USS Gulfport (AK-5)

"AK-5" redirects here. For the highway in Alaska numbered 5, see Taylor Highway. For the Swedish assault rifle, see Ak 5.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Gulfport.

USS Gulfport (AK-5) was a cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy for service in World War I.

History
German Empire
Name	Andree Rickmers Locksun
Owner	North German Lloyd SS Co.
Builder	Rickmers Aktien Gesellschaft, Bremerhaven, German Empire
Launched	24 May 1902
Fate	Seized at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, 1917
USS Gulfport (AK-5) at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, 19 April 1921.
United States
Name	Gulfport
Namesake	Gulfport, Mississippi
Acquired	1917
Commissioned	1 September 1917
Decommissioned	3 March 1922
Reclassified	17 July 1920
Stricken	date unknown
Identification	Hull symbol: SP-2989 Hull symbol: AK-5
Fate	Sold, 25 May 1922, to Moore & McCormack Inc.
General characteristics
Displacement	3,800 t (3,700 long tons)
Length	267 ft 4 in (81.48 m)
Beam	37 ft 2 in (11.33 m)
Draught	18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion	steam
Speed	7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph)
Complement	52
Armament	1 × 4 in (100 mm) gun mount 1 × 6-pounder

Acquiring a captured German freighter

Gulfport, formerly SS Locksun, ex-SS Andree Rickmers, was built at Bremerhaven, Germany, in 1902 by Rickmers Aktiengesellschaft and was owned by the German Norddeutscher Lloyd Steamship Lines Co. In Pearl Harbor, when the United States entered World War I, she was seized by government orders and converted to a cargo transport at the Honolulu Navy Yard. She was commissioned on 1 September, 1917, in Honolulu.

World War I North Atlantic operations

In company with four submarines, Gulfport sailed from Hawaii on 30 October 1917, reaching New York 28 January 1918 via San Diego, California, Corinto, Nicaragua, Balboa, Key West, Florida, and Norfolk, Virginia. At New York she discharged her cargo, primarily pineapple, and was attached to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service.

Post-war operations

Until she decommissioned in 1922, Gulfport served as a cargo ship linking New York and Charleston with various Caribbean ports, particularly Guantanamo, Cuba; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During this period she made a total of 23 round trips to the West Indies, carrying oil and other necessary supplies to American troops based there and frequently returning with a cargo of sugar from the islands. Gulfport was detached from Naval Overseas Transportation Service on 10 October 1919 and placed under the military jurisdiction of the Commandant, 6th Naval District, Charleston, for duty in the West Indies Freight Service.

Last voyage and decommissioning

Gulfport completed her last voyage to the Caribbean on 25 November 1921 as she returned to New York; there she decommissioned 3 March 1922 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and was sold to Moore & McCormack Inc. of New York on 25 July 1922.

Military awards and honors

Her crew was authorized the following medals:

• World War I Victory Medal (with Transport clasp)
• Haitian Campaign Medal

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - SP 2989 / AK-5 Gulfport