918 by New York Shipbuilding Co. of Camden for Standard Oil Company, with intention of transporting oil and petroleum products between United States and ports in the Far East. The ship was briefly requisitioned by the US Government during World War I but returned to commercial service in early 1919.
context_section_description: Late in 1915 Standard Oil placed an order for four tankers of approximately 12,500 deadweight, to expand their oil carrying business. A contract for these vessels was awarded to the New York Shipbuilding Co. and the ship was laid down at the shipbuilder's yard in Camden (yard number 174) on 22 March 1917, and launched on 16 October 1917, with Mrs. Mary Stobo Veit, wife of Richard C. Veit, Vice-President of Standard Oil Company, serving as the sponsor.  The ship was built on the Isherwood principle of longitudinal framing providing extra strength to the body of the vessel, had two main decks and a shelter deck and had electric lights installed along them. The tanker had a cargo pump room located amidships, and twenty main and ten summer tanks constructed throughout the vessel with a total capacity to carry 3,950,000 US gallons of oil.
   
  On August 3, 1917 while still under construction at the shipbuilder's yard, she along with her sister-ship Broad Arrow were requisitioned by the US Government for war purposes. The tanker was launched 92% complete and had to be refitted according to USSB requirements which delayed her delivery. She was completed and delivered to the USSB on January 2, 1918 and immediately sold back to Standard Oil at par value, and chartered by the U.S. government for the duration of the war.
  As built, the ship was 467 feet 6 inches (142.49 m) long (between perpendiculars) and 62 feet 7 inches (19.08 m) abeam, and had a depth of 32 feet 0 inches (9.75 m). Sylvan Arrow was assessed at 7,797 GRT and 4,858 NRT and had deadweight of approximately 12,582. The vessel had a steel hull, and a single 568 Nhp surface-condensing quadruple expansion steam engine, with cylinders of 24-inch (61 cm), 35-inch (89 cm), 51-inch (130 cm) and 75-inch (190 cm) diameter with a 51-inch (130 cm) stroke, that drove a single screw propeller and moved the ship at up to 11 knots (13 mph; 20 km/h). The steam for the engine was supplied by three single-ended Scotch boilers fitted for both coal and oil fuel.
caption: The launch of SS Sylvan Arrow on October 16, 1917.
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