USS Lenape ( ID - 2700 ) USS " Lenape " ( ID - 2700 ) was a troop transport for the United States Navy in 1918 , during World War I . She was launched in 1912 as SS " Lenape , a passenger steamer for the Clyde Line . After the entry of the United States into World War I in 1917 , she was chartered by the United States Army as transport USAT " Lenape . After her Navy service ended in October 1918 , she was returned to the Army . Early career . " Lenape " was launched by Newport News Shipbuilding Co . of Newport News , Virginia , in 1912 for the Clyde Steamship Company , known as the Clyde Line . She operated as a passenger steamer on the East Coast of the United States , typically on a New York – Charleston – Jacksonville route . After the United States declared war on Germany , the units that comprised the American Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) were selected in early May and ordered to Europe within 30 days . The Army , needing transports to get the men and materiel to France , re - formed the Army Transport Service . A committee of shipping executives pored over registries of American shipping and , on 28 May 1917 , selected " Lenape " and thirteen other American 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 " Lenape " discharged her last load of passengers , she was officially chartered by the Army on 1 June . Army career . Before any troop transportation could be undertaken , all of the ships had to be hastily refitted — in little more than two weeks in the case of " Lenape " . Of the fourteen ships , ten , including " Lenape " , 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 . Structural reinforcement below the platforms was required before the ships could outfit for guns at the Brooklyn Navy Yard . The American convoy carrying the AEF was broken into four groups ; " Lenape " was in the second group with , , and escorts consisting of cruiser , armed yacht , and destroyer s , , . Major General William L . Sibert and the headquarters of the First Division along with the supply companies and one battalion ( of three ) of the 26th Infantry Regiment embarked on " Lenape " at New York . The ship , under the command of U . S . Navy Lieutenant Commander P . E . Dampman , departed with her group on 14 June for Brest , France , steaming at a comfortable pace . " Fanning " soon traded places with converted yacht from the first group , when that ship was unable to maintain the lead group ' s 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 . As " Lenape " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s group neared France , U . S . destroyers based at Queenstown , Ireland , and French destroyers joined to escort the convoy . Just before noon 26 June , while the group was off the coast of France , a submarine was sighted in the distance . It submerged when the escorting destroyers converged on its position , escaping without firing a shot . About two hours later another sub was sighted and chased by , one of the Queenstown destroyers . " Cummings " depth charge d the location of the sub and noted debris and an oil slick on the surface after one explosion . The convoy arrived at the next day . After returning to the United States , " Lenape " sailed on 24 September as part of the 8th convoy with , " 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 . On their return journeys , " Antilles " was torpedoed and sunk , while " Finland " , also torpedoed , managed to limp back to Brest . Navy career . " Lenape " did not make any more transatlantic crossings under Army control , and was acquired by the Navy 10 April 1918 . Commissioned on 24 April under command of Commander Robert Morris , the " Lenape " shifted south to Newport News , Virginia , for her next convoy , her first as a commissioned Navy vessel . Embarking a contingent of troops that included the 122nd Machine Gun Battalion of the 33rd Infantry Division , " Lenape " sailed at 18 : 30 on 10 May , accompanied by American transports , , , , and , the British steamer " Kursk " , and the Italian . The group rendezvoused with a similar group that left New York the same day , consisting of , , , British troopship , and Italian steamers and . American cruiser served as escort for the assembled ships , which were the 35th U . S . convoy of the war . On 20 May , the convoy sighted and fired on a " submarine " that turned out to be a bucket ; the next day escort " Frederick " left the convoy after being relieved by nine destroyers . Three days later the convoy sighted land at 06 : 30 and anchored at Brest that afternoon . " Lenape " sailed for Newport News and arrived there safely on 6 June with " Pastores " and " Princess Matoika " . Fate , however , was not as kind to former convoy mates " President Lincoln " and " Dwinsk " . On their return journeys they were sunk by German submarines " U - 90 " and " U - 151 " , respectively . " Lenape " set sail from Newport News on 14 June with " Wilhelmina " , " Pastores " , " Princess Matoika " , and British steamer " Czar " . On the morning of 16 June , lookouts on " Princess Matoika " spotted a submarine and , soon after , a torpedo heading directly for that ship . The torpedo missed her by a few yards and gunners manning the ship ' s guns claimed a hit on the sub with their second shot . Later that morning , the Newport News ships met up with the New York portion of the convoy — which included , " Finland " , , , " Covington " , " Rijndam " , " Dante Alighieri " , and British steamer " Vauben " — and set out for France . The convoy was escorted by cruiser s and " Frederick " , 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 . " Lenape " , " Covington " , " Princess Matoika " , " Rijndam " , " George Washington " , " DeKalb " , " Wilhelmina " , and " Dante Alighieri " left Brest as a group on 30 June . The following evening at 21 : 15 , " Covington " was torpedoed by " U - 86 " and sank the next afternoon . " Lenape " , " Rijndam " , and " Dante Alighieri " arrived back in the United States on 12 July . " Lenape " took on board 1 , 853 officers and men and sailed from New York on 18 July in the company of " George Washington " , " Rijndam " , , , and the Italian steamer " Regina d ' Italia " . Joined by a Newport News group , all arrived safely in France on 30 July . Arriving back stateside on 13 August , " Lenape " sailed again from New York with 2 , 024 troops nine days later in convoy with , " Wilhelmina " , " DeKalb " , " Rijndam " , " Toloa " , and the French steamer " Sobral " . Returning from her final cruise for the Navy on 17 September , " Lenape " was returned to the Army 28 October . In February 1919 , " Lenape " was returned to the Clyde Line . Her ultimate fate is unknown .