# USS Munalbro

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**USS *Munalbro*** was a [cargo ship](/source/Cargo_ship) that served in the [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) from 1918 to 1919.

*Munalbro* was built as a [collier](/source/Collier_(ship)) by the [Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company](/source/Newport_News_Shipbuilding_and_Drydock_Company) at [Newport News](/source/Newport_News,_Virginia), [Virginia](/source/Virginia), in 1916, and went into commercial service with [Munson Steamship Line](/source/Munson_Steamship_Line) as SS *Munalbro*.

In September 1917 *Munalbro* was chartered by the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army), and by December 1917 she had been armed. On 12 May 1918 she was in a convoy on a crossing from [New York City](/source/New_York_City) to [Plymouth](/source/Plymouth,_England), [England](/source/England), when the U.S. Navy cargo ship [USS *Zaanland* (ID-2746)](/source/USS_Zaanland_(ID-2746)) suffered a [rudder](/source/Rudder) casualty that evening, went off course, and was rammed by the U.S. Navy [tanker](/source/Tanker_(ship)) [USS *Hisko* (ID-1953)](/source/USS_Hisko_(ID-1953)). While the convoy continued on its way, *Munalbro* stood by the mortally damaged *Zaanland*—which sank the next morning—and took off her crew. *Munalbro* then set off to catch up with the convoy. Along the way she encountered the westward-bound merchant ship SS *Minnesota* and transferred the crew of *Zaanland* to *Minnesota* for transportation back to the United States.

The U.S. Navy acquired *Munalbro* from Munson Steamship Line for [World War I](/source/World_War_I) service as a cargo ship on 17 September 1918 and [commissioned](/source/Ship_commissioning) her as USS *Munalbro* at Newport News the same day. Unlike many of the former [merchant ships](/source/Merchant_ship) the Navy acquired in 1917 and 1918 for use in the war, *Munalbro* did not receive a Navy identification number (Id. No.).

Assigned to the [Naval Overseas Transportation Service](/source/Naval_Overseas_Transportation_Service) (NOTS), *Munalbro* joined a convoy at [New York City](/source/New_York_City) bound for [Europe](/source/Europe) on 26 September 1918. She arrived at [La Pallice](/source/La_Pallice), [France](/source/France), on 13 October 1918 to discharge part of her U.S. Army general cargo and continued on to [St. Nazaire](/source/St._Nazaire), [Nantes](/source/Nantes), and [Quiberon](/source/Quiberon). She departed Quiberon 1 November 1918 for the [United States East Coast](/source/United_States_East_Coast) and arrived at [Norfolk](/source/Norfolk,_Virginia), [Virginia](/source/Virginia), on 22 November 1918. On 12 December 1918 *Munalbro* made a second crossing to Quiberon, where she arrived in January 1919, again carrying general U.S. Army supplies. In February 1919 she departed Nantes with another U.S. Army cargo, returning to New York on 1 March 1919.

On 21 March 1919 *Munalbro* [decommissioned](/source/Ship_decommissioning) and was delivered to the [United States Shipping Board](/source/United_States_Shipping_Board) for simultaneous return to Munson Steamship Line. She returned to mercantile service as SS *Munalbro*. Boston enterprise Eastern Gas And Fuel purchased the steamship, and in 1936 her name was changed to SS *James L. Richards* on behalf of longtime EG&F director [James Lorin Richards](/source/James_Lorin_Richards). Her subsequent commercial service extended for three and a half decades and she was scrapped in 1954.

## References

- [Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center: Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: S.S. *Munalbro* (American Collier, 1916). Served as USS *Munalbro* (no ID #) in 1918-1919. Later S.S. *James L. Richards*](https://web.archive.org/web/20080131205700/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-civil/civsh-m/munalbro.htm)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [USS Munalbro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Munalbro) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Munalbro?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.