USS Chestnut Hill
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name |
|
| Builder | Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company |
| Yard number | 1 |
| Launched | 23 August 1917 |
| Acquired | 14 March 1918 |
| Commissioned | 14 March 1918 |
| Decommissioned | 3 September 1919 |
| Identification | U.S. official number 215976, Signal 1919 LJQG |
| Fate | Sunk as a target 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 10,150 tons |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 50 ft 9 in (15.47 m) |
| Draft | 24 ft 5 in (7.44 m) |
| Depth | 29.5 ft (9.0 m) |
| Speed | 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Complement | 71 |
| Armament | 1 × 5-inch gun; 1 × 6-pounder cannon |
USS Chestnut Hill (ID-2526) was a commercial tanker that served briefly with the United States Navy during World War I. The ship was ordered as Desdemona for British service but requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board (USSB) for U.S. service and renamed Chestnut Hill before completion. After commissioning and assignment to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) the ship served as an escort and fueling ship for fleets of U.S. submarine chasers crossing the Atlantic.
After decommissioning and return to the USSB the ship operated as a commercial tanker under that organization's ownership until sold in 1927, converted to diesel power and renamed Caliche. Ownership changed several times until World War II when the ship was delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) for the duration. From 19 May 1943 to 31 March 1944 the ship was operated as Donbass by the Soviet Union on Lend Lease. After return, resumption of the name Calice and brief operation the ship was turned over to the Navy and later sunk as a bombing target.