USS Finland ( ID - 4543 ) SS " Finland was an American - flagged ocean liner built in 1902 for the Red Star Line . During World War I she served as a transport for the United States Navy named USS " Finland " ( ID - 4543 ) . Before her Navy service in 1917 , she was also USAT " Finland for the United States Army . SS " Finland " sailed for several subsidiary lines of International Mercantile Marine , including the Red Star Line , and also under charter for the White Star Line , the Panama Pacific Line , and the American Line . Sailing out of New York , she sailed primarily to ports in the United Kingdom , Belgium , and Italy . She also briefly sailed on New York to San Francisco , California , service . In 1912 , " Finland " was chartered by the American Olympic Committee to take the U . S . team to the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm , Sweden . At the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1917 , the liner was chartered by the United States Army as USAT " Finland " . She made five transatlantic runs under Army control ferrying troops to Europe . On the return portion of her third voyage , " Finland " was torpedoed by " U - 93 " , but was able to safely return to port for repairs . In April 1918 , " Finland " was transferred to the U . S Navy and commissioned as USS " Finland " . She completed an additional five voyages to Europe , carrying almost 13 , 000 troops . After the Armistice , she returned over 32 , 000 troops to the United States before being decommissioned in September 1919 . After her Navy service ended , she was returned to International Mercantile Marine , resumed her original name of SS " Finland " , and served on New York to Europe routes until 1923 , when she returned to New York – San Francisco service . " Finland " was scrapped in 1928 . Launching and early career . " Finland " was launched on 21 June 1902 by W . Cramp and Son , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , for the Red Star Line of International Mercantile Marine ( IMM ) . She was the sister ship to , launched four months prior . " Finland " was long ( LBP ) with a beam of , and had two funnel s and four masts . Her twin three - cylinder , triple expansion steam engines drove twin screw propellors that moved her at . She accommodated 342 passengers in first class , 194 in second class , and 626 in third class . " Finland " sailed on her maiden voyage from New York to Antwerp on 4 October under the American flag , and remained on this route for the next seven years . In November 1907 , as the liner neared Antwerp , a gale in the English Channel almost drove " Finland " ashore . The timely assistance of two tugs kept the big ship from grounding on the breakwater at Dover . By January 1909 , " Finland " had been reflagged under the Belgian flag , but remained on the New York – Antwerp route . On 19 January 1908 , " Finland " collided with the Greek cargo ship off Terneuzen , sinking " Epirus " . In March 1909 , the liner was chartered to the White Star Line , another IMM subsidiary , for three round - trip voyages between Naples and New York . On 25 December 1910 , she rammed and sank the which was anchored in the Flushing Roads sheltering from a storm . Six crew were lost from " Baltique " . Returning to the Red Star Line ' s New York – Antwerp service , " Finland " was reflagged in January 1912 , sailing under the American flag once again . During this time , noted German - American psychologist Hugo Münsterberg sailed on " Finland " to Europe to attend a Psychological Congress in Berlin in April 1912 . 1912 Olympics . The American Olympic Committee ( AOC ) chartered " Finland " — after a proposal for sailing on was rejected — to take the American team to the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm . After setting aside rooms for all the team members , additional space aboard the ship was sold for the benefit of the AOC . The delegation of 164 athletes left New York at 09 : 30 on 14 June . dining rooms were divided during the voyage , so that the athletes on board would have " their own cuisine " and not be tempted to partake in " promiscuous indulgence in the great variety of food " on the ship . The AOC , aided by crew , made several accommodations for shipboard training en route to the Games . A cork track , long and wide enough for two men running abreast , was installed on the top deck , especially for the sprinters . Longer distance runners would practice their starts on the track , and train by running laps around the deck , which was about one - tenth of a mile ( 160 m ) for one circuit . Swimmers practiced in a canvas tank , long by wide , constructed on deck . While practicing their strokes , they would wear a belt suspended from an overhead rope that kept them in the middle of the tank . The cycling team worked on the forward deck with bikes secured to the ship ' s structure . Some of the individual athletes came up with ideas to further their training while at sea . Discus champion James Duncan had the ship ' s carpenter bore a hole in the middle of a discus , through which he attached a rope tied to the ship ' s rail . Duncan would then throw the discus out to sea , and then haul it back in by the rope . Theodore Roosevelt Pell , the only U . S . competitor in any of the tennis events , set up a backstop on the after deck , practicing for hours each day . " Finland " arrived at Antwerp on the morning of 24 June after a ten - day voyage over smooth seas . While the ship took on stores , the athletes completed their training at a local athletic club . Sailing at noon on 26 June , " Finland " reached Sweden four days later . There were no injuries during the entirety of the voyage , and , unlike the trip of the next American Olympic delegation in 1920 — when the so - called " Mutiny of the " Matoika " " took place — no threats of a strike because of bad conditions aboard the ship . World War I . After her Olympic charter ended , " Finland " returned to her usual New York – Antwerp route until the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914 . The Red Star liner , still sailing from New York , shifted to call at Liverpool beginning 22 August for two roundtrips . Next moved to Mediterranean service , " Finland " sailed from New York to Naples and Piraeus starting in November 1914 . To comple her third and final circuit to the Mediterranean , she began her last voyage from Italy back to New York on 24 March 1915 . By early May , " Finland " and sister ship " Kroonland " had both been chartered to the IMM subsidiary Panama Pacific Line for New York to San Francisco service via the Panama Canal . The trips took about 17 days each way and called at either Los Angeles or San Diego on both eastbound and westbound trips . " Finland " was next chartered to the American Line , yet another IMM subsidiary , for service from New York to Falmouth and London beginning on 26 October . After completing two circuits , the liner was returned to New York – Liverpool service on 19 January 1916 . At some point during this period , " Finland " was equipped with four guns , manned by members of the U . S . Navy ' s Naval Armed Guard . On 18 December 1916 , during an eastbound journey , " Finland " was halted by a French warship . According to Marjorie Crocker , an American woman headed for refugee work in Paris , the cruiser had fired a shot across the bow of " Finland " , and then queried the officers of the liner . After allowing " Finland " to go on her way , the French ship circled around several times , then headed off first in one direction and then another , as if , according to Crocker , it were searching for something . " Finland " was still in New York – Liverpool service when the United States declared war on the German Empire in April 1917 . The United States Army , needing transports to get its men and materiel to France , had a select committee of shipping executives pore over registries of American shipping . On 28 May , the committee selected " Finland " and thirteen other American - flagged ships that were sufficiently fast , could carry enough coal in their bunker s for transatlantic crossings , and , most importantly , were in port or not far at sea . After " Finland " discharged her last load of passengers , she was officially handed over to the Army at noon on 2 June , the last of the fourteen ships acquired . U . S . Army service . Before any troop transportation could be undertaken , all of the ships had to be hastily refitted — in two weeks in the case of " Finland " . Of the fourteen ships , ten , including " Finland " , were designated to carry human passengers ; the other four were designated as animal ships . The ten ships designated to carry troops had to have all of their second - and third - class accommodations ripped out and replaced with berths for troops . Cooking and toilet facilities had to be greatly expanded to handle the large numbers of men aboard . " Finland " , uniquely among the fourteen ships , already carried guns and did not need to be refitted for them . All the ships were manned by merchant officers and crews but carried two U . S . Navy officers , Navy gun crews , quartermaster s , signalmen , and wireless operators . The senior Navy officer on board would take control if a ship came under attack . The American convoy carrying the AEF was broken into four groups ; " Finland " was in the third group with and , and escorts consisting of cruiser , armed collier , and destroyer s , , and . The headquarters detachment and six companies ( of a total of 12 ) of the 18th Infantry Regiment embarked on " Finland " at New York . The ship , under the command of U . S . Navy Commander S . V . Graham , departed with her group on 14 June for Brest , France , steaming at a comfortable pace . A thwarted submarine attack on the first convoy group , and reports of heavy submarine activity off of Brest resulted in a change in the convoy ' s destination to Saint - Nazaire . After returning to the United States , " Finland " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s next convoy crossing began on 6 August in the company of , , and " San Jacinto " , all escorted by cruiser . " Finland " , carrying some of the troops that had tried to depart on 30 July on before she sank near Staten Island , had an uneventful roundtrip . " Finland " next sailed on 24 September as part of the 8th convoy with " Henderson " , " Antilles " , and , escorted by cruiser . According to Crowell and Wilson , the 8th group was " destined to misfortune " . Three days out from New York , " Lenape " developed engine trouble and was compelled to return to port , but the rest of the convoy proceeded on and arrived in France on 7 October . " Henderson " was the only ship to return to the United States without incident . On 17 October , " Antilles " was torpedoed by " U - 105 " , sinking in 6½ minutes with the loss of 67 out of the 234 men on board . " Finland " began her return journey to the United States on 28 October in an convoy with cargo ships " Buford " and " City of Savannah " and escorted by armed yacht s , , and , and destroyers , , , and . " Finland " , returning most of the survivors of " Antilles " back to the U . S . , was struck on her starboard side by a torpedo from " U - 93 " at 09 : 27 , from the French coast . Many of the civilian crew and the survivors of " Antilles " , experiencing a torpedo attack for the second time in 11 days , panicked . Lifeboats were immediately launched without word from Commander Graham , and the engine room and fire room men all left their stations , contrary to orders . The naval officers , armed with a revolver and a wooden mallet , were able to get the men back to their stations . The damage was limited to one cargo hold and had not affected the boilers or the engines . Although " Finland " took a starboard list , it did not increase and Graham was able to steer a course back to Brest , anchoring there the next morning . Men aboard the prematurely launched lifeboats were rounded up by " Wakiva II " and " Alcedo " and returned to Brest . Nine men , including three of the Naval Armed Guard detachment , perished in the attack . In the aftermath of the torpedoing incident , Commander Graham was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his " exceptionally meritorious service " in getting " Finland " safely back to port . Lieutenant ( junior grade ) Huntington English , from " Wakiva II " , received the Navy Cross , in part because he rescued a soldier who had jumped from the torpedoed transport . Chief Boatswain ' s Mate John P . Doyle , on " Alcedo " , was issued a letter of commendation for commanding a whaleboat that pulled a number of men from " Finland " from the water . The deportment of the crew aboard " Finland " , as well as that of " Antilles " , while under attack demonstrated the problems with civilian - manned vessels . The Navy , led by the recommendations of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves , insisted that all troop transports be manned entirely by Navy personnel . This was accomplished soon after so as to avoid the need for what Gleaves called " ignorant and unreliable men " who were " the sweepings of the docks " . " Finland " was sufficiently repaired over the next two months and sailed for return to the United States on 5 January 1918 . Ready again for convoy duty the next month , she sailed from New York on 10 February with , , , and under escort of the cruiser . After safely reaching Saint - Nazaire , " Finland " discharged her passengers and cargo that included of frozen beef for the AEF . On 27 February , one day after departing , steering gear jammed , forcing her into the path of " Henderson " . That ship was able to maneuver such that " Finland " only dealt her a glancing blow . " Finland " suffered only superficial damage ; " Henderson " was holed below the waterline , but her crew took advantage of unusually calm February seas to repair the damage , and were soon able to proceed to New York . " Finland " and " President Lincoln " arrived back at New York on 16 March . " Finland " made one more crossing under Army charter . Leaving New York on 23 March , she convoyed with , , " Martha Washington " , and cruiser " Pueblo " , arriving in France on 4 April . " Finland " returned to New York on 24 April , and was delivered to the U . S . Navy the same day . U . S . Navy service . " Finland " was commissioned on 26 April with Commander W . J . Giles in command . The transport ' s move from Army to Navy control little changed her routine . Four days after her Navy commissioning , " Finland " departed New York with , , and " Kroonland " . Rendezvousing with the convoy were two transports sailing from Newport News , Virginia , " Martha Washington " and " Powhatan " . provided the convoy with protection until its arrival in France on 12 May . " Finland " and " Manchuria " both returned to New York on 30 May . " Finland " next left New York on 15 June with , " Kroonland " , , , , Italian steamer , and British steamer " Vauban " and met up with the Newport News portion of the convoy — which included " Lenape " , , , , and British troopship — the next morning and set out for France . The convoy was escorted by cruisers and , and destroyers and ; battleship and several other destroyers joined in escort duties for the group for a time . The convoy had a false alarm when a floating barrel was mistaken for submarine , but otherwise uneventfully arrived at Brest on the afternoon of 27 June . " Finland " and " Kroonland " arrived back at New York on 13 July . " Covington " was not so fortunate . On her return journey , she was torpedoed by " U - 86 " on 1 July , and sank the next afternoon . On 26 July , " Finland " , loaded with 3 , 879 officers and men , departed on her next trip to France . In the company of " Kroonland " and Italian steamer , she met up with , , and the Italian steamers and from Newport News . Cruisers " Pueblo " , , and destroyers and ushered the transports to France , where they arrived on 7 August . " Finland " arrived back in the United States on 25 August . After embarking 3 , 678 troops , " Finland " departed again on 15 September sailing with " Henderson " , " Martha Washington " , " Pocahontas " , , " Powhatan " , and steamer " Ulua " . " Finland " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s New York group met up with a Virginia group of Navy transports and , and steamers and . Escorts , " Pueblo " , , , , and helped to ensure the safe arrival of all ships in France on 28 September . " Martha Washington " and " Pocahontas " accompanied " Finland " on her return journey and arrived at New York on 12 October . " Finland " began one last transatlantic crossing before the Armistice . She left New York with hospital ship and steamers , and with battleship on 4 November and arrived in France on 15 November , four days after the end of hostilities . In all , " Finland " transported 12 , 654 troops to France on her five Navy crossings . As the flow of troops was reversed to bring American troops home , " Finland " made 8 round trips from Europe to the United States , returning 32 , 197 personnel to the United States . On 4 September 1919 she was transferred to the 3d Naval District and on 15 November decommissioned and delivered to the War Department , and , eventually , to the Red Star Line . Postwar career . After a refurbishment that outfitted her for 242 first - class , 310 second - class , and 876 third - class passengers , " Finland " resumed her civilian career in April 1920 . The liner , sailing opposite her sister ship " Kroonland " , returned to her original route when she departed Antwerp on 28 April for Southampton and New York . The two ships remained on that route until chartered to the American Line in mid - 1923 . After both ships were converted to cabin - and third - class passengers only , they sailed on the New York – Plymouth – Cherbourg – Hamburg route from June to September . On 29 September , " Finland " resumed New York – San Francisco service for the Panama Pacific Line ; " Kroonland " once again joined her sister ship the following month . When and " Virginia " joined the Panama Pacific fleet in 1928 , " Finland " and " Kroonland " were no longer needed and both were scrapped ; " Finland " by Hughes Bolckow Shipbreaking Ltd at Blyth , Northumberland . She arrived for breaking on 28 April 1928 . " Kroonland " was scrapped at Genoa .