USS Savannah ( AS - 8 ) USS " Savannah " ( Id . No . 3015 ) ( later designated AS - 8 ) was a submarine tender in the United States Navy in World War I and the years after . She was launched 18 April 1899 as a German commercial freighter SS " Saxonia , but was seized by the United States in 1917 and renamed " Savannah " . In 1933 , the ship was renamed USS " AS - 8 to allow to have the " Savannah " name . Operational history . World War I . " Saxonia " was launched on 18 April 1899 for the Hamburg American Steamship Company , by the Flensburger Schiffbau - Gesellschaft , Flensburg , Germany . Seized , upon United States entry into World War I , at Seattle , Washington , where she had been interned since 1914 , " Saxonia " was renamed " Savannah " on 9 June 1917 ; ordered converted to a submarine tender for the United States Navy on 20 October 1917 ; and commissioned on 3 November 1917 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard , Lt . Comdr . Arthur Jensen in command . Completing temporary outfitting as a tender , " Savannah " was assigned to Submarine Division 8 which had been ordered to the east coast of the United States . Departing Puget Sound on 21 November , " Savannah " and submarines , , , and called at several ports including San Pedro , California ; Magdalena Bay and Acapulco , Mexico ; before arriving at Balboa , Canal Zone , on 31 December 1917 . Transiting the Panama Canal , " Savannah " proceeded to Kingston , Jamaica ; Key West , Florida ; Norfolk , Virginia ; and New London , Connecticut ; eventually reaching the Boston Navy Yard for an extensive overhaul and conversion on 13 February 1918 . Standing out of Boston harbor on 1 August 1918 , " Savannah " made for Newport , Rhode Island , to rejoin the 8th Division , Submarine Force , then consisting of , , , , , , , and . After cruising along the New York and New Jersey coasts , " Savannah " made a cruise to Ponta Delgada , Azores , in support of a submarine division bound for European waters . Arriving in the Azores on 16 November 1918 , after the Armistice , " Savannah " was recalled . She returned to Charleston , South Carolina , on 13 December for repairs . Post World War I years . Remaining with Submarine Division 8 , " Savannah " operated along the east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean through July 1924 . Her operations included support of frequent torpedo practice exercises , fleet maneuvers , and normal upkeep and maintenance of her flotilla . On 17 July 1920 , " Savannah " was designated AS - 8 . In February 1923 , she transited the Panama Canal during a fleet exercise , towing , , , and at various times . Returning to the Caribbean , " Savannah " was employed in towing from Guantanamo Bay to the Norfolk Navy Yard , arriving on 21 April 1923 . Other duties included assistance to , stranded at the entrance to Chiriqui Lagoon , Panama , in April 1924 . Reassigned to Submarine Division 11 in July , " Savannah " continued to operate in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico into 1925 . Then ordered to the Pacific Fleet , " Savannah " departed the Canal Zone on 23 February 1925 for San Diego , arriving on 12 March . After two cruises to San Francisco , " Savannah " deployed to Kaunakakai , Molokai , Territory of Hawaii , for Fleet Problem III . Remaining in Hawaiian waters , she entered Pearl Harbor on 28 April for an abbreviated overhaul , after which she joined the Battle Force for exercises in Lahaina Roads . Subsequently ordered to return to the west coast of the United States , " Savannah " arrived at Portland , Oregon , on 12 June 1925 ; and participated in the Rose Festival through 21 June . Overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard followed ; and , in mid - September , " Savannah " took part in the California Diamond Jubilee celebrations at San Francisco . Assigned to duty as flagship , Commander , Submarine Divisions , Battle Force , " Savannah " operated along the Pacific coast from Washington to Panama into September 1926 . " Savannah " ' s last duty was carrying passengers from San Pedro to Bremerton , where she arrived on 15 October . She was decommissioned on 16 December 1926 and was placed in reserve at the Puget Sound Navy Yard . The large number of new vessels planned for the United States Fleet in the 1930s led to the selection of the name " Savannah " for a light cruiser , CL - 42 . Accordingly , " Savannah " ( AS - 8 ) ' s name was dropped on 15 September 1933 , the ship becoming just " AS - 8 " . Subsequently declared surplus to naval requirements , " AS - 8 " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 June 1934 and sold on 26 September 1934 to Mider & Marcus of Seattle , for mercantile service . World War II and beyond . In 1942 , the ship was renamed " Orbis " and sailed as a merchant vessel in Atlantic convoys . On 24 October 1942 , " Orbis " was traveling with the Iceland - bound portion of Convoy SC - 105 , when her steering gear broke . While she underwent repairs , U . S . Coast Guard cutter " Duane " stood by until she got underway four hours later . On 28 November 1942 , " Orbis " joined Convoy ON - 148 in Iceland to journey to Halifax . The ship was broken up for scrap in Japan during 1954 .