''Wakulla'' was a steam cargo ship built in 1918-1919 by Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of San Pedro for the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was a corporation established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting ...

as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the

Emergency Fleet Corporation The Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) was established by the United States Shipping Board, sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board, on 16 April 1917 pursuant to the Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729) to acquire, maintain, and operate merchant shi ...

(EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. SS ''Wakulla'' was a

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

hulled Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective ...

, single-screw cargo vessel built under a contract from the

(USSB) at

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, by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. She was launched on 14 January 1918. Acquired by the United States Navy on 22 June 1918 for

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 ...

service, she was given Identification Number (Id. No.) 3147 and commissioned as USS ''Wakulla'' on 26 June 1918 at

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California, named for Wakulla County, FL. ''Wakulla'' loaded a capacity

cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

and departed for the

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on 21 July 1918. En route, she underwent repairs at Balboa,

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, from 11 August 1918 to 18 August 1918. Making port at

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on 27 August 1918, ''Wakulla'' bunkered, underwent further repairs, and sailed for

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, on 7 September 1918. On 13 September 1918, she joined a

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

bound for the

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and made arrival at

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, on 29 September 1918. After unloading her cargo there, ''Wakulla'' shifted to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

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, late in October 1918. Underway from Liverpool on 9 November 1918, ''Wakulla'' was en route to New York when the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

of 11 November 1918 stilled the guns of World War I. Loading a cargo of foodstuffs earmarked for the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

government, ''Wakulla'' departed New York on 18 December 1918, only to turn back for repairs, arriving back at New York on 21 December 1918. She remained under repairs into 1919 before finally departing, sailing again for

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on 28 January 1919. Arriving at

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on 19 February 1919, ''Wakulla'' discharged her cargo, loaded 1,000 tons of

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ordnance materiel, and departed France on 29 March 1919, bound for the

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. After arriving at New York on 13 April 1919, she was decommissioned at

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; ) is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's popula ...

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, on 18 April 1919 and simultaneously struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

. Returned to the United States Shipping Board and once again becoming SS ''Wakulla'', she operated actively out of Los Angeles, California, until 1923, when she was laid up, in reserve. She remained in this status until the first half of 1931 when, due to age and deterioration, she was scrapped at

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References

External links

Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy ships: USS Wakulla (ID # 3147), 1918–1919. Originally and later S.S. Wakulla (American Freighter, 1918).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakulla (ID-3147) Design 1013 ships Design 1013 ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Los Angeles 1918 ships World War I cargo ships of the United States World War I auxiliary ships of the United States