USS Quincy (AK-10) was a

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

acquired by the U.S. Navy for service in World War I.

Seizing a German freighter

''Quincy'', formerly SS ''Vogesen'', was built in 1909 by

William Doxford and Sons William Doxford & Sons Ltd, often referred to simply as Doxford, was a British shipbuilding and marine engineering company. History William Doxford founded the company in 1840. From 1870 it was based in Pallion, Sunderland, on the River Wear ...

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, England for H. Vogemann; acquired by NOTS 8 May 1917; and commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana, 2 February 1918. Upon the declaration of war with Germany, SS ''Vogesen'' was seized by Customs and Navy officials at

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, and was renamed ''Quincy'' 4 June 1917. After a refit at New Orleans, Louisiana, she was quickly placed in service by NOTS as a collier.

World War I North Atlantic operations

During World War I ''Quincy'' made three round trip transatlantic voyages. She sailed from

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, 27 February 1918 with a cargo of lumber destined for Paulliac, France, and returned to Norfolk 1 June. While at Norfolk she was fitted out to carry fuel oil. ''Quincy'' departed 21 July for Brest, France with a cargo of lumber, cement, and airplanes, and returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 26 September for a short refit. On her third eastward crossing she left

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, 1 November, bound for

Genoa, Italy Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...

with a cargo of aviation material. On the return voyage, ''Quincy'' called at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

to take on a Navy cargo, and arrived at Philadelphia 25 March 1919. ''Quincy'' subsequently carried cargo between U.S. east coast ports and visited

Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay ( es, Bahía de Guantánamo) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off ...

and

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Saint Thomas ( da, Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea which, together with Saint John, Water Island, Hassel Island, and Saint Croix, form a county-equivalent and constituent district of the United States Virgin I ...

Post-war activity

After the war ''Quincy'' continued to operate along the

U.S. East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard ...

. She was designated AK–10 on 17 July 1920. From August 1920 until May 1921 she was laid up at Norfolk. ''Quincy'' got underway 13 May for

and Brest. Upon her return to the U.S. she remained on the east coast a short time and then sailed to the California coast via the Panama Canal making various calls en route to take on and discharge cargo. Quincy arrived at Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 3 November 1921 and visited Hawaii in January–February 1922. She returned to Philadelphia 11 April.

Decommissioning

''Quincy'' decommissioned at Philadelphia 5 June 1922 and was sold 25 September 1922 to the Navigation Steamship Co.

Civilian career

After being sold on multiple occasions, in 1936 she was sold again and was renamed ''Burego Star'', and in 1937 she was resold to Chinese interests and renamed ''Haida''. She was declared missing after sailing from Seattle for Hong Kong on October 24, 1937 with a cargo of sulfur that was believed to be headed for China for use in its munitions industry. She was likely torpedoed by a Japanese

I-Boat Imperial Japanese Navy submarines originated with the purchase of five Holland type submarines from the United States in 1904. Japanese submarine forces progressively built up strength and expertise, becoming by the beginning of World War II one o ...

References

External links

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quincy (AK-10) Ships built on the River Wear 1909 ships Cargo ships of the United States Navy World War I cargo ships of the United States Maritime incidents in 1937