World War II Database

1.  David Stubblebine says:
31 Aug 2015 08:22:48 PM

Before becoming the US Navy’s first aircraft carrier, Jupiter experienced a few firsts of her own: Jupiter was the Navy’s first surface ship to be powered strictly by electric motors and she was the first vessel to transit the Panama Canal from west to east (12 Oct 1914).

2. Steve Voorhees says:
17 Oct 2015 03:54:19 AM

Smoke stacks appear to arranged side by side in this photo, unusual as most ships used a single stack or multiple stacks arranged fore and aft.

3.  David Stubblebine says:
17 Oct 2015 03:22:27 PM

Steve Voorhees:
Interesting observation about the side by side stacks. I wonder if this is related to Jupiter’s electrically powered screws, maximizing hold space for more coal, a combinations of these, or something else altogether. Interesting. And as you say, odd. Upon conversion to an aircraft carrier, both stacks were vented off to the port side, which was also odd for carriers as all other US carriers had their stacks on the starboard side (except Ranger that had stacks on both sides).

4. Steve Voorhees says:
22 Nov 2015 04:52:21 PM

David Stubblebine:
I think most bulk cargo freighters had one large stack in the aft part of the ship. The use of 2 stacks side by side could have simply been the designers choice. Machinery arrangement may have played a part too as you say.

5. Steve Voorhees says:
24 Apr 2016 05:25:38 PM

Jupiter was one of 4 Proteus class colliers built. The others being Proteus, Cyclops, and Nereus. Cyclops was lost in the Bermuda triangle region in World War I, Proteus and Nereus lost in the same region in WW II. There was no record of lost by U boats for the 2 lost in WW II. All three were lost in commercial service.