USS J. B. Walker
collier of the United States Navy
USS J. B. Walker (ID 1272) was an old schooner hulk acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I. Because of her age, condition and relatively large cargo capacity, she was used as a collier, carrying coal where needed. She was not self-propelled, and required to be towed from one port to another. Post-war, J. B. Walker was sold.
Built in Maine in 1879
J.B. Walker, a 2,136 gross ton seagoing barge, was built at Thomaston, Maine, in 1879 as a schooner. She sank, or struck a submerged obstruction and was beached, near Great Round Shoals, Nantucket, Massachusetts on 29 July 1916. Later raised, or refloated, and taken to Providence, Rhode Island. After operating commercially for nearly four decades, she was taken over by the U.S. Navy in October 1917 and placed in commission as USS J.B. Walker (ID # 1272) in August 1918.
World War I service
For the rest of World War I, and for some months after the November 1918 Armistice, she was employed carrying coal between Norfolk, Virginia, and New England. In late March 1919 J.B. Walker was assigned to the Fifth Naval District, probably for harbor service in the vicinity of Norfolk and Hampton Roads. She was sold in September 1919.
The public source identifies “USS J. B. Walker” as collier of the United States Navy. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Walker, collier and United.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “USS J. B. Walker”, the useful work is to connect “collier of the United States Navy” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11705755. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1272, 1879, 1916 and 1917.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “USS J. B. Walker”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow USS J. B. Walker primary sources, USS J. B. Walker archive and Walker research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “USS J. B. Walker”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “USS J. B. Walker” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.