View source for SS Montanan

{{Short description|Cargo ship built in 1912 for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:Montanan.jpg|300px|USAT ''Montanan'' at [[Saint-Nazaire]], July 1917]]
|Ship caption= USAT ''Montanan'' at [[Saint-Nazaire]], July 1917
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship name=SS ''Montanan''
|Ship country=[[United States]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|USA|1912|United States Army Transport}}
|Ship owner=[[American-Hawaiian Steamship Company]]
|Ship registry=Boston
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=September 1911<ref name=Cochran-358>Cochran and Ginger, p. 358.</ref>
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=*[[Maryland Steel]]
*[[Sparrows Point, Maryland]]
|Ship original cost=$692,000<ref name=Cochran-365>Cochran and Ginger, p. 365.</ref>
|Ship yard number=126<ref name=Colton>Colton, "Bethlehem Steel Company".</ref>
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=25 January 1913<ref name=CSM-hawaiian>{{cite news | title = Hawaiian ship launched | work = The Christian Science Monitor | date = 27 January 1913 | page = 13 }}</ref>
|Ship sponsor=Miss Lubelle Shepard<ref name=CSM-hawaiian />
|Ship completed=April 1913<ref name=Colton />
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship identification=U.S. official number: 211088<ref name=Miramar>{{cite web | url =http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/list?search_op=OR&IDNo=2211088| title =''Montanan''| work = Miramar Ship Index | publisher = R.B.Haworth | access-date = 18 August 2008 }}</ref>
|Ship fate=Expropriated by U.S. Army, 1 June 1917
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United States 
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1918}}
|Ship name=USAT ''Montanan''
|Ship acquired=1 June 1917<ref name=CW-315>Crowell and Wilson, p. 315.</ref>
|Ship fate=Sunk by {{Ship|SM|U-90||2}}, 18 August 1918
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship type=[[Cargo ship]]
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|6,649}}<ref name=Cochran-365 />
{{DWT|9,406|long}}<ref name=Cochran-365 />
|Ship length=*{{convert|407|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}} ([[length between perpendiculars|LPP]])<ref name=Miramar />
*{{convert|428|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} ([[length overall|overall]])<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship beam={{convert|53|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval History & Heritage Command | author-link = Naval History & Heritage Command | title = Montanan | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/montanan.html  | short = first }}</ref>
|Ship draft={{convert|28|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship propulsion=*oil-fired boilers<ref name=Cochran-357>Cochran and Ginger, p. 357.</ref>
*1 × [[quadruple expansion steam engine|quadruple-expansion]] [[steam engine]]<ref name=Miramar />
*1 × [[screw propeller]]<ref name=Cochran-357 />
|Ship speed={{convert|14.85|knots|km/h|lk=in}}<ref name=DANFS />
|Ship capacity=Cargo: {{convert|438154|cuft}}<ref name=Cochran-365 />
|Ship crew=18 officers, 40 crewmen
|Ship notes=Sister ships: {{SS|Minnesotan||2}}, {{SS|Dakotan||2}}, {{SS|Pennsylvanian||2}}, {{SS|Panaman||2}}, {{SS|Washingtonian||2}}, {{SS|Iowan||2}}, {{SS|Ohioan|1914|2}}<ref name=Colton />
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=(as USAT ''Montanan'')
|Ship displacement=
|Ship troops=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=86<ref name=AC-montanan>{{cite news | title = Montanan torpedoed; five men are missing | work = [[The Atlanta Constitution]] | date = 22 August 1918 | page = 7 }}</ref>
|Ship armament=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''SS ''Montanan''''' was a [[cargo ship]] built in 1912 for the [[American-Hawaiian Steamship Company]]. During [[World War I]] service for the United States [[Army Transport Service]], she was known as '''USAT ''Montanan'''''. ''Montanan'' was built by the [[Maryland Steel Company]] as one of eight sister ships for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, and was employed in inter-coastal service via the [[Isthmus of Tehuantepec]] and the [[Panama Canal]] after it opened.

In World War I, USAT ''Montanan'' carried cargo and animals to France, and was in the first American convoy to sail to France after the United States entered the war in April 1917. USAT ''Montanan'' was torpedoed and sunk by {{Ship|SM|U-90||2}} {{convert|500|nmi|km|-2|lk=in|abbr=on}} west of [[Le Verdon-sur-Mer]], France, while it took part in another eastbound convoy in August 1918,  Of the 86 men aboard the ship, 81 were rescued by a convoy escort; five men died in the attack.

==Design and construction==
In September 1911, the [[American-Hawaiian Steamship Company]] placed an order with the [[Maryland Steel Company]] of [[Sparrows Point, Maryland]], for four new [[cargo ships]]—{{SS|Minnesotan||2}}, {{SS|Dakotan||2}}, ''Montanan'', and {{SS|Pennsylvanian||2}}.<ref group=Note>Maryland Steel had built three ships—{{SS|Kentuckian||2}}, {{SS|Georgian|1910|2}}, and {{SS|Honolulan|1910|2}}—for American-Hawaiian in 1909 in what proved to be a satisfactory arrangement for both companies. See: Cochran and Ginger, p. 358.</ref> The contract cost of the ships was set at the construction cost plus an 8% profit for Maryland Steel, but with a maximum cost of $640,000 per ship. The construction was financed by Maryland Steel with a credit plan that called for a 5% down payment in cash, with nine monthly installments for the balance. The deal had provisions that allowed some of the nine installments to be converted into longer-term notes or mortgages. The final cost of ''Montanan'', including financing costs, was $73.62 per [[deadweight tonnage|deadweight ton]], which came out to just over $692,000.<ref name=Cochran-358 />

''Montanan'' (Maryland Steel yard no. 126)<ref name=Colton /> was the second ship built under the original contract.<ref group=Note>Further contracts on similar terms were signed in November 1911 and May 1912 to build four additional ships: {{SS|Panaman||2}}, {{SS|Washingtonian||2}}, {{SS|Iowan||2}}, {{SS|Ohioan|1914|2}}. See: Cochran and Ginger, p. 358, and Colton.</ref> She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 25 January 1913,<ref name=CSM-hawaiian /> and delivered to American-Hawaiian in April.<ref name=Colton /> ''Montanan'' was {{GRT|6,649|disp=long}},<ref name=Cochran-365 /> and was {{convert|428|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|53|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}} [[beam (nautical)|abeam]].<ref name=DANFS /> She had a [[deadweight tonnage]] of {{DWT|9,406|long}}, and her cargo holds, which had a storage capacity of {{convert|438154|cuft|abbr=on}},<ref name=Cochran-365 /> were outfitted with a complete refrigeration plant so that she could carry perishable products from the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]—such as fresh produce from [[Southern California]] farms—to the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]].<ref>{{cite news | title = California cargo of produce shipped to East | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 3 October 1914 | page = II-8 }}</ref> ''Montanan'' had a single [[steam engine]] powered by oil-fired [[boiler]]s which drove a single [[screw propeller]] at a speed of {{convert|15|knots|mph km/h|abbr=on}}.<!-- speed --><ref name=DANFS /><ref name="Cochran-357"/><!--oil-fired, single screw -->

==Early career==
When ''Montanan'' began sailing for American-Hawaiian, the company shipped cargo from [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] ports via the [[Tehuantepec Route]] to [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] ports and Hawaii, and vice versa. Shipments on the Tehuantepec Route arrived at Mexican ports—[[Salina Cruz|Salina Cruz, Oaxaca]], for eastbound cargo, and [[Coatzacoalcos]], Veracruz, for westbound cargo—and traversed the [[Isthmus of Tehuantepec]] on the [[Tehuantepec National Railway]].<ref>Hovey, p. 78.</ref> Eastbound shipments were primarily sugar and pineapple from Hawaii, while westbound cargoes were more general in nature.<ref name=Cochran-355-56>Cochran and Ginger, p. 355–56.</ref> ''Montanan'' sailed in this service on the east side of North America.<ref>{{cite news | title = American-Hawaiian Steamship Co. | type = display ad |work=Los Angeles Times | date = 13 April 1914 | page = I-4 }}</ref><ref name=W-F>Warwick and Foree, p. 132.</ref>

While headed from New York to Coatzacoalcos in October 1913, ''Montanan'' ran aground on [[Mantanilla Reef]], north of [[The Bahamas]]. Answering ''Montanan''{{'}}s distress calls, the [[Standard Oil Company]] [[tanker (ship)|tanker]] ''Rayo'' assisted in freeing ''Montanan'' from the reef. Although she was leaking slightly, ''Montanan'' continued on to her destination, and put in for repairs after a return trip to New York.<ref name=W-F />

Following the [[United States occupation of Veracruz]] on 21 April 1914 (which took place while six American-Hawaiian ships were being held in various Mexican ports), the [[Victoriano Huerta|Huerta]]-led Mexican government closed the Tehuantepec National Railway to American shipping. This loss of access, coupled with the fact that the [[Panama Canal]] was not yet open, caused American-Hawaii to return to its historic route of sailing around South America via the [[Straits of Magellan]] in late April.<ref name=Cochran-360>Cochran and Ginger, p. 360.</ref> With the opening of the Panama Canal on 15 August, American-Hawaiian ships switched to the canal route.<ref name=Cochran-360 />

On 2 December, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported an incident involving ''Montanan''. While headed down the Pacific coast of Mexico with a cargo of dried fruits and canned goods, ''Montanan'' was approached by a [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] warship, which fired a warning shot for ''Montanan'' to stop. After doing so, a boarding party with Japanese officers in a [[launch (boat)|launch]] headed to ''Montanan''. When the American identity of ''Montanan'' was established to the satisfaction of the Japanese, they returned to their ship without boarding ''Montanan''. The news report did not identify the type or the name of the Japanese warship, which had been searching for a German vessel thought to be operating in the area.<ref>{{cite news | title = Japanese Cruiser Fires on American Steamship off the Coast of Mexico | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = 2 December 1914 | page = 2 }}</ref><ref group=Note>Japan had declared war on Germany on 23 August 1914.</ref>

On ''Montanan''{{'}}s next trip, the ship collided with a wharf in [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles Harbor]]. ''Montanan'' had arrived in Los Angeles from [[Puget Sound]] on 22 January 1915 to complete her load before sailing for New York and Boston. The almost fully loaded ship was slow to respond to the helm and ended up "ploughing through" {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=on}} of Municipal Pier A on [[Mormon Island, Los Angeles|Mormon Island]] channel before coming to a stop at a stone bulkhead. One [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] plate on ''Montanan'' was dented, but the ship was otherwise undamaged. ''Montanan''{{'}}s captain, who had a local license, did not take on a [[harbor pilot]] and American-Hawaiian was liable for the damage, estimated by the harbor engineer to be $2,500.<ref>{{cite news | title = Ship's own pilot rams hole in city's wharf | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 23 January 1915 | page = II-8 }}</ref>

Contemporary news reports offer hints at cargoes that ''Montanan'' carried during this period. In April 1915, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported on the sailing of ''Montanan'' with a full cargo. The majority of the cargo was rice—from Japan, China, and California—which was destined for the United Kingdom to feed Indian troops fighting in Europe.<ref>{{cite news | title = Montanan sails for New York | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 9 April 1915 | page = I-6 }}</ref> In June, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that ''Montanan'' and {{SS|Santa Clara||2}} (of the [[Grace Line]]) had sailed from [[Tacoma, Washington]], with 2,500&nbsp;tons<!-- type of ton not specified --> of copper between them.<ref>{{cite news | title = Tacoma copper shipments | work = The Wall Street Journal  | date = 30 June 1915 | page = 7 }}</ref>

In October 1915, landslides closed the Panama Canal and all American-Hawaiian ships, including ''Montanan'', returned to the Straits of Magellan route again.<ref name=Cochran-361>Cochran and Ginger, p. 361.</ref> ''Montanan''{{'}}s exact movements from this time through early 1917 are unclear. She may have been in the half of the American-Hawaiian fleet that was [[ship chartering|chartered]] for transatlantic service, or she may have been in the group of American-Hawaiian ships chartered for service to South America, delivering coal, gasoline, and steel in exchange for coffee, [[nitrate]]s, cocoa, rubber, and [[manganese|manganese ore]].<ref name=Cochran-362>Cochran and Ginger, p. 362.</ref>

==U.S. Army service==
After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, the United States Army—needing transports to get its men and [[materiel]] to France—had a select committee of shipping executives pore over registries of American shipping. The committee selected ''Montanan'', her sister ship ''Dakotan'', and 12 other American-flagged ships that were sufficiently fast, could carry enough fuel in their [[:wikt:bunker|bunker]]s for [[transatlantic crossing]]s, and, most importantly, were in port or not far at sea.<ref>Sharpe, p. 359.</ref><ref>Crowell and Wilson, pp. 313–14.</ref> After ''Montanan'' discharged her last load of cargo, she was officially handed over to the Army on 29 May.<ref name=CW-315 />

Before troop transportation began, all of the ships were hastily refitted. Of the fourteen ships, four, including ''Montanan'' and ''Dakotan'', were designated to carry animals and other cargo; the other ten were designated to carry troops. Ramps and stalls were built on the four ships chosen to carry livestock. Gun platforms were installed on each ship before docking at the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]], where the guns were put in place.<ref>Crowell and Wilson, p. 316.</ref><ref group=Note>The only exception was for {{SS|Finland}}, an [[American Line]] steamer in transatlantic service to [[Liverpool]]. ''Finland'' had already been outfitted for guns in early 1917.</ref> All the ships were crewed by merchant officers and sailors but carried two U.S. Navy officers, Navy gun crews, [[quartermaster]]s, [[signalman (rank)|signalmen]], and [[radio|wireless]] operators. The senior Navy officer on board would take control if a ship came under attack.<ref>Gleaves, p. 102.</ref>

The American convoy carrying the first units of the [[American Expeditionary Force]] was separated into four groups;<ref group=Note>The individual groups of the first convoy were typically counted as separate convoys in post-war sources. See, for example, Crowell and Wilson, Appendix G, p. 603.</ref> ''Montanan'' was in the fourth group with her sister ship ''Dakotan'', Army transports {{USAT|El Occidente||2}} and {{USAT|Edward Luckenbach||2}}, and escorts consisting of [[cruiser]] {{USS|St. Louis|C-20|2}}, U.S. Navy transport {{USS|Hancock|AP-3|2}}, and [[destroyer]]s {{USS|Shaw|DD-68|2}}, {{USS|Ammen|DD-35|2}}, and {{USS|Flusser|DD-20|2}}.<ref>Gleaves, p. 38.</ref> ''Montanan'' departed with her group on the morning of 17 June for [[Brest, France|Brest]], France, steaming at an {{convert|11|knots|mph km/h|abbr=on}} pace.<ref>Gleaves, p. 42.</ref> A thwarted submarine attack on the first convoy group,<ref>Gleaves, pp. 42–43.</ref> and reports of heavy submarine activity off of Brest, resulted in a change in the convoy's destination to [[Saint-Nazaire]]<ref>Gleaves, p. 45.</ref> where the convoy arrived 2 July.<ref>Crowell and Wilson, p. 406.</ref>

[[File:USAT Montanan torpedoed.jpg|thumb|left|''Montanan'' after her torpedo attack on 15 August 1918]]

''Montanan'' departed Saint-Nazaire on 14 July in the company of her convoy mates ''El Occidente'', ''Dakotan'', and ''Edward Luckenbach''. Joining the return trip were Army transport {{USAT|Momus||2}}, Navy armed [[Collier (ship)|collier]] {{USS|Cyclops|AC-4|2}}, Navy [[Oiler (ship)|oiler]] {{USS|Kanawha|AO-1|2}}, and [[cruiser]] {{USS|Seattle|ACR-11|2}}, the flagship of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Albert Gleaves]], the head of the Navy's [[Cruiser and Transport Force]].<ref>Gleaves, p. 54.</ref>

Sources do not reveal ''Montanan''{{'}}s movements over the next months, but on 1 August 1918, ''Montanan'' sailed in Convoy HB-8 with U.S. Navy cargo ships {{USS|West Alsek|ID-3119|2}}, {{USS|West Bridge|ID-2888|2}}, and 13 others for France.<ref name=DANFS-West_Alsek>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Alsek | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_alsek.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070821232417/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_alsek.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 21 August 2007 | short = on }}</ref><ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/west-bridge.html <!--Old link: http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm; archive: https://archive.today/20121213010408/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w5/west_bridge.htm -->  | short = on }}</ref> Escorted by armed yacht {{USS|Noma|SP-131|2}}, destroyers {{USS|Burrows|DD-29|2}} and {{USS|Smith|DD-17|2}}, and French cruiser {{Ship|French cruiser|Marseillaise|1900|2}},<ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge /><ref name=DANFS-Burrows>{{cite DANFS | last = Mann | title = Burrows | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b11/burrows-ii.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070712201101/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b11/burrows-ii.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 12 July 2007 | short = on }}</ref> the convoy was {{convert|500|nmi|mi km|-2|abbr=on}} west of its destination of [[Le Verdon-sur-Mer]] by the end of the day on 15 August.<!--location--><ref name=Miramar /><ref name=DANFS-West_Alsek /><!-- destination --> At sundown, shortly before 18:00, German submarine {{Ship|SM|U-90||2}} launched three torpedoes at ''Montanan''.<!--U-boat identity, specific time --><ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge /><ref name=CW-529>Crowell and Wilson, pp. 529–30.</ref><!-- details of attack, sundown --><ref group=Note>''U-90'' had sunk Navy transport {{USS|President Lincoln|1907|6}} in late May.</ref> The first two, spotted by lookouts aboard ''Montanan'', missed, but a third, unseen torpedo struck ''Montanan'' amidships on her port side, opening a large hole. ''Montanan'' began to settle and was abandoned quickly. Two of ''Montanan''{{'}}s [[Naval Armed Guard]]smen drowned when their lifeboat capsized in the heavy seas;<ref name=CW-529 /> three of her civilian crewmen also died in the attack. ''Montanan''{{'}}s 81 survivors were rescued by convoy escort ''Noma''.<ref name=DANFS /><ref name=AC-montanan />
 
Shortly after ''Montanan'' was attacked, ''West Bridge'', which had previously developed engine trouble and was drifting, was torpedoed by {{Ship|SM|U-107||2}} and abandoned. By the morning of 16 August both ''Montanan'' and ''West Bridge'', with decks awash, were still afloat some {{convert|4|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} apart.<ref name=DANFS-West_Bridge /> ''Montanan''{{'}}s captain and several officers reboarded the ship the next morning for an attempt to get her under tow, but despite their efforts, the ship sank later that morning.<ref name=DANFS /><ref>{{cite news | title = Dodged 2 of 3 torpedoes | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = 13 September 1918 | page = 5 }}</ref><ref group=Note>In contrast, a work party from destroyer ''Smith'' was able to stabilize ''West Bridge'', and four tugs dispatched from [[Brest, France|Brest]] towed that ship safely into port. See: {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/west-bridge.html | short = on }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book | author = Bureau of Ordnance | author-link = Bureau of Ordnance | title = Navy Ordnance Activities: World War, 1917–1918 | url = https://archive.org/details/navyordnanceacti00unit | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = [[United States Government Printing Office]] | year = 1920 | oclc = 686627 }}
*{{cite journal | last = Cochran | first = Thomas C. | author-link = Thomas C. Cochran (historian) |author2=Ray Ginger |author2-link=Ray Ginger | title = The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, 1899–1919 | journal = The Business History Review | volume = 28 | issue = 4 |date=December 1954 | pages = 343–365 | location = Boston | publisher = The President and Fellows of Harvard College | oclc = 216113867 | doi = 10.2307/3111801 | jstor = 3111801 | s2cid = 154716297 }}
*{{cite web|last=Colton |first=Tim |url=http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/1major/inactive/bethsparrowspoint.htm |title=Bethlehem Steel Company, Sparrows Point MD |work=shipbuildinghistory.com |publisher=The Colton Company |access-date=18 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008154823/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/1major/inactive/bethsparrowspoint.htm |archive-date=8 October 2008 }}
*{{cite book | last = Crowell  | first = Benedict  | author-link = Benedict Crowell |author2=Robert Forrest Wilson | title = The Road to France: The Transportation of Troops and Military Supplies, 1917–1918 | url = https://archive.org/details/roadtofrancetra02wilsgoog  | series = How America Went to War: An Account From Official Sources of the Nation's War Activities, 1917–1920 | location = [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 1921 | oclc = 18696066 | isbn = 1-143-73956-6 }}
*{{Gleaves}}
*{{cite journal | last = Hovey | first = Edmund Otis | title = The Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Tehuantepec National Railway | journal = Bulletin of the American Geographical Society | volume = 39 | issue = 2 | year = 1907 | pages = 78–91 | location = New York | publisher = [[American Geographical Society]] | oclc = 2097765 | doi = 10.2307/198380 | jstor = 198380 }}
*{{cite DANFS | last = Mann | first = Raymond A. | title = Burrows | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/burrows-ii.html | date = 21 November 2005 | access-date = 18 August 2008 }}
*{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | author-link = Naval Historical Center | title = Montanan | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/montanan.html | access-date = 18 August 2008 | link = off }}
*{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Alsek | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/west-alsek.html | access-date = 18 August 2008 | link = off }}
*{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = West Bridge | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/west-bridge.html | access-date = 18 August 2008 | link = off }}
*{{cite book | last = Sharpe | first = Henry Granville | author-link = Henry Granville Sharpe | title = The Quartermaster Corps in the Year 1917 in the World War | url = https://archive.org/details/quartermasterco00shargoog | location = New York | publisher = [[The Century Company|Century Co.]] | year = 1921 | oclc = 7980339 }}
*{{cite book | last = Warwick | first = Walter W. |author2=Charles M. Foree | title = Decisions of the Comptroller of the Treasury, Volume 22: July 1, 1915, to June 30, 1916 | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = Government Printing Office | year = 1916 | oclc = 1768278 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*{{cite Uboat.net
|id=4228
|name=Montanan
|type=1ship
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Montanan}}
[[Category:Ships built in Sparrows Point, Maryland]]
[[Category:Cargo ships of the United States]]
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