USS ''Gypsum Queen'' (SP-430) was a

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

acquired by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. She was assigned to the French coast as a minesweeper, as well as a tugboat to provide assistance to disabled Allied ships. Performing this dangerous work, ''Gypsum Queen'' struck a rock near

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port, port city in the Finistère department, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of a peninsula and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an impor ...

, and sunk, sending 15 crew members to their deaths.

Constructed in Camden, New Jersey

''Gypsum Queen'' — a sea-going tug — was built by Dialogue & Company,

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

in 1890, acquired from her owners, J. B. King Transportation Co. of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in September 1917; and commissioned on 4 December 1917 at

World War I service

Turned over to the

3d Naval District United States Naval Districts is a system created by the United States Navy to organize military facilities, numbered sequentially by geographic region, for the operational and administrative control of naval bases and shore commands in the Unit ...

, ''Gypsum Queen'' was fitted out for overseas service at

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

and subsequently served in French ports as a towing vessel and a minesweeper.

Sinking

While returning from rendering assistance to minesweepers foundering off the coast of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, ''Gypsum Queen'' struck a rock near Armen Light House off Brest on 28 April 1919 and sank with a loss of two officers and 13 men.

References

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John H. Dialogue - Dialogue Shipyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gypsum Queen World War I auxiliary ships of the United States Tugs of the United States Navy Ships built by Dialogue & Company Shipwrecks in the Bay of Biscay 1890 ships Minesweepers of the United States Navy World War I minesweepers of the United States Maritime incidents in 1919