USAT Thomas was a United States Army transport ship purchased on 26 July 1898 for Spanish–American War service. Thomas served with the Army Transport Service (ATS) until retired in 1929.
The ship was built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast and launched as Persia in May 1894 for the Hamburg-American Packet Company (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfarhrt Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG)) with service to New York. She was bought by the Atlantic Transport Line in 1897 because she was "practically a sister" to other Massachusetts class of ships already in service there. She was renamed Minnewaska by her new owners.
The United States Army Transport Thomas served in the Atlantic until fitted for Pacific service during 1899. At first the ship transported troops from New York to the Philippines via the Suez Canal with the first trip in November 1899 with 1,490 passengers. In 1900 the ship's capacity was officially given as 95 officers and 1,654 men. By 1901 Thomas was operating out of the ATS home port in San Francisco making routine trips to the Philippines.
In July 1901 the ship made the popular press and history outside its military support duties when it departed San Francisco with about 557 teachers sent by the Philippine Commission to establish an education system in the Philippines. Thomas transported the largest group of teachers with all, regardless of ship, subsequently being given the name Thomasites for the ship.
From 1919 until 1928 the ship was based in San Francisco making routine trips to the Philippines on a regular route normally involving stops in Honolulu, Guam, Nagasaki, Japan and after World War I briefly serving Vladivostok as a result of the Allied intervention in Siberia. In association with that service the ship was one of ten Army transports involved in evacuation of the Czechoslovak Legion from Vladivostok to Trieste, Italy.
The ship's last voyage for the service was in March 1928 after which Thomas was turned over to the United States Shipping Board for disposal and sold to the American Iron and Metal Company 14 May 1929 for scrapping at Oakland, California.
Construction and characteristics
Persia was launched on 8 May 1994 as the second of two steamers, the first being Prussia launched 10 April 1894, built by Harland & Wolff for the Hamburg-American Packet Company at its Queens Island yard. The ships were steel, twin screw steamers intended for the North Atlantic service. About fifty cabin class passengers could be accommodated in steam heated, electric lit cabins and public rooms on the bridge deck. Emigrants in steerage were housed in twelve person rooms on three decks. The ship's cargo capacity included refrigerated space for carriage of fresh meat from the United States to Europe. Additionally the ship had the capability of transporting up to 380 head of live cattle. The ships were powered by two sets of triple expansion steam engines. The design was for a ship of . Under lists of refrigeration equipped ships in Lloyd's Register of 1897 the ship is rated with refrigerated cargo capacity in two compartments.
The 1902 U.S. register lists the ship as being , , registry length, beam and depth of . In the 1928 register, under Quartermaster Corps, United States Army, Thomas is listed as , assigned signal GWBM with a complement of 13 officers and 172 men and home station of San Francisco.
Commercial service
Persia, a Hamburg-American Packet Company ship, code letters RKBG, , , with three decks was registered in Hamburg, Germany. The ship was sold in 1897 to the British Atlantic Transport Company, LTD.
Minnewaska, code letters PWMV, British Official Number 108287, was registered at , with port of registry London and owner as Atlantic Transport Company, LTD. The ship was in service on the line's London—New York service making three round trips between March and May 1898 before sale.
U.S.A.T. Thomas
The Quartermaster Corps had chartered a large number of vessels during the Spanish-American War but released them as soon as possible after the war. By 30 June 1899 none remained in the Atlantic fleet. A number, including suitable troop transports, were purchased. Minnewaska was one of six Atlantic Transport Line ships obtained for service as transports during the war and was assigned to Army Transport Service's Atlantic fleet. The ship was purchased on 26 July 1898 for $660,000, renamed Thomas after General George Henry Thomas, a hero of the American Civil War battle of Chickamauga. The ship was engaged in transport between New York, Cuba and Puerto Rico until 12 July 1899.