The USS Texan (ID-1354) was a U.S. Navy cargo ship and troop transport that served from 1918 to 1919 during and immediately after World War I. Originally built in 1902 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, she was initially launched as the passenger vessel SS Texan for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. The vessel was constructed with a steel hull and designed for commercial passenger service before being acquired by the United States Shipping Board on March 18, 1918, for wartime use. The Navy commissioned her as USS Texan on March 23, 1918, assigning her the Naval Registry Identification Number 1354. Refitted for military service, she was assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. Texan's primary role involved transporting military supplies and troops across the Atlantic. Her first voyage began on April 9, 1918, when she departed New York in a convoy bound for France, arriving at Brest on April 24. After discharging supplies, she returned to New York on May 19, and subsequently made multiple trips to France, including delivering 405 tons of ammunition and two locomotives to Marseille in June and September 1918. Notably, she sank the American sail barge J. H. Rutter in a collision on October 23, 1918, in the North River. Following the armistice, Texan transitioned to the Cruiser and Transport Force on January 18, 1919, operating as a troop transport to bring American soldiers home from France. She completed this service until August 7, 1919, when she was reassigned within the Navy before being decommissioned on August 22, 1919. She was returned to the U.S. Shipping Board and resumed her commercial career as SS Texan. During World War II, her service ended when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-126 off Cape San Antonio, Cuba, on March 11, 1942. The attack resulted in nine fatalities, with 38 survivors. Throughout her career, USS Texan exemplified the vital logistical and transport roles played by early 20th-century cargo ships in supporting U.S. military efforts during both World Wars.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.