USS ''Pequot'' (ID-2998) was a German

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

that the

US Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

seized in 1917 after the US entry into the First World War. She briefly served in the

Naval Overseas Transportation Service Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

. In 1923 her original owner,

DDG Hansa DDG Hansa, short for Deutsche Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft Hansa (German Steamship Company Hansa; in modern orthography, Deutsche Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft Hansa) was a major German shipping company specialising in heavy freight and schedul ...

, chartered her and then bought her back. The ship was launched in 1910 as ''Ockenfels'', and was the second of three DDG Hansa ships to bear that name. She was one of a series of eight

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

s built for DDG Hansa. The others were ''Birkenfels'' and ''Freienfels'' launched in 1910, ''Kandelfels'', ''Sturmfels'' and ''Huberfels'' launched in 1912 and ''Lauterfels'' and ''Spitzfels'' launched in 1913. She is the second ship to serve as USS ''Pequot''. The first was a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1921 DDG Hansa took delivery of a new ''Ockenfels''. Therefore when the company bought back ''Pequot'' in 1923 it gave her the new name ''Argenfels''.

Building

Joh. C. Tecklenborg built ''Ockenfels'' in Geestemünde, which is now part of

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

. She was launched on 9 April 1920 and completed on 28 May. She had a four-cylinder quadruple-expansion engine that was rated at 517

NHP Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

and gave her a speed of . For handling cargo she had one 25-ton

derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and a ...

, eight five-ton derricks and three three-ton derricks.

Service history

On 1 August 1914 after the First World War began ''Ockenfels'' was interned in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. On 6 April 1917 after the USA entered the First World War the US Government seized her in

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. However, her German crew sabotaged her main engine and repairs were not completed until late in 1918. The US Shipping Board

bareboat charter A bareboat charter or demise charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible f ...

ed the ship to the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

. She was defensively armed with one gun and one gun. On 28 October 1918 the ship was commissioned as USS ''Pequot'' under the command of Lt Cdr John Decry, USNR. A fortnight later the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

ended the war. ''Pequot'' served in the

carrying general cargo for both the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and the US Shipping Board. On 11 July 1919 she was struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the 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 author ...

and returned to the Shipping Board. Argenfels ex Ockenfels

In 1923 the California Steamship Company bought ''Pequot'', registered her in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

and almost immediately chartered her to DDG Hansa. On 28 June 1923 she was in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Wales when DDG Hansa bought her back. By then DDG Hansa had a new ''Ockenfels'' so it renamed her ''Argenfels''. She spent a decade in DDG Hansa service and was sold for scrap in 1932.

References

Bibliography

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pequot (1910) 1910 ships Cargo ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Bremen (state) Steamships of Germany Steamships of the United States World War I merchant ships of Germany