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Navy aircraft carrier
Known to the Navy as "Lucky Lady".
SS Esso New Orleans (I)
The Esso New Orleans (first vessel so named) was the first of the splendid high speed tankers, embodying national defense features, which were delivered to the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey under its agreement with the U. S. Maritime Commission, dated January 3, 1938 - as a result of which construction contracts were entered into between the Company and four shipyards. The Esso New Orleans was operated by the Company from her delivery on April 14, 1939 until her sale to the United States Maritime Commission on May 31, 1941. Subsequently, as the USS Chenango, she rendered important service in World War II, first as an oiler and then as a converted aircraft carrier.
During the two years of her operation as a merchant vessel the Esso New Orleans made 62 voyages, on which she transported more than 7,380,000 barrels of petroleum products.
Built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company at. Chester, Penna., she was launched on April 1, 1939.
The sisterships of the first Esso New Orleans were the USS Cimarron and the SS Seakay (later the USS Santee). A twinscrew vessel, the SS Esso New Orleans, when built, had 18,275 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 31 feet, 71/2 inches. She has an overall length of 553 feet, a length between perpendiculars of 525 feet, a moulded breadth of 75 feet, and a moulded depth of 39 feet. Her original cargo carrying capacity was 146,024 barrels and her assigned pumping rate, 8,000 barrels an hour.
Westinghouse turbines, supplied with steam by four Babcock & Wilcox boilers equipped with Todd oil burners, develop 13,500 shaft horsepower and give her an average speed, loaded, of 18 knots.
The USS Chenango, ex.- Esso New Orleans, was one of the four National Defense Features ships converted to aircraft carriers which, in addition to the USS Ranger, were a part of the fleet supporting the Allied landings in North Africa. (The other three converted carriers referred to were the USS Sangamon, USS Suwanee, and USS Santee.)
The Esso New Orleans, on her maiden voyage, left New York for Aruba April 15, 1939, under the command of Captain Lester S. McKenzie, with her engine-room : in charge of Chief Engineer Ernest G. Bornheimer; her extra chief engineer was Robert E. Anderson. Maintaining an average speed of 15.56 knots for 1,735 sea miles, she reached Aruba on April 20, loaded 107,888 barrels of fuel oil, and sailed on April 21. On the return leg of the voyage she covered 1,737 sea miles at an average speed of 16.70 knots and arrived in New York on April 25.
From then until October 14, 1940, the Esso New Orleans completed 18 more voyages to Aruba, as well as one each to Cartagena, Colombia, and Puerto La Cruz.; Venezuela, and 21 to various Gulf Coast ports. The trip to Cartagena included discharging and reloading at Aruba and the voyage to Puerto La Cruz involved a cargo haul from Aruba to Las Piedras.
On October 14, 1940, the Under Secretary of the Navy notified the Company that the five National Defense tankers then being operated by Esso were to be taken over by the Navy at the earliest practicable time. In response to this notice, two of the five ships were sold to the Maritime Commission but the Company! was allowed to retain, temporarily, the other three, including the Esso New Orleans, with the understanding that it would assign them to U. S. coastwise service. Thus they would be quickly available for diversion and sale to the Maritime Commission in the event of emergency.
Between October 14, 1940 and May 31, 1941, the Esso New Orleans completed 18 additional voyages to the Gulf.
Her transportation record during the nearly 26 months of operation by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey was in summary as follows:
During the Company service of the Esso New Orleans she was commanded by Captains Lester S. McKenzie, William J. Manning, and James W. Eraser.
Her engineroom was in charge of Chief Engineers Ernest G. Bornheimer, Manuel Z. Gonzalez, and Harold O. Laffitte.
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