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USS Mayflower (PY-1)
Encyclopedia
USS Mayflower (PY-1) (later as USCG Mayflower (WPG-183)) was the second ship in the United States Navy
to have that name. Mayflower — a luxurious steam yacht
built in 1896 by J. and G. Thompson, Clydebank, Scotland
— was purchased by the Navy from the estate of Ogden Goelet and commissioned at New York Navy Yard on 24 March 1898, Commander
M. R. S. McKensie in command.
(see Spanish-American War
), Mayflower joined Admiral
William T. Sampson
's squadron at Key West, Florida
on 20 April. Two days later the American warships sailed to blockade Havana
. En route, Mayflower captured the Spanish schooner Santiago Apostol. She also took a number of fishing boats and coastal trading vessels. On 11 May, she boarded a large British merchant steamer, which also carried the name Mayflower, and sent the blockade runner to the United States under a prize crew
. On the 14th, Alfonso led two Spanish gunboat
s out of the harbor hoping to break through the American blockade. Mayflowers guns engaged the Spanish warships and drove them back to shelter under the guns of Morro Castle. For the rest of the war, Mayflower guarded the ports of Santiago de Cuba
and Cienfuegos
.
In 1902, Mayflower twice served as Admiral George Dewey
's flagship
. In November 1903, Rear Admiral
Joseph Coghlan
flew his flag when off Panama
during the revolution which established Panamanian independence and pointed toward the construction of the Panama Canal
. She sailed to Europe in the summer of 1904, and in the fall carried Secretary of War
William Howard Taft
on an inspection tour of the West Indies. Mayflower was decommissioned at New York on 1 November 1904 for conversion to a presidential yacht.
in command, she immediately sailed for Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, to prepare for the peace conference which ended the Russo-Japanese War
. President Roosevelt
introduced the Russian and Japanese delegations on board Mayflower on 5 August. The ship continued to play a prominent role in support of the negotiations which won President Roosevelt the Nobel Peace Prize
.
After duty as a dispatch boat protecting American interests in Santo Domingo in 1906, Mayflower served as presidential yacht until 1929. She was the scene of many diplomatic and social events during these years. Many members of the world's royal families visited the yacht and numerous persons of great prominence signed her guestbook. President Wilson
selected Mayflower as the setting for much of his courtship of Mrs. Edith Bolling Galt.
President Hoover
decided to dispense with Mayflower as an economy measure, and she was decommissioned on 22 March 1929, and her Filipino crew was transferred to Rapidan Camp
.
" (Chicago's Wall Street). The following year while he was having the ship restored to her original luxurious splendor, by Henry J. Gerlow Inc., of New York City, Parish's fortunes turned forcing him to sell the yacht shortly before he fled from the country to escape from prosecution and elude irate investors. During the depression years
, a number of successive owners tried to promote a wide variety of projects for the ship, including use in the South America
coastal trade, restoration as a historic relic, use as a floating dance salon, and even sale to the Japanese Government to be scrapped as Japan
sought still to strengthen her war machine. However, a complex web of legal difficulties, a shortage of money, and marginal business conditions frustrated these enterprises while the ship idled in Atlantic ports from New York to Jacksonville, Florida
, awaiting an opportunity for future service.
After America entered World War II
, the War Shipping Administration
purchased Mayflower from Broadfoot Iron Works Inc., Wilmington, North Carolina
, on 31 July 1942 and renamed her Butte. Transferred to the Coast Guard
on 6 September 1943, the ship was recommissioned as USS Mayflower (WPE-183) on 19 October 1943. She patrolled the Atlantic coast guarding against German U-boat
s and escorted coastal shipping besides serving as a radar training ship at Norfolk and Boston.
. However, while sailing for sealing waters between Greenland and Labrador, early in March, Mayflower was damaged by fire off Point Lookout
and forced to return to Baltimore. Collins Distributors Inc., purchased the ship early in 1948, installed new boilers in her at New York, and documented her as Malla under the Panamanian flag
. She was subsequently fitted out at Genoa, Italy, ostensibly for coastwise trade in the Mediterranean. After sailing secretly from Marseilles, she arrived at Haifa
in the British Mandate of Palestine on 3 September. On board were Jewish refugees. Most were former passengers of the ill-fated Exodus
which had been turned back from Palestine the previous summer.
Purchased by Israel in 1950 and renamed INS Maoz (K 24) and served as a patrol craft and training ship; Broken up in 1955
Mayflower was possibly the only US Navy ship to have been in active commissioned service in the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. She was also one of the few ships to have served in both the United States and Israeli navies.
Crewmembers of Mayflower were entitled to the following service medals if they served on board her during the eligibility periods indicated —
Sampson Medal
(1898), Spanish Campaign Medal
(1898), World War I Victory Medal
(1917-1919), American Campaign Medal
(1941-1946) and the World War Two Victory Medal (1942-1946).
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to have that name. Mayflower — a luxurious steam yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
built in 1896 by J. and G. Thompson, Clydebank, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
— was purchased by the Navy from the estate of Ogden Goelet and commissioned at New York Navy Yard on 24 March 1898, Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
M. R. S. McKensie in command.
Spanish-American War
Acquired by the Navy for the impending war with SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(see Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
), Mayflower joined Admiral
Admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
William T. Sampson
William T. Sampson
William Thomas Sampson was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.-Biography:...
's squadron at Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
on 20 April. Two days later the American warships sailed to blockade Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. En route, Mayflower captured the Spanish schooner Santiago Apostol. She also took a number of fishing boats and coastal trading vessels. On 11 May, she boarded a large British merchant steamer, which also carried the name Mayflower, and sent the blockade runner to the United States under a prize crew
Prize crew
Prize crew is a term used to indicate a number of crew members of a ship chosen to take over the operations of a captured ship.In the early days of sailing and up into the American Civil War, capturing enemy ships was quite common...
. On the 14th, Alfonso led two Spanish gunboat
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:...
s out of the harbor hoping to break through the American blockade. Mayflowers guns engaged the Spanish warships and drove them back to shelter under the guns of Morro Castle. For the rest of the war, Mayflower guarded the ports of Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
and Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
.
Caribbean
Early in 1899, the yacht steamed to New York where she decommissioned on 2 February to be fitted out for special service in Puerto Rican waters. She recommissioned on 15 June 1900, Commodore Duncan Kennedy in command. At San Juan, she served as headquarters for the government of the island being formed by the first American Governor Charles H. Allen.In 1902, Mayflower twice served as Admiral George Dewey
George Dewey
George Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...
's flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
. In November 1903, Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
Joseph Coghlan
Joseph Coghlan
Rear Admiral Joseph Bulloch Coghlan was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War.-Biography:...
flew his flag when off Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
during the revolution which established Panamanian independence and pointed toward the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. She sailed to Europe in the summer of 1904, and in the fall carried Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
on an inspection tour of the West Indies. Mayflower was decommissioned at New York on 1 November 1904 for conversion to a presidential yacht.
Presidential yacht
Recommissioned on 25 July 1905, with Commander Cameron WinslowCameron Winslow
Admiral Cameron McRae Winslow served in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War and World War I. A son of Commander Francis Winslow , he was a first cousin once removed of Rear Admiral John A...
in command, she immediately sailed for Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, to prepare for the peace conference which ended the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
. President Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
introduced the Russian and Japanese delegations on board Mayflower on 5 August. The ship continued to play a prominent role in support of the negotiations which won President Roosevelt the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
After duty as a dispatch boat protecting American interests in Santo Domingo in 1906, Mayflower served as presidential yacht until 1929. She was the scene of many diplomatic and social events during these years. Many members of the world's royal families visited the yacht and numerous persons of great prominence signed her guestbook. President Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
selected Mayflower as the setting for much of his courtship of Mrs. Edith Bolling Galt.
President Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
decided to dispense with Mayflower as an economy measure, and she was decommissioned on 22 March 1929, and her Filipino crew was transferred to Rapidan Camp
Rapidan Camp
Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah National Park in Madison County, Virginia, was built by U.S. President Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry Hoover, and served as their rustic retreat throughout Hoover's administration from 1929 to 1933...
.
In private ownership
She was badly damaged by fire while tied up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 24 January 1931. The yacht was sold on 19 October 1931 to Leo P. Coe, agent for Frank P. Parish, a wealthy financier known as "The boy wizard of LaSalle StreetLaSalle Street
LaSalle Street is a major north-south street in Chicago named for Sieur de La Salle, an early explorer of Illinois. The portion that runs through the Loop is considered to be Chicago's financial district...
" (Chicago's Wall Street). The following year while he was having the ship restored to her original luxurious splendor, by Henry J. Gerlow Inc., of New York City, Parish's fortunes turned forcing him to sell the yacht shortly before he fled from the country to escape from prosecution and elude irate investors. During the depression years
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, a number of successive owners tried to promote a wide variety of projects for the ship, including use in the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
coastal trade, restoration as a historic relic, use as a floating dance salon, and even sale to the Japanese Government to be scrapped as Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
sought still to strengthen her war machine. However, a complex web of legal difficulties, a shortage of money, and marginal business conditions frustrated these enterprises while the ship idled in Atlantic ports from New York to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, awaiting an opportunity for future service.
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
purchased Mayflower from Broadfoot Iron Works Inc., Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, on 31 July 1942 and renamed her Butte. Transferred to the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
on 6 September 1943, the ship was recommissioned as USS Mayflower (WPE-183) on 19 October 1943. She patrolled the Atlantic coast guarding against German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s and escorted coastal shipping besides serving as a radar training ship at Norfolk and Boston.
End of career
Decommissioned on 1 July 1946, Mayflower was sold at Baltimore to Frank M. Shaw on 8 January 1947 for use in the Arctic as a sealerSeal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
. However, while sailing for sealing waters between Greenland and Labrador, early in March, Mayflower was damaged by fire off Point Lookout
Point Lookout
-Places:*Point Lookout, Maryland*Point Lookout, Missouri*Point Lookout, New York*Point Lookout, Queensland*Point Lookout State Park in Maryland*Point Lookout Cemetery in the Louisiana State Penitentiary -Other:*Point Lookout Sandstone...
and forced to return to Baltimore. Collins Distributors Inc., purchased the ship early in 1948, installed new boilers in her at New York, and documented her as Malla under the Panamanian flag
Flag of convenience
The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
. She was subsequently fitted out at Genoa, Italy, ostensibly for coastwise trade in the Mediterranean. After sailing secretly from Marseilles, she arrived at Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in the British Mandate of Palestine on 3 September. On board were Jewish refugees. Most were former passengers of the ill-fated Exodus
Exodus (ship)
Exodus 1947 was a ship that carried Jewish emigrants, that left France on July 11, 1947, with the intent of taking its passengers to the British mandate for Palestine. Most of the emigrants were Holocaust survivor refugees, who had no legal immigration certificates to Palestine...
which had been turned back from Palestine the previous summer.
Purchased by Israel in 1950 and renamed INS Maoz (K 24) and served as a patrol craft and training ship; Broken up in 1955
Mayflower was possibly the only US Navy ship to have been in active commissioned service in the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. She was also one of the few ships to have served in both the United States and Israeli navies.
Crewmembers of Mayflower were entitled to the following service medals if they served on board her during the eligibility periods indicated —
Sampson Medal
Sampson Medal
The Sampson Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy which was first authorized in 1901. The decoration was awarded to those personnel who were assigned in the fleet of Rear Admiral William T...
(1898), Spanish Campaign Medal
Spanish Campaign Medal
The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those members of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish-American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish Campaign Medal, one for members of the United...
(1898), World War I Victory Medal
World War I Victory Medal
The World War I Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was first created in 1919, designed by James Earle Fraser. The medal was originally intended to be created by an act of the United States Congress, however the bill authorizing the decoration never passed, leaving...
(1917-1919), American Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
(1941-1946) and the World War Two Victory Medal (1942-1946).