USS Seven Seas (IX-68) was built by Bergsund M.V. Atkieb in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912 and served the Swedish Navy

Swedish Navy

The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...

 as the training ship Abraham Rydberg. Acquired by the United States Navy

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...

 from William S. Gubelmann of Marine Airways, Roslyn, New York

Roslyn, New York

Roslyn is a village in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,770...

, on 10 April 1942 and placed in service on 5 May 1942.

Service history

Seven Seas proceeded to the 7th Naval District on 8 May 1942, arriving 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...

, later that month. On 9 April, the auxiliary, full rigged ship

Full rigged ship

A full rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with three or more masts, all of them square rigged. A full rigged ship is said to have a ship rig....

 assumed duties as station ship at Key West.

Seven Seas remained at Key West until after the heyday of coastal 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...

 strikes. As the dangers lessened, she was placed out of service and laid up at the Coast Guard Patrol Base, Port Everglades, Florida, on 22 May 1944. Seven Seas was struck from the Navy List

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

on 29 July 1944.